The effect of different cooking methods on the instrumental quality of potatoes (cv. Agata)

Potatoes were cooked in a combination-steam oven by two traditional cooking treatments. forced convection (FC) and steaming (S) and four combined treatments (FC/S, FC-FC/S, S-FC, FC-FC/S-FC). Weight loss, shear force, crust hardness, texture profile analysis (TPA), colour (L-*, a(*), b(*)), surface and center cook Values were evaluated. S, FC/S and FC-FC/S treatments were faster (similar to 17 min) than the others (45, 36 and 41 min for FC, S-FC and FC-FC/S-FC), showing significantly lower cook values both at the center (1.7-3.0 min for S, FC/S, FC-FC/S and 3.7-5.2 min for FC, S-FC. FC-FC/S-FC) and at the surface (4.4-7.3 min for S, FC/S, FC-FC/S and 15.3-18.4 min for FC, S-FC, FC-FC/S-FC). Potatoes cooked with FC and FC-FC/S-FC were characterized by the formation of a dry crust significantly harder than in the other products. FC/S and FC-FC/S cooking treatments resulted in a very hard and pale product. S-FC treatment showed a limited weight loss accompanied by a soft texture and surface browning that make it the recommended treatment for home and food service cooking of potato (cv. Agata). (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.