Cooking Techniques
Nov 08 2011.
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The musical “Oliver” said it best with “Food glorious food” and if making grub from
scratch makes you purr with delight, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s start off with
some cooking terms that’ll have you hobnobbing with the likes of Master Chef in no time
and won’t cause any confusion on the road to fabulous food.
Al dente: Often found in pasta recipes. It means to cook the pasta just until it's done, not
soft or overcooked. The best way to check? Why, bite it of course!
Au gratin: Refers to a baked dish, such as a casserole, topped with cheese or bread
crumbs, then browned on top, either in the oven or under a broiler. Yummers!
Baste: Spooning or brushing food with a liquid - such as butter, broth, or the cooking
liquid -- to help the food stay moist during cooking. An exclusive brush must be used,
unless you want paint infused food or buttery walls. Mmmm…
Blanch: Placing food briefly in boiling water and then plunging into cold water to halt
cooking. Blanching loosens the skins of fruits and vegetables to help peel them more
easily. Tomatoes are fine candidates for this torture technique.
Braise: Slowly cooking browned foods in a small amount of liquid in a tightly covered
pot.
Butterfly: Splitting meat, poultry, or fish in half horizontally without cutting all the way
through. When spread open, the flat piece looks like a butterfly. Cute and tasty!
Caramelize: Melting and cooking sugar over low heat until it browns. "Caramelization"
also refers to the browning that occurs during cooking. Super sticky but oh so delicious.
Cream: Rapidly mixing one or more ingredients with a spoon or mixer until smooth and
creamy. When you cream butter or other fats, the mixture also becomes fluffy because air
is incorporated during the rapid mixing process. Used for cake batter and cookie dough.
Deglaze: Adding a liquid to a pan in which food has been browned, and heating it to
loosen the cooked food particles. This liquid is usually thickened to make a flavorful
sauce. This is what makes Christmas turkey lip-smackingly good.
Dredge: Coating a food lightly with flour, bread crumbs, or cornmeal and makes food
extra crispy.
French: Cutting a meat or vegetable lengthwise into very thin strips. Also a nationality.
We don’t insist on mixing the two concepts.
Julienne: To cut a fruit or vegetable into matchstick strips about 2 inches long. Perfect
for carrots and celery in veggie dips.
Marinade: a mixture of either liquid or dry ingredients to flavor and give moisture to
food. Wet marinades can consist of spices in water, oil, or a sauce, while dry marinades
are simply a mixture of dry spices. Meat is oftentimes marinated up to hours before
cooking. Think of it as an oil massage before the sauna treatment.
Mince: Cutting food into very fine pieces. Can refer to meat as well as fruit in pies.
Reduce: Boiling a liquid in an uncovered pot or pan to evaporate some of the liquid. This
reduces the volume, concentrates the flavor, and thickens the mixture. However, does
nothing to reduce the waistline.
Sauté: Cooking and stirring a food in a small amount of fat over direct heat. Easiest
cooking method. Ever.
Score: To make shallow cuts in the surface of a food just before cooking or baking. This
releases steam and ensures that food doesn’t get soggy or undercooked.
Sear: Using high heat to quickly brown the surface of a food to seal in the juices. Foods
can be seared in a very hot pan or under the broiler. Technically challenging and not
suggested if you like your meat rare.
Simmer: Slowly cooking food in a liquid just below the boiling point. Tiny bubbles may
break the surface. Remain calm.
Sweat: Cooking food over low heat in a small amount of fat in a covered pot or pan so it
cooks in its own juices until soft but not browned. This is probably what you’ll be doing
after the whole ordeal.
Zest: The peel or colored part of citrus fruit skin, which contains flavorful oils. (The
white pith is not part of the zest, and has a bitter taste.) You will need a zester for this,
failing which, a grater with fine holes.
So there you go, step one in the methods of cooking. Feeling like a foodie yet?
(Compiled by Dilini Perera)
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