Contents
Experienced chefs fry, breaded and prepare sauces without awe. These are all skills that are essential for any professional chef. However, such tasks can panic less experienced chefs, many of whom spend time studying cookbooks instead of going to restaurants for economy reasons. newbies (and advanced training for more skillful chefs) on mastering basic culinary techniques.
Mastering some of these tricks, those found in many recipes – chopping an onion quickly, breeding a chicken or a piece of meat, making a sauce in a skillet – is vital for any cook. Others include techniques such as making a flour dressing or whipping, the need for which can stop another chef from trying to replicate the recipe.
Roasting
According to popular myth, quick frying creates a crust that “seals” the juices inside. In fact, roasting meat or fish creates a caramelized, golden crust that adds texture and depth to the flavor. The most important factor when roasting is starting on very hot skillet… Ideally, you should use a stainless steel or anodized metal pan, which is a heavy material that has good thermal conductivity and distributes heat evenly.
While you can use a non-stick skillet, for example, for tender fish fillets, non-stick pans do a better job of searing and also leave some wonderful flavor nibs that can be used in sauce. stainless steel or anodized metal, then add enough vegetable oil to lightly coat the surface (if you are going to fry a greasy piece of meat, skip this step and place the meat directly in a dry skillet).
The oil should be very hot, but not smoke. You can check if it is hot enough by dropping a drop of water into the pan – at the right temperature, the water will fizzle and evaporate instantly.Place the meat (or fish) directly in the pan. It will immediately hiss, keep frying until it appears golden crust… If the pan is properly heated, the meat will not stick to it, and you can easily turn it over with tongs or a spatula.
Remember that if you put too many pieces in the pan at the same time, they will stew, not fry, so you have to cook in parts. During the break, you can wipe the pan – but leave the fragrant burnt pieces.
Tempering
This term refers to the method by which ingredients that have different temperatures are combined. It is most commonly used to combine cold eggs and hot liquid such as milk or cream to cook custard, ice cream or other dishes in which eggs act as a thickener.
In a simplified form, during tempering, hot liquid is gradually added to the eggs, while the mixture is constantly beaten, which allows you to slowly increase the temperature of the mixture, while maintaining a homogeneous structure without lumps.
Once enough hot liquid has been combined with the egg, the mixture can be poured into the remaining liquid, which will thicken it as it cooks. Note: Tempering chocolate is another process that produces smooth, shiny chocolate after melting.
Slicing onions
With the right approach, the onion is very easy to cut – just a little more difficult than just making three cuts. Before you start, make sure your knife is sharp enough to easily cut the onion. Cut the stem of the onion, trim the bottom edge, then cut the onion in two from top to bottom thanks to each half can then be placed firmly on the board.
Do not damage the sturdier bottom edge – the root of the onion, so that it will not fall apart, peel the skin and place half of the onion on the cutting board with the root away from you. Holding the onion firmly on both sides, make longitudinal vertical cuts, adjusting the distance between them according to the thickness of the pieces you want to get out.
From the edges of the onion, aim the knife at an angle inward, and do not cut the onion all the way to keep the root intact, then make horizontal cuts. Slice the onion, keeping the knife parallel to the board, leaving the desired distance between the notches and not reaching the root.Finally, start slicing the onion across, releasing each layer as you work towards the root. When you reach the last piece, place it on the board and complete the cut with notches in both directions.
Breading
This simple three-step method ensures that the breadcrumbs are evenly coated on the bite. It is often used for thin slices of chicken, pork or veal for roasting or roasting. three shallow plates, the first of which fill flour… Whisk in the second plate яйцо with a little water, milk, or other liquid or seasoning. Finally, add the breadcrumbs to the third plate. crackers.
First, coat a piece of meat in flour on both sides and shake off the excess, leaving only a thin, even layer of flour. This will “bind” most of the moisture on the surface of the meat and allow the egg mixture to wrap around the piece. In the second step, dip the meat in the egg mixture on both sides, and again shake off the excess: the piece of meat is now covered with a sticky paste to which the crackers adhere.
