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C H A P T E R 1 3 R E V I E W C H A P T E R 1 3 R E V I E W
Summary
Corn, wheat, rye, oats, rice, and barley are important crops throughout the world.
These grains are made into a variety of staple food products, including breakfast foods,
fl ours, and pasta. These products are generally nutritious, inexpensive, and easy to
store.
Starches obtained from cereals are used chiefl y as thickening agents in gravies,
puddings, and sauces. When mixed with liquid and heated, starches absorb water and
swell, causing the mixture to thicken. As they cool, most starch mixtures form gels.
Temperature, time, agitation, and mixing method used affect the cooking of starch
mixtures.
Cooked breakfast cereals, rice, and pasta all contain large amounts of starch.
Therefore, you need to keep the principles of cooking starches in mind when preparing
these foods. During cooking, cereal products absorb water and increase in volume. The
amount of water needed to make the starch granules in cereal products swell varies
depending on the product. Cooked breakfast cereals require moderate temperatures
and gentle stirring. The water for pasta should boil constantly throughout cooking.
Properly cooked cereal products are tender, but they hold their shape and have no
raw starch fl avor. Microwaving cereal products does not save time, but it may reduce
cleanup tasks.
Review What You Have Read
Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper, using complete sentences when
appropriate.
1. Describe the appearance and nutrients of the three parts of a kernel of grain.
2. How do whole grain cereals differ from refi ned cereals?
3. List three products, other than breakfast food and fl our, that come from grain.
4. True or false. Wild rice is not really rice.
5. Pasta is made from _____.
A. all-purpose fl our
B. cake fl our
C. self-rising fl our
D. semolina
6. What are two factors that affect the cost of cereal products?
7. The swelling and thickening of starch granules when heated in water is called
_____.
8. Describe three ways to separate starch granules to prevent lumping.
9. True or false. Rice should absorb all of its cooking liquid.
10. How can the cooking time of whole-grain cereals be shortened?