Lesson 15.2 Selecting, Storing, and Preparing Vegetables Learning Outcomes After reading this lesson, you will be able to • select high-quality vegetables. • describe how to store vegetables. • preserve the colors, flavors, textures, and nutrients of vegetables during cooking. W hen shopping for vegetables, you may be buying large or small amounts to prepare. The amount needed depends on the recipe you are making. Larger amounts are needed when a vegetable is the main ingredient in a recipe, such as carrot salad or scalloped potatoes. Purchase smaller amounts if the vegetable will be a garnish or a seasoner. For instance, a few thin pepper strips might be all you need to garnish grilled chicken breasts. Seasoners are ingredients that add flavor and fragrance to foods. Strongly flavored vegetables, such as garlic, onion, chili peppers, and horseradish, are examples of a type of seasoner called vegetable spices. As you will see in the Focus on Food: Herbs and Spices section in this chapter, there are several other types of seasoners that you can use to add zest to meals. Selecting and Storing Vegetables Vegetables can be purchased in four forms: fresh, frozen, canned, and dried (Figure 15.10). These forms are sold in supermarkets year-round. New Term seasoners ingredients that add flavor and fragrance to foods Forms of Vegetables Fresh Canned Frozen Dried Left to right: Anna Kucherova/Shutterstock.com Mindscape studio/Shutterstock.com Gts/Shutterstock.com NinaM/Shutterstock.com Figure 15.10 Vegetables are sold in fresh, canned, frozen, and dried forms. Which form is usually the quickest to prepare and serve? Explain why. Adventures in Food and Nutrition Copyright Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. 360