Food-Service-Manual-for-Health-Care-Institutions

Food Service Manual for Health Care Institutions
548
Pasta Specifications
Examples of pasta specifications include the following:
• Macaroni, shell, 100 percent durum, enriched, small, 10-pound box, price by box
• Egg noodles, durum, enriched, broad, 10-pound box, price by box
• Spaghetti, 100 percent durum, enriched, angel hair, 10-pound box, price by box
Cornmeal
Cornmeal, made from white or yellow corn, is available in either coarse or fine grinds.
Enrichment with B vitamins and iron is common but not mandatory; calcium is another
optional enrichment ingredient. Regular cornmeal, which contains most of the corn kernel,
contains more than 3.5 percent fat. Degermed cornmeal has a fat content of less than 2.25 percent.
Self-rising cornmeal, with added baking soda, baking powder, and salt, also can be purchased.
Common purchase units are 5- and 25-pound bags. The size that best suits an
institution’s needs should be selected. If only small amounts are used at any one time, smaller
bags are easier to handle. A sample specification for cornmeal would include the following
information: white, enriched, self-rising, 25-pound bag.
Types of Rice
Rice can be classified as short, medium, or long grain. China produces about 90 percent of the
world’s supply of rice. Each type has different cooking characteristics. For example, short-grain rice
tends to be stickier after cooking and is suitable for use in recipes in which it is used as an extender
and binder. Both medium- and long-grain rice remains separate and more distinct in form after
cooking. Varieties of rice include pearl (American and California), short grain (Calora, Magnolia,
Zenith), and medium grain (Blue Rose, Early Prolific). Rice is available in several forms: regular
milled white, parboiled or converted white, precooked white, and brown or husked.
Regular White Rice
Regular milled white rice has the outer hull removed and is polished. Because this processing
removes significant amounts of B vitamins and some of the minerals, enrichment is desirable and
should be specified in the purchase order. A sample specification for white rice would include
the following information: milled, long grain, enriched, U.S. Grade No. 1, 25-pound bag.
Converted Rice
Parboiled or converted rice is regular white rice treated to retain its B vitamins by either parboiling
or subjecting the rice to steam pressure before hulling. After cooking, the grains tend
to be more separate and plump and have better holding qualities than regular white rice.
Precooked Rice
Precooked rice is milled, cooked, and dehydrated. It usually is enriched.
Brown Rice
Brown rice has only the rough outer husk removed and thus has a higher calorie, protein, and mineral
content than enriched white rice. The firmer texture and characteristic nutty flavor have helped
increase the popularity of brown rice. It is well suited to many kinds of recipes and is a staple of
vegetarian fare. The specification information needed is similar to that for other kinds of rice.
Wild Rice
Wild rice is not rice but the seed of a grasslike plant. Because it is more expensive, it usually is
purchased as part of a mixture that includes white or brown rice and that often is preseasoned.