Extension > Family > Health and Nutrition > For Families > Home Cooking > Food Preparation
Home Cooking
Food Preparation
Most foods need some preparation before they can be eaten while others can be preserved for later use. Discover the basic and advanced ways of doing both!
Preparation
Using kitchen equipment:
- How to Hold a Chef’s Knife (121 K PDF)
- Knife Cutting Techniques (137 K PDF)
- Measuring Liquid and Dry Ingredients Correctly (148 K PDF)
- Measuring Flour (193 K PDF)
Preparing fresh produce:
- Washing Fresh Produce (144 K PDF)
- Preparing Leafy Greens (570 K PDF)
- Chopping, Dicing, or Mincing Onions, Shallots, and Garlic (125 K PDF)
- Dicing a Carrot (159 K PDF)
- Chopping or Dicing Celery (173 K PDF)
- Preparing Jicama (169 K PDF)
- Slicing, Chopping, Dicing, or Mincing Bell Peppers (149 K PDF)
- Peeling and Slicing Butternut Squash (121 K PDF)
Cooking legumes and pasta:
- Legumes: Beans, Peas, and Lentils (143 K PDF)
- Basic Principles for Preparing Pasta (120 K PDF)
Preservation
The Food Safety team has a wealth of resources for preserving seasonal foods.
Other Recommended Resources
Preparing Food — A wealth of food preparation tips from the Great Trays™ toolkit.
The Recipe Box — Quick, simple recipes using easy to find ingredients that work in even the tightest budgets.
Preserving and Preparing — Information on canning, freezing, drying, and more from the Food Safety team.
Kids Eat Right — Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics — Find scientifically-based health and nutrition information, including recipes and how-to videos, to help your children grow.
Fruits and Veggies More Matters — Information on the benefits of fruits and vegetables. Includes planning and shopping tips, recipes, and more.
2010 Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Galore Video Presentation — Fresh for Florida Kids; Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services — Short videos covering all kinds of fruits and vegetables, as well as related topics, from receiving and storage to classroom activities.
