starchy vegetables with relatively weak cell
walls, the gel-filled cells may be cohesive
enough to pull away from each other as
separate little particles, giving a mealy
impression. This water absorption and the
large surface area of separate cells are the
reasons that mashed potatoes and other
cooked starchy purees benefit from and
accommodate large amounts of lubricating
fat.
Precooking Can Give a Persistent Firmness
to Some Vegetables and Fruits It turns out
that in certain vegetables and fruits —
including potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets,
carrots, beans, cauliflower, tomatoes, cherries,
apples — the usual softening during cooking
can be reduced by a low-temperature
precooking step. If preheated to 130–
140ºF/55–60ºC for 20–30 minutes, these foods
develop a persistent firmness that survives
prolonged final cooking. This can be valuable