Finally, place the meat in a plate of breadcrumbs and press down until an even layer of breadcrumbs wraps around it. Try doing all of this with one hand to avoid “breeding” your fingers on both hands and messing up the kitchen.
Kneading
Kneading is used in preparation souffle, liquid cake dough or in any recipe in which two ingredients of different densities must be combined. Usually, whipped whites or cream are kneaded into a denser dough or cream to make it lighter. In the case of whites, the air in them acts as a baking powder, helping the cake or soufflé rise. Spread about a quarter of the whipped whites or cream over the surface of the batter..
Caution reach the bottom of the bowl with a spatula, lift some of the dough along the edges of the bowl and cover the squirrels with it. As you can see, this is easy; turn the bowl slightly with each movement. Continue these manipulations until no trace of proteins remains. Starting with a quarter of the whites or cream, you lighten the dough, so by adding the remaining whites or cream, you can easily knead them into the dough using the same movements. quickly but carefullyso as not to release too much air from the bubbles in the egg whites or cream.
Preparing the sauce in a pan
The all-time skill of making a sauce in a pan is still a mystery for many home cooks. This method uses pieces from the bottom of the pan left over from meat, poultry or fish searing. First, save some finely chopped onions or others. flavors of your future sauce in the fat left after frying the meat, or in a little olive oil or butter.
Then add liquid to a hot skillet and bring it to a boil. you can use wine, bouillon, vinegar, juice or any other liquid with a pronounced taste. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to scrape the burnt pieces from the bottom of the pan and stir in the sauce to add color and flavor. It is called “deglazing«.
Reduce the sauce by letting it boil a little, which will concentrate its flavor and thicken it. The boil-off time depends on how much liquid you add, but shouldn’t exceed a few minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cold chunks of butter to thicken the sauce even more, enrich the flavor and add shine. Season it with salt and pepper and you have a sauce that will enhance the flavor of your main course.
Rolling out the berry pie dough
Even an experienced pastry chef can find it difficult to roll out the dough for berry share and putting it into shape. This skill requires some practice and external factors such as ambient temperature or dough temperature also affect the result. Chill the dough in the refrigerator first. You want it to be cold enough so that the oil or fat does not melt, and at the same time pliable for easy rolling with a rolling pin.
Keep some flour on hand – you need to sprinkle it on your work surface, dough and rolling pin so that the dough does not stick to anything. Roll out the dough in short strokes, starting in the center and turning frequently to maintain the shape of the circle as the dough becomes thinner. Powder the surface and dough with flour as needed, but do not overdo it so the dough does not get tough. When the dough is 5-8 cm larger than the baking pan, stop rolling it out. Place the rolling pin on the edge of the dough farther away from you and wrap half of the dough around the rolling pin.
Gently lift the rolling pin, slide the mold under it and slowly unwind the dough, then gently place it into the mold. Press lightly on the edges of the dough so that it fits snugly into the baking pan With a sharp knife, cut off the excess dough, leaving 1 to 2 cm, which form a thick edge that retains the shape of the cake when baked. Decorate the edges with a fork or fingers.
Preparation of “ru” dressing
Ru flour dressing is traditionally used to thicken and enrich the flavor. sauces, subluxation and soups… The name itself comes from the French word roux – red.Ru is a mixture of equal weight amounts of flour and fat – oil is usually used. To make this dressing, first melt the butter in a gravy boat so that it starts to bubble.
Add flour and stir until the butter and flour mixture is smooth and even. The mixture must be fried at least 2-3 minutes, after that you get white flour dressingwhich is used to thicken soups or make sauces in which white plays a key role, such as béchamel or veloute.
As you roast further, the properties of the dressing will change. Being fried 5-10 minutes, refueling will get light brown shade and nutty aromaafter which it can be used to thicken stews. dark brown dressing ruwhich is preparing 20-25 minutes.
The longer the roux cooks, the richer the flavor becomes, but the darker the dressing, the less it thickens liquid foods, so cook more. continue cooking for at least 15-20 minutes… This will get rid of the flour aftertaste and bring the dish to the desired consistency.
* Cajuns are descendants of French settlers in America, most of whom currently live in southern Louisiana. The Kajuns have developed an interesting, distinctive culture, including cuisine.