Holding nearly cooked vegetables

[sheepish]

I often cook veg suitable for boiling by boiling until just done and then dropping into iced water. Just before serving toss in a bit of butter to warm through. This works well when cooked 1-2 hours before serving. Ideal to get out of the way just before guests arrive.

But what if your guests are with you for the day? As a host I want to minimise the amount of cooking I do when my guests are with me. Could I apply this approach to veg cooked the previous day? If so would I need to try and keep the water iced? Or would a bowl of water in the fridge be OK.

How about veg purees? Again how long?

Braised veg like onions?

I have a vac pack machine which I think might help with purees, if I can get it to seal without sucking up the puree!

Any guidance much appreciated.

Thanks

[ChickenStu]

The main issue will be the color retention. Most vegetables that are served in restaurants are cooked before and reheated just at service.

If you are dealing with a lot of green vegetables, the morning of should be fine, but make sure you cook in a huge amount of water and ice quickly. It doesn't make as big of difference if you are serving right away but if you are holding for awhile proper cooking and shocking is more important.

Don't hold in ice water or water, hold in whatever you have that eliminates air around the veg the most. The water will just continue to leech flavors and nutrients out of the veg.

Braises and purees should heat up really well, although if the puree is green i would do it last minute. Make sure you have some of the liquid on hand for reheating, you may want to moisten the braise or change consistency of the puree.

Good luck...

[dougal]

Not for delicate, open stuff (cauliflower & broccoli for example) - however - Vac pack when cold - with whatever (cold) butter/sauce you intend.

Store in the fridge for a few days - or a few months in the freezer.

Reheat in the bag in a 50/60C waterbath for a time dependant on the fatness of the bag (and the starting temperature. Maybe see the sous vide thread for more detail, but think of something like half an hour or so for a slim bag. At those sort of temperatures it won't overcook quickly! (But it could if you tried to really boil in the bag ... You could zap the bag in the microwave, but be sure to puncture the bag when it starts to inflate (and beware the steam!)

Edited June 18, 2010 by dougal (log)

[ChickenStu]

I wouldn't cook anything green in a vacuum bag.

Storing the vegetables wrapped in damp paper towels in zip top bags should be fine. Try to get out as much air as you can without crushing the veg.