Since you are a DISH member, we know that you likely have dessert ambitions beyond the classic cookies and coffee. And why shouldn’t you? The world of pastry is exciting and decadent! If you are home channeling your inner pastry chef, designing a composed, or plated, dessert for your next […]
Béchamel is classical white sauce that is made with milk thickened with a roux. Blond roux is traditionally used, and the amount of roux will determine the sauce’s consistency. Vegetables or aromatics are sometimes added to strengthen the flavor, but they are normally strained out after cooking to preserve the […]
Though every cooking technique has value, there is one simple technique that doesn’t get much attention: deep poaching. This technique may not have the glitz and glamour of a finished roast, fried chicken, or hard-seared steak, but it does result in consistently tender and moist foods, without the need for […]
It’s a struggle we all face: onion eyes. Chopping an onion comes with an extra layer of struggle. After your first few draws through the bulb, your eyes may begin to water, burn, maybe even swell a little. What can you do? First, let’s understand why this is happening. Onions […]
Although it may seem intimidating at first, fabricating a chicken, or cutting it into smaller parts for cooking, is actually a very simple technique. First, cut from the neck opening down the center of the bird, following the keel bone. Cut away the breast, following the contour of the rib […]
Food safety is of the utmost important in professional kitchens, and there are some basic strategies you can follow in your home kitchen to ensure the food you cook is not just delicious, but also safe from cross-contamination and pathogens. One of the fundamental defenses against pathogens is the observance […]
More than just the first component of a popular cocktail, gin is a spirit whose very ingredients bring far-flung parts of the world together. It’s also a drink with a fascinating history touching nations from Holland to England to India. What is Gin? Gin is a neutral spirit base that […]
“And I had but one pennie in the world, thou should’st have it to buy Gingerbread” -Costard in Love’s Labour’s Lost, William Shakespeare c. 1598 When I was a child, one of my favorite holiday traditions was when my family and I would visit Mystic Seaport in Stonington, Connecticut for […]
Whether they are the featured flavor or employed to support the theme of a dish, herbs add a generous layer of complexity. Ideally they are used fresh; in many cases, drying will compromise their fresh flavor. This is especially true for tender herbs such as basil, parsley, and chives or […]
Braising, barbecuing, and slow-roasting are all long, low cooking methods that utilize less tender, fattier cuts of meats with a lot of connective tissue. But braising stands apart in that it includes liquid in the cooking process. It is also a combination cooking method—one that uses both dry and moist […]
Scrambled eggs are one of the most popular ways to enjoy eggs, and whether they were fluffy, dry, runny, burned or underdone, we’ve had them every way they come. Luckily, cooking scrambled eggs is easy, with no need to overcomplicate with unusual techniques or lots of extra ingredients. In fact, […]
Good chowders have a rich flavor, balancing the main flavoring ingredient(s) and supporting aromatic and finishing flavors, a velvety texture, and a lightly thickened consistency, similar to heavy cream. If you are making a shellfish-based chowder (clams, mussels, oysters, etc.), before beginning, steam the main ingredient in stock or water […]