Fruit and Vegetable Fiber

Appears in

Published 2014

Fiber is the name for a group of complex substances that give structure and firmness to plants. Fiber cannot be digested.

The softening of fruits and vegetables in cooking is, in part, the breaking down of fiber.

Sugar makes fiber firmer. Fruit cooked with sugar keeps its shape better than fruit cooked without sugar.

Baking soda (and other alkalis) makes fiber softer. Vegetables should not be cooked with baking soda because they become mushy and lose vitamins.