SayPro PREPARING FRUIT FOR HOT AND COLD DISHES

Fruits contain important vitamins, minerals and plant chemicals. They also contain fibre. There are many varieties of fruit available and many ways to prepare, cook and serve them. They can also be eaten raw or cooked.Fruit is the sweet, fleshy, edible part of a plant. It generally contains seeds. Fruits are usually eaten raw, although some varieties can be cooked. They come in a wide variety of colours, shapes and flavours.Common types of fruits that are readily available include:

• Apples and pears
• Citrus- oranges, grapefruits, mandarins and limes
• Stone fruit- nectarines, apricots, peaches and plums
• Tropical and exotic -bananas and mangoes
• Berries- strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, kiwifruit and passion fruit
• Melons -watermelons, rock melons and honeydew melons
• Avocados.

2. 1. THE QUALITY/FRESHNESS POINTS OF FRUIT (AC 1)

When buying fresh or processed fruit, there are quality points you will need to look for. Fresh fruit should:

• Be uniform in size and shape
• Be free from blemishes (specks, moulds, bruises)
• Have a good shape and colour
• Not be overripe, and
• Not be wilted or shrivelled up

There are two marketing grades for fresh fruit:

1. Fancy: the fruit is firm, clean, free from defects, fully matured and well formed with good shape and colour
2. Choice: the fruit is similar to the fancy grade but with slight imperfections in shape, colour and size.

You must select processed fruit carefully as well as it can also be bought in many different forms such as:

• Fresh
• Fresh processed (pulps, fruit salad)
• Frozen
• Freeze-dried
• Canned or bottled
• Preserved in syrup
• Dried, and
• Candied or glazed

When buying different types of processed fruit, pay careful attention to the fruit’s appearance. Frozen fruit must show no signs of partial thawing, freezer burn or excessive frost. Look carefully for these signs of poor quality:

• Juice that has run to the bottom of the pack and refrozen
• Dehydration or a dried out appearance, or
• Any discolouration

Canned fruit should be labelled and be free of dust, corrosion, dents or bulges. When you select dried fruit, look for these signs of good quality:

• A uniform size and shape
• Good colour, and
• No mould or foreign objects

Before you select and buy fruit you must decide what you are going to use it for. Fruit can be prepare in a variety of ways. For example:

• Fresh
• As a dessert
• In pastry
• Poached, baked or as fritters, and
• Pureed

Most fruits have the highest vitamin content when they are at their peak of ripeness. Heat and light can destroy the nutrient content. They taste the best when they are ripe. Fruits that are not ripe enough are generally tart where they should be sweet, and crunchy where they should be soft. It is therefore very important to use only fresh fruit in your dishes. This will keep the fruit’s nutritional value, flavour, colour and texture.

Practical activity (Group work) Name all the fruits shown in the diagram below Are these fruit fresh? Justify with examples. Explain the importance of only using fresh fruit when preparing hot and cold dishes. Discuss methods you can use to prepare the fruits below.

2. 2. THE CORRECT PREPARATION METHOD FOR VARIOUS FRUIT (AC 2)

There are various methods that can be used when preparing various fruit type. It is very important to always choose the correct method.There is a wide range of types of fruit. This includes

• Hard fruit
• Soft fruit
• Citrus fruit, and
• Stone fruit.

Methods that can be used to prepare the above fruit types include:

• Peeling
• Chopping
• Skinning
• Cutting
• Slicing
• Trimming, and
• Grating

Preparing hard fruitHard fruit should be prepared as follows:

1. Wash the fruit under cold, running water to remove any dirt or chemical remains that could contaminate it.

2. Use a corer or a sharp knife to remove the inedible parts such as the seeds, stems and core

3. Cut the fruit according to recipe specifications (slices, wedges, batons, julienne, grated or whole)

4. Refrigerate until ready for use

Preparing soft fruitWhen preparing soft fruit follow these steps:

1. Wash the fruit under cold, running water just before using it to remove any dirt or chemical remains that could contaminate it. if washed too early before use, you will encourage the growth of mould and the fruit will become mushy

2. Use a sharp paring knife to remove any unwanted seeds, leaves, stems and stalks. Strawberries do not need to be hulled.

