Grains
Quick Review
•
Thinking back to the movie, during the
Great Depression, what did the
government require mills to do?
Enrich or fortify grain products.
•
Why would you fortify white flour?
It is made of the endosperm which has
little nutritional value.
• In the process of enriching, what is put back into
the food product?
B Vitamins
• So if you rinse an enriched product before you
cook it, what might the effect be?
Loss of B vitamins
• How does bleached flour compare with
unbleached flour nutritionally?
They are the same.
Outline Format
Major Heading
Primary Information
Secondary Information
• Details
DEFINITIONS
Grains: the seeds
of plants
Whole Grain: a
product that uses
the entire edible
grain kernel
Flour: the product of a
processed grain with the
bran and germ removed.
Refining (or processing):
removing the bran and
germ from the grains
Enriching (or fortifying):
adding nutrients to food.
Basic Nutrition Information
According to the food pyramid, a daily diet
should include 6 grain servings per day & 3
should be whole grains.
 Carbohydrates are the primary nutrients
in grains.
•
There are two types of carbohydrates in
grains: complex carbohydrates (starch) and
cellulose (fiber) for regularity.
Before grains are processed into flours
they also contain B vitamins
• B vitamins are lost when grain is ground for
flour (refined/ processed).
• So flour is enriched with B vitamins (to
replace the B vitamins lost during processing).
• Bleached and Unbleached flours have the
same nutritional value.
Think It Through
!!!Pasta and Macaroni are made from
enriched flour. Some people like to rinse
pasta after they cook it. Why shouldn’t that
be done?
!!!Bread is made from flour. Which has
greater nutritional value, bread made from
white or unbleached flour?
Processed Forms
Grains are used in many different forms.
Grains may be eaten as a vegetable or
side dish (like rice or corn).
Or processed & used in one of 8 different
forms: whole grains, Pealed Grains, Grits,
Cracked or Steel-Cut grains, Flakes or
Rolled Grains, Meal, Bran, Germ, or Flour.
In whole, pearled, or cracked forms grains
are typically used as side dishes, cereals,
and in soups or stews.
Flour is the most commonly used form of
grain.
• Any grain can be ground into flour.
• Used in baked goods for structure
• Used in sauces as thickener
!!!Remember, the whole grain is the most
nutritious. As a grain is more refined, it
becomes less nutritious.
!!!Compare the following grain products,
decide what part of the grain each is made
from and then put in order from most to
least nutritious.
• Wheat germ
cereal
• Rolled Oats
• White Bread
• Fried Rice (made from white rice)
• Grits
• Brown Rice
• Fiber 1 Bran Cereal
• Bagel
• Instant Grits
 Cooking Grains
 Remember! Grains are primarily starch.
 Starches are used as thickening agents.
• Mixing starch granules with water and
heat causes them to swell, soften, and
thicken.
• Without heat starch is completely
insoluble.
Think It Through
!!!What will happen to instant oatmeal if
boiling water is added?
!!!What will happen if flour is added to a
simmering liquid, i.e. milk or beef broth?
• Too much heat
causes uneven
swelling or
lumping.
• To prevent lumps:
~ Coat the starch
with fat or
~ Combine with
sugar or
~ Mix with cold
liquid to form a
paste
To make gravies & sauces:
Melt a butter, margarine, or simmering pan
drippings.
Sprinkle in a small amount of flour or
cornstarch.
Stir with a whisk to
make a paste.
Slowly add liquid
and heat until it is
the desired
consistancy.
 To make grain as a side dish or hot
cereal:
 Bring the water to a boil.
 Slowly add the dry grain or cereal to the
boiling water to prevent lumps
 Then stir to prevent lumps
 Cover & cook the recommended amount of
time
Think It Through
• Considering what you have just learned
about cooking with starch…
– How would you make turkey gravy?
– How would you make white rice?
– How would you make oatmeal?
– How would you make macaroni?