blender, several minutes or more Straining through a sieve or cheesecloth removes the large particles, and forcing the puree through a fine mesh breaks large particles into smaller ones Heating softens cell walls so that they’ll break into smaller pieces, and shakes loose long-chain carbohydrates from the cell walls and gets them into the watery phase, where they can act as separate starch and gelatin molecules do Freezing a puree and then thawing it causes ice crystals to damage cell walls, which can help liberate more pectin and hemicellulose molecules into the liquid A fruit or vegetable puree Grinding plant tissue turns it inside out, freeing the cell fluids and breaking the cell walls and other structures into small particles A puree is a mixture of plant particles and molecules floating in water (left) If left to stand, most purees will separate, with the larger particles settling to the bottom (center) This separation can be prevented, and the puree consistency thickened, by cooking the puree down and evaporating the excess water (right) Preventing Separation The consistency of a puree is also improved by reducing the amount of water in the continuous phase The simplest way to do this is to cook the whole puree down, simmering gently, until the separate thin phase disappears Another way that better preserves the puree’s fresh flavor is to drain the thin fluid off the solids and either discard it, or cook it down separately and then add it back Or the cook can remove some of the fruit’s or vegetable’s water before crushing it, for example by partly drying halved tomatoes in the oven ... purees will separate, with the larger particles settling to the bottom (center) This separation can be prevented, and the puree consistency thickened, by cooking the puree down and evaporating the excess water (right)... Preventing Separation The consistency of a puree is also improved by reducing the amount of water in the continuous phase The simplest way to do this is to cook the whole puree down, simmering gently, until the. .. separate thin phase disappears Another way that better preserves the puree’s fresh flavor is to drain the thin fluid off the solids and either discard it, or cook it down separately and then add it back Or the cook can remove some of