3. Cut the fruit as required. Remember that overripe fruit is difficult to cut, as it falls to pieces and the flesh tears.

4. Some soft fruit such as kiwi fruit require peeling

Preparing citrus fruitPrepare citrus fruit in the following way

1. Wash the fruit under cold, running water to remove any dirt or chemical remains that could contaminate it

2. The citrus skin containing the bitter-tasting pith can be removed in several ways, for example:

• Use a knife to make wedge-shaped slashes into the skin from the top of the fruit to the bottom, then lift off the peel
• Place the fruit on a chopping board and use a knife to trim off the peel
• Cut the fruit in half and use a curved grapefruit knife to cut around the fruit between the flesh and the skin, removing the fruit

3. Cut citrus fruit into segments, wedged or slices as prescribed by the recipe

4. Refrigerate if the fruit is not going to be used immediately, otherwise it will begin to ferment and deteriorate, causing possible stomach upsets

Preparing stone fruitStone fruit is usually halved so that the stones can be removed.

1. Wash the fruit under cold, running water to remove any dirt or chemical remains that could contaminate it

2. Remove the outer skin if the recipe calls for it, for example peaches may need to be placed into boiling water for a short period of time, then dipped into cold water to assist in removing the skin

3. Use a paring knife to cut an incision through to the stone following the fruit’s natural line

4. Twist the two halves in opposing direction to prise the fruit off the stone. For cherries, use a cherry pipper to remove the stone

5. Cut the fruit according to the recipe (chopped, sliced, mashed or halves or quarters)

6. Refrigerate to delay deterioration

Preparing tropical fruitTo prepare a melon, follow these steps:

1. Cut a small piece off the top and the bottom
2. Cut in half, lengthwise
3. Remove the seeds with a spoon
4. Make balls with a rounded spoon or serve in wedges

To prepare a pineapple, you do the following:

1. Cut off the top and bottom
2. Cut the skin off in diagonal strips (strips that are at an angle).

Practical activityIn groups of four or five,Choose a fruit and demonstrate how to prepare and cut it. One person in the group must explain what is happening. One person must demonstrate how to follow hygiene rules. One person must prepare the fruit and explain how to keep waste to a minimum. One person must demonstrate the different ways of cutting the fruit. One person must demonstrate how to garnish and store the fruit.

2.3 KEEPING AND GARNISHING FRUIT (AC 3)Food that is appetising smells or looks very good making a person want to eat it. It is therefore very important to put fruit in the correct containers, garnish the fruit dish appropriately and store in an organised and efficient manner.2.3.1 PUTTING FRUIT IN THE CORRECT CONTAINERSEnsure your fruits stay fresh longer by storing them properly. You should use correct containers for the fruit. Fruits can be put in storing containers or bowels. Afterward, you can store fruits in the refrigerator.2.3.2 GARNISHING FRUIT DISHESUsing garnishes makes the fruit dishes look attractive. A garnish can be as simple as a few drops of chocolate sauce on a plate of fruit. It can be part of the dish itself or added to make the food look appetising. Garnishes used for fruit dishes include other fruit such as cherries and berries, chocolate and fruit sources, cream, ice cream and custard. Fruit can also be garnished with carious leaves including herb sprigs such as mint.

2. 4. DEALING WITH UNEXPECTED SITUATIONS (AC 4)

Even if you are careful, things can go wrong when you are preparing fruit and fruit dishes.For example,

• you could run out of ingredients
• equipment could break or be unsuitable
• Insufficient or damaged fruit
• Unsanitised chopping board
• knives could be blunt, or
• injuries could take place

It is therefore very important to be able to solve unexpected problems in the kitchen as quickly and correctly as possible.InjuriesWhen working with fruit, injuries can easily occur if equipment is not suitable or is badly maintained. If there is an accident, report it to your supervisor immediately. He/she will then report the accident to the staff member who is trained in first aid so that he can help the injured person. Always have a first aid kit and a fire extinguisher available. Make sure that there is a list of emergency numbers where it is easy for all staff members to see.Broken equipmentUse these guidelines to help you to deal with some of the common types of broken equipment or equipment failure.

