Primary Food Processing
Food Preparation & Nutrition: AQA GCSE, topic 6.2.1
Primary Food Processing - Meat, Veg and Fruit
Primary processing involves converting raw foods into foods that can be eaten, cooked, or into ready-to-use ingredients. Fruit, meat and vegetables must all be processed.
Importance of processing
- Basic processing makes food safely edible and transportable.
- Processing also helps food to last longer and look nice enough to be sold.
Poultry
- Basic processing takes away internal organs and feathers.
- Processors truss wings and legs (tie them to the body) so that the bird cooks more evenly.
Meat
- Processors may hang and dry meats to enhance flavour and tenderise them.
- The processor will chop, slice or cut the meat.
Fruit
- Stones are taken out.
- Processors squeeze fruits to make fruit juices.
- Processors dry fruits to make dried products (e.g. apricots).
Vegetables
- Processors wash vegetables to get rid of direct chemical residue and insects.
- Sometimes, processors peel vegetables.
- Processors sort vegetables by size and shape.
Test yourself on Primary Food Processing
What type of processing involves converting raw foods into foods that can be eaten, cooked, or into ready-to-use ingredients?
What type of food may be hung and dried during basic processing?
Which of the following is sometimes involved in the basic processing of fruit?