Zucchini is a type of pumpkin. The plant does not give curly lashes and has oblong fruits of various shades of green. Mature zucchini pale yellow with dense pulp and hard peel.
It is a healthy and low calorie product. The energy value of zucchini is only 27 kcal per 100 g. The pulp is easily digested, rich in vitamins, minerals, water. Zucchini is recommended as a first feeding for babies.
Housewives have a logical question - how to clean the zucchini and is it worth it?
How to clean zucchini. When do you need to do this without fail?
Experienced chefs and just experienced housewives recommend peeling a vegetable in the following cases:
1. Buying a young vegetable out of season.
The zucchini season begins in late May, in the southern regions of Ukraine and Russia, and lasts until the end of September. In the northern latitudes, the first fruits appear later. But if you live in St. Petersburg, then in September you have every chance to purchase a seasonal product.
In the period from October to May, zucchini does not grow at our latitudes. This is an imported product. To preserve freshness and other consumer qualities, the fruits are processed with specialized reagents. They are poorly washed off, so it is advisable to peel the zucchini before cooking.
2. Zucchini is fully ripe.
In this case, the peel of the fetus becomes thick. The duration of the heat treatment of the vegetable increases. If the peel is not cut off, the pulp will quickly cook, and the skin of the fruit will remain stiff.
3. Preparation of vegetables for squash caviar.
As a rule, ripe vegetables are used for this dish. All components are fried and chopped through a meat grinder. The skin of the zucchini can remain stiff enough and will be felt in the structure of the dish.
If the caviar is prepared for the future, like a home roll, then the remnants of the peel will cause fermentation in the jar and the caviar will be unusable.
4. If the squash is dusted with pumpkin.
In this case, even young immature fruits will have a hard, stiff peel. The quality of the pulp will not suffer, but you will have to clean it.
5. Personal desire of the hostess.
When not to peel a vegetable? If you purchased a tender young zucchini grown at home without the use of chemicals, then do not clean it. When frying, the flesh is cooked quickly and the pieces lose their shape.
How to clean zucchini of varying degrees of maturity. Methodology, devices and materials
The method of cleaning zucchini depends on the degree of maturity of the vegetable. Unripe fruit - pale green and with a thin skin. The length of such zucchini is not more than 25 cm. Seeds are in their infancy.
Ripe vegetable - from pale yellow to deep dark green. The skin is dense, tough. The flesh is soft with mature seeds.
To clean a young vegetable you will need:
• zucchini;
• knife;
• cutting board;
• a peeler in the form of a slingshot or the letter Y.
We start to clean:
1. Wash the zucchini. Do not cut off the remains of the stem. It is convenient to hold the vegetable during cleaning.
2. Hold the zucchini by the stem on weight.
3. With your own movements, begin to cleanse the fetus.
4. After removing the peel along the entire length of the vegetable, put it on a cutting board. With a knife, cut the "butt" of zucchini.
5. Start preparing a culinary masterpiece.
Mature zucchini to clean is problematic. Its peel is dense and thick. Mature zucchini must undergo heat treatment. They are fried, steamed, boiled soups and preserves, stuffed with meat and vegetables.
To process a mature vegetable, you will need:
• zucchini;
• cutting board;
• knife with a medium-length blade;
• spoon;
• meat chopping knife - optional, but if the peel is very strong it may come in handy.
We start to clean:
1. Wash the zucchini.
2. Cut off the end and the stalk.
3. Using a knife, cut the vegetable with rings of the desired height. For stuffing - it’s 5-6 cm, for caviar, jam or mashed potatoes 1 cm is enough. If the skin is too dense, then use a hatchet to cut meat.
4. Put the ring with the cut down - this will give the necessary stability. Hold the knife perpendicular to the skin of the zucchini. Cut the peel with a knife from top to bottom. The width of the cut piece of the skin is not more than 1 cm. You will have to grab the flesh a little.
5. Spoon the seeds of zucchini.
6. Cut, cook, stuff - as your culinary imagination disposes.
Exotic way to clean zucchini from the Internet:
• freeze the vegetable;
• thaw slightly;
• the top layer will move off when thawing with a sandpaper.
Zucchini is a grateful vegetable and is friendly with most seasonings and spices. It is up to each housewife to decide whether or not to peel the green fruit, depending on the ripeness of the vegetable, the recipe for the dish, desire and mood
