Cereals: Starchy Grain That Is Suitable to Use As Food

Cereal Products

Types of Cereals

~Cereals: Starchy grain that is suitable to use as food.

Cereals most often found in foods are:

· corn

· wheat

· rice

· oats

· barley

· rye

Products of cereals are:

· breakfast foods

· flours

· breads

· pastas

· rice

· potatoes

Grain Structure

~Kernel: A whole seed of a cereal

~Bran: The outer protective covering of a kernel of grain

*bran helps digestion*

~Endosperm: The largest part of a kernel of grain containing most of the starch and the protein of the kernel but few minerals and little fiber.

~Germ: The reproductive part of a kernel of grain. It is rich in Vitamins, protein, and fat.

~Wholegrain: Term used to refer to cereal products made from grain that contains all three parts of the kernel.

~Refined: Term used to refer to cereal products made from grain that has had the bran and germ removed during processing and contains only the endosperm.

Flour (any grain can be made into wheat)

· people use wheat flours because it has more gluten than the others

Most common kinds of flours

· all-purpose

· cake

· instant or quick mixing

· self rising

· whole wheat flour

· potato

· buckwheat

· rye

· soy

· rice

Rice:

White Rice: the white starchy endosperm of the rice kernel

Brown Rice: contains the bran and the germ as well as the endosperm

Classification of rice (according to grain length and or method of processing.

· Long grain rice: dry and fluffy when cooked (usually goes along with meat).

· Short grain rice: small and sticky when cooked (usually used for puddings & sushi)

· Wild Rice: Not really rice, but a seed of grass that grows in the marshes of Minnesota and Canada

Pasta

~Pasta: A nutritious, shaped dough that may or may not be dried. Macaroni, noodles, and spaghetti are pastas.

Pasta is made from:

· semolina

· durum wheat

Flour + Eggs + Water = Pasta

Pasta varieties:

· Commercial – dried

· Homemade - moist

Other Grain Products:

~Enriched: Having added nutrients to replace those lost through processing.

· Cornmeal: made from white or yellow dried corn (enriched)

· Cornstarch: refined starch made from the endosperm of corn (used as thickening agent)

· Pearl barley: whole barley minus the hull (mostly for soup)

· Farina is made from grinding and sifting of wheat that has had the bran and most of the germ removed. (cream of wheat)

Nutritional Value:

· food guide pyramid recommends 6-11 servings of bread and cereals each day.

· Excellent source of complex carbohydrates

· Has proteins but they are incomplete (add milk or cheese to improve protein quality.

· Federal law requires that flour, rice, pasta, cereal and most bakery products are enriched.

· Low in fat, sodium, and sugar

Expense

*Most cereals are inexpensive but added convenience and ingredients drive up price.*

Thing that drive up prices:

· presweetened cereals

· added ingredients (dry fruit, marshmallows, sauces)

· small or individual size packages

· par-cooked (minute rice, ramen noodles)

Storage

· Grain products can be stored for a long period of time without refrigeration as long as they are in moisture proof containers

· Poorly packaged foods will attract dust and bugs. They will also gain moisture and become soggy.

Thickening Starches:

~Starch: Complex carbohydrates stored in plants

~Gelatinization: Swelling and subsequent thickening of starch granules when heated in water.

~Syneresis: leakage of liquid from a gel.

Starches thicken:

· soups

· hot and cold sauces

· gravies

· puddings

Most used starches

· flour (opaque)

· cornstarch (translucent)

· arrowroot (translucent)

How starches work:

· starches form gels or gelatin like substances

· Mixing starches with water and heating cause them to absorb water and swell.

· As the starch granules swells the liquid thickens

Factors that effect how starches thicken

· Temperature (hot but not too hot, this will prevent lumping)

· Time (cook out raw flavors of the starch)

· Agitation (stirring to prevent lumping and burning)

How to separating starch granules (helps prevent lumping)

· coat with fat (roux)

· combining with sugar

· mixing with cold liquid

Cooking Starches

*When cooking the starch granules (rice, pasta, potatoes) absorb water and swell causing the product to increase in volume*

Food water requirement

· 1 part Farina (cream of wheat) / 5 parts water

· 1 part Oatmeal / 2 parts water

· 1 part rice / 2 parts water

· 1 cup pasta / 2quarts water

Helpful hints

· Soaking some kinds of starches will help them cook faster and use less water during cooking.

· Over stirring during cooking will result in gummy results.

· Properly cooked rice is tender, fluffy, and holds its shape

· Other liquids like stock or milk can replace the cooking water for flavor

· Bring water to boil before adding starch

· Some food need to be drained at the end of cooking (pasta, wild rice, potatoes)

· Some food does not need to be drained at the end of cooking (rice, oatmeal, grits)