Grain Products
Foods I
Obj. 7.01
Grains
• List the grains that you are familiar
with.
– Most universal and versatile food in the
world
• Nutritious, flavorful addition to meals, and
economical way to stretch a food budget
• Good Eats--Grains
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Types of Grains
• Grains
Wheat
– Plants in the grass
family
• Wheat, corn, rice,
oats, rye, barley,
buckwheat, millet
Corn
Rice
Oats
Buckwheat
Rye
Millet
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Barley
Parts of a Grain Kernel
• Grains are made up of 3
parts
– Bran
• Edible, outer shell
– Endosperm
• Largest part of the
kernel
• Made of proteins and
starches
• Contains the plant’s
food supply
– Germ
• The seed that grows into
a new plant
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Nutrition and Grains
• Whole grains
(Unbleached)
– Contain most of the
original nutrients
• Ex: Whole-wheat flour,
whole grain cereals
• Whole grains are rich in
nutrients
– Endosperm
• Complex carbs, proteins
• Processing
– Removal of bran and
germ (Bleached)
• Leaves only endosperm
• Most of the nutrients are
also stripped away
• Federal law—must be
replaced—Enriched
flour
– Ex: White flour,
breakfast cereals
– Bran
• Dietary fiber, B vitamins,
and minerals
– Germ
• Protein, unsaturated
fats, B vitamins, Vitamin
E, iron, zinc
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Grains
• Rice
– Starchy seed grown in
flooded fields of warm
climates
Long grain
• Long grain
– Most used type in US
– Grains stay separated
– Hard when cooled
• Medium grain
Medium grain
– Grains stick together
– Great in puddings and
cold salads
• Short grain
– Mostly round in shape
– Highest starch content
leading to a very sticky
rice
– Sushi rice
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Short grain
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Grains
• Rice
– Processes
• Brown rice
– Whole grain form of rice
– Chewy in texture and nutlike in flavor
• Converted rice/ Parboiled
– Steamed under pressure to save nutrients
• Instant rice
– Precooked and dehydrated before packaging
• Wild rice
– NOT rice at all
– The seed of a water grass and usually added to a longgrain rice mixture
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Grains and Cooking
• Cooking rice
– Bring liquid to boil.
– Add rice, cover.
– Bring to a boil again and
reduce heat to simmer.
• Triples when cooked
– Check for doneness.
• Overcooked
– Soft and sticky
• Undercooked
– Hard and gritty
• Keeping rice warm
– Place in a colander over
a pan of simmering
water.
– Cover and allow steam to
keep warm
• Leftovers
– Refrigerate immediately
in a tight-fitting lid
container
– 3:1 ratio
• 1 C dry rice = 3 C
cooked rice
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Grains
• Pasta
– Italian word meaning
“paste” or dough made
from water and flour
– 2:1 ratio
• Ex: 1 C dry pasta = 2 C
cooked pasta
– Macaroni or Noodles?
• Macaroni made from
durum wheat flour and
water
• Noodles made from flour,
water, and egg solids
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Grains
• Demo of how pasta is made.
– Certain sauces go well with specific
shapes
• Tomato and cream sauces go well with long,
flat pasta
• Large, hollow shapes are usually stuffed with
meat, cheese, or veggies
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Grains
• Shapes of pasta
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Grains
• Purchased
– Sold in both dried
and fresh forms
• Dried—non perishable
• Fresh—perishable
– Choose enriched or
whole-wheat pasta
– Flavored or nonflavored
• Spinach, carrots,
tomatoes, spices
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Grains and Cooking
• Cooking pasta
– Select pot large enough
to allow for even cooling
and sticking together
– Boil water with small
amount of salt
– Add pasta
– Stir occasionally until
– Cook until al dente
• Keeping pasta warm
– Set colander over a pan
of hot water and cover
• Leftovers
– Freeze in container with a
small amount of oil to
prevent sticking.
• Firm to the bite
• Approx. 5-20 minutes
depending on thickness
– Doubles when cooked
– Drain pasta
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Grains
• Hot cereals
– Aka breakfast cereals
• Oatmeal, grits
– Require cooking in
regular, quick cooking,
and instant forms
• Usually precooked and
requires only mixing
with boiling water
– More processed
cereals cost more.
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Grains and Cooking
• Hot cereals
–
–
–
–
–
–
Boil water
Add the grain
Cover and bring to a boil again
Reduce heat so grains simmer
Cook for approx. 20-45 mins
Stir grains occasionally to prevent sticking,
lumping, or scorching
• Overstiring and overcooked—become gummy and pasty
• Undercooked--chewy
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Grains
• Grains and thickeners
– The starch in grain
products makes an
excellent thickener
• Ex: White breakfast
gravy
• Ex: Oats are found in
some Irish stews
• Ex: Sauerbraten (A
German beef dish)
served with gravy
thickened by gingersnap
cookies
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Grains
• Thickeners
– Flour and Cornstarch
• Cornstarch is a fine, white powder that is pure
starch made from endosperm of the corn
kernel.
• How to…
– Mix with cold water to avoid lumps
– Pour slowly into hot liquid
– Return to simmer to activate thickening
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