Task 107: What are Puréed Vegetables?

Estimated Time: 5 mins

Vegetable purées can be made from nearly any type of cooked vegetable that is crushed to the desired consistency. As the structure breaks down, the vegetable purée thickens. Depending on the nature of the vegetable – whether it is watery, starchy or fibrous – and how it is processed, some vegetable purées can be coarse and rustic and some can be strained or pushed through a fine-mesh sieve to create an extremely smooth texture. The final texture of a vegetable purée is ultimately up to you and the type of dish you are making.

Depending on the final consistency, puréed vegetables can be served as a main component or they can be thinned down to form a healthy sauce. Unlike starch or dairy thickened sauces, the pure and natural flavor of the vegetable can stand out.

Vegetable purées are used to form the base of a soup or soufflé. They can even be used in lieu of other thickeners (roux, flour, arrowroot) to flavor and thicken an existing liquid or sauce and give it body as well as color.

When cooked, aromatic vegetables can be puréed and returned to the pot. When combined with other sauces, such as béchamel or velouté, they can be turned into various derivative sauces. When enriched or mixed with other ingredients they can be turned into delicious dips and desserts. They can even be used to flavor condiments and to make interesting vinaigrettes that use the texture and body of the vegetable.

When composing a dish, many cooks use puréed vegetables to take advantage of the amazing flavor and color potential that cooked, puréed vegetables can provide. Note: Purées aren’t just restricted to vegetables. Many fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds, chilies and spices can make for lovely, colorful and delicious purées.