• If a knife is blunt and you cannot sharpen it, use an electric slicer to slice fruit. Use a vegetable knife with a serrated edge to cut the fruit into the required shapes.

• Report to the supervisor so knives can be replaced

Discuss the best way of dealing with the following unexpected situations during the preparation of fruit dishes: insufficient or damaged fruit blunt knife Unsanitised chopping board

When preparing fruit dishes, sometimes you may discover that some fruit have spoiled or you do not have enough fruit.

• Inform your supervisor immediately via email, telephone or in person.

• Clearly indicate the fruit that you need and when.

• Check and report all raw materials shortages on time. Clearly indicate the quantities needed.

2. 5. THE DIFFERENT WAYS IN WHICH FRUIT IS PREPARED AND PRESENTED FOR ANOTHER TYPE OF ESTABLISHMENT (AC 5)

Fruit should always be prepared by following the given recipe. No matter who you are preparing the fruit for, it is always very important to make sure that the dishes are presentable. Food presentation is the art of modifying, processing, arranging, or decorating food to enhance its beautiful appeal.You should always wash fruits before preparing them. Fruits may be prepared for a restaurant; special events, office event, hotel, supermarket etc. always follow guidelines from that establishment during the preparation and presentation of fruit dishes.Poaching or stewing fruitPoaching or stewing fruit is one of the simplest ways to cook fruit. Fruit is peeled, cored or stoned, sliced or left whole and then poached in a simple sugar until just soft enough to cut with a spoon but nit so softy that falls apart.Grilling fruitSome types of fruit such as bananas, pineapples, pears, figs and peaches are able to withstand the intense heat of grilling. This cooking method is useful for a barbecue to add interest. Many types of fruit prepared in this manner go well with meat.Fruit can be cubed, cut into chunks or stringed on a skewer to make fruit kebabs. Otherwise, fruit can be placed on an oiled, fine-meshed barbecue grill or on an oiled baking tray. You can add a dab of butter o honey for extra moisture and flavour. Spices and seasonings must be used carefully as some of them may scorch easily. Grilled fruit is delicious served with sorbet or ice cream.Deep-frying fruitOnly firm fruit is suitable for deep-frying as soft fruit will fall apart with the intense heat. Fruit should be cut into even slices or chunks and dried before being dipped in a batter. If the fruit is too moist, the batter will not stick. Fruit may be marinated before frying, but it must then be drained and sprinkled with icing sugar before being coated with batter. Fruit must be treated like other deep-fried foods when you fry it. Once fruit is cooked, drain it well and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Identify different types of establishments you may prepare fruit dishes for. Discuss different ways you may use to prepare and present the fruit for each establishment. Give reasons.

REFERENCE LIST

United States Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, Safe Food Handling. Kitchen Companion. Accessed January 12, 2011Wayne Gisslen. 2006. Professional Cooking, 6th Ed. John Wiley and Sons.Dummies (1st edition 2008), Cleaning and stain removal for dummies, Publisher Intersoft, EAN number: 9780764570292Kohli R (1st edition 2013), Developments in surface contamination and cleaning (volume 6) (H/C), Publisher Elsevier S & T (USD), EAN number: 9781437778793Kohli R (1st edition 2009), Developments in surface contamination and cleaning: methods for removal of particle contaminants (VO, Publisher Elsevier S & T (USD), EAN number: 9781437778304Durkee J (1st edition 2013), cleaning with solvents: science and technology (H/C), Publisher Elsevier S & T (USD), EAN number: 9781455731312Washing kitchen equipment(Date Accessed 19 January 2016)Cleaning and sanitizing(Date Accessed 19 January 2016)Preparing Fruitshttp://www.nfsmi.org/documentlibraryfiles/PDF/20100210093833.pdf(Date Accessed 19 January 2016)Please visit our website at www.saypro.online Email: info@saypro.online Email: info@saypro.online Call: + 27 11 071 1903 WhatsApp: + 27 84 313 7407. Comment below for any questions and feedback. For SayPro Courses, SayPro Jobs, SayPro Community Development, SayPro Products, SayPro Services, SayPro Consulting, and SayPro Advisory visit our website to www.saypro.online