Cereals, pasta, and rice are all grain products that are used as the starch portion of a meal.

Cereals

Cereals are foods made from grains of wheat, oats, corn, rice, rye, and barley. Cereals are often referred to as breakfast foods, but are not limited to the breakfast meal. Cereals can be used in many types of recipes. The types include instant, quick-cooking, and cold ready-to-eat cereals.

Instant cereals do not require further cooking. They are simply mixed with boiling water before serving.

Quick-cooking cereals require a shorter cooking time than regular cereals. To prevent quick-cooking cereals from forming lumps, they should be stirred slowly into rapidly boiling water. Quick-cooking farina is mixed with cold water and then added to boiling water. These cereals should be stirred constantly until they boil. After they begin to boil, reduce to a simmer and stir them occasionally. Overstirring and overcooking will cause cereal to be sticky and gummy.

Ready-to-eat cold cereals require no cooking and are served with cold milk and sugar. No added sugar is needed for the coated or frosted cereals. For variety, sliced peaches, strawberries, prunes, or bananas maybe added.

Pastas

Pastas (macaroni, spaghetti, vermicelli, and noodles) are produced from semolina durum wheat flour, farina, or hard wheat flour (other than durum wheat flour) and water. Egg noodles also contain eggs. The mixtures are rolled, shaped, and dried in various forms. The only difference between vermicelli and spaghetti is that the individual strands of vermicelli are finer and require less cooking. They may be used interchangeably in recipes specifying spaghetti or vermicelli.

Pastas should be added to vigorously boiling, salted water and stirred so that they will not stick together or to the bottom of the kettle. A small amount of salad oil is added to the water to help to prevent sticking. Pastas should be drained as soon as they have finished cooking. If pastas are overcooked, they become soft and gummy.

Rice and Barley

The rice products used in the military feeding programs are parboiled, long-grain, and medium-grain rice. They need not be washed before cooking. Cooked long-grain rice should appear light textured and the individual grains should stand apart. Medium-grain rice, when cooked, will clump together. This type of rice is preferred in Oriental dishes. Directions for proper cooking by steaming, simmering, and baking are contained in the AFRS. Rice may be served plain, as a potato substitute, combined with other ingredients in a main dish, added to salads, or topped with highly seasoned sauce. For variety, combine rice with herbs, spices, chopped onions, or nuts. Rice pudding can be served for dessert.

Barley is a grain used principally as a soup ingredient.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a snack food that usually is served during periods of relaxation such as watching movies or playing board or card games.

Popping popcorn is simple. You will either use a popcorn popper or use a large pot. For either method, just follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Salt and butter or margarine should be provided separately when serving popcorn to comply with today's fat and cholesterol health standards.

BEVERAGES

Beverages are an important part of Navy meals. The preparation of high-quality beverages requires the skill, technique, and experience of an accomplished MS. The types of hot and cold beverages used in the GM include milk, coffee, tea, cocoa, fruit and vegetables juices, fruit-flavored drinks, and soft drinks. Good quality drinking water also should be available.

Milk

Milk is one of the most important and most frequently used foods, as well as popular beverage. It is important to keep in mind that milk, served as a beverage or used in cooking, is a potentially hazardous food. To ensure safe, high-quality milk, follow these practices:

Know the characteristics and recommended use of each type of milk. (See chapter 4 of NAVSUP P-421.)

Select the proper types of milk to meet your foodservice operation's requirements and storage capacities.

Handle milk according to safe, sanitary procedures.

For more information on milk, consult the NAVSUP P-486, volume I, and the Manual of Naval Preventive Medicine, chapter 1.

Coffee

The preparation of coffee demands as much detailed attention as does any other part of the meal. Tastes for coffee vary widely. Some people prefer a weak brew while others enjoy a strong one. The AFRS contains directions for brewing various strengths. Good coffee will smell fragrant and mellow. The color will be a deep

brown but not black. The taste will not be rancid, oily, or bitter. The strength of the coffee depends on the proportion of water used in relation to coffee grounds. A milder brew results from using either more water or less coffee than normally. Bitterness results from brewing the coffee too long.

Several suggestions that will help you produce brewed coffee of consistent quality follow:

0 Store roasted coffee in an airtight metal container because coffee loses its flavor and aroma rapidly when exposed to air. Also, it will also absorb odors that lower its taste quality.

0 Use older stocks first. Within 3 days after opening, vacuum coffee has lost much of its flavor.

Always measure both the coffee and the water.

0 Use fresh coffee at all times, and keep the coffee covered while it is brewing.

0 Never allow coffee to remain in contact with boiling water as the flavor and aroma will boil off.

0 Remove the grounds as soon as the coffee is made. Seepage from the grounds will ruin the flavor of the best coffee.

0 Brewed coffee should not be held for more than 1 hour as it deteriorates in flavor and loses its aroma.

0 Most important of all, keep the coffee-making equipment absolutely clean. Wash the urn with clear, hot water immediately after you have used it, and at the end of the day clean it with hot water and urn cleaner. Rinse thoroughly with clear water. Never use soap or soap powder

Tea

Normally, two forms of tea are used; bulk tea and tea bags. Instant, powdered tea however, also has special uses in the military services.

The quality of brewed tea depends upon how fast the boiling water extracts flavor and color from the tea leaves; it is the tannin present in the leaves that gives the tea a bitter taste. Improper temperatures, brewing too long, and holding tea too long for service will bring out the bitterness of the extracted tannin.

The proper quantities of both water and tea should be measured carefully. Never guess at the amounts,

HOT TEA.- You will not have any trouble making excellent tea if you follow a few simple rules:

When loose tea (not enclosed in a cloth bag) is placed in the urn or kettle, the tea should be strained after it has steeped for 5 minutes.

Tea should be made just before serving. Do not boil; this brings out the bitter taste. Schedule preparation so that not more than 15 minutes will elapse between its preparation and service; hold prepared tea at 175F to 185F.

ICED TEA.- The following points should be observed when preparing tea to be served iced:

0 A stronger brew is required for iced tea than for hot tea because of the diluting action of the ice,

A tea concentrate may be brewed and chilled, then diluted before serving.

Do not add cold water to the concentrate; this may produce cloudy tea. The concentrate should be poured into the cold water.

The tea may be presweetened by dissolving sugar in the hot concentrate before diluting it with cold water.

If desired, cut lemons into eighths to serve with tea

Other Drinks

The C (beverage) section of the AFRS contains many recipes for various fruit drinks and milk drinks that may be prepared and served with either lunch or dinner. When you prepare fruit drinks such as lemonade or grapeade, it is important to remember to make the drink early enough to allow time for thorough chilling in the refrigerator. If ice is used to chill the beverage, adjust the amount of water used.