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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Ganache, a creamy mixture of chocolate and cream, is an emulsion; that is, it contains both fat and water in a homogeneous mixture. Because fat and water do not mix easily, any emulsion can separate, which simply means that the fat portion and the water portion do not remain homogeneous. When […]
Nappe is a French term describing the consistency of a sauce that will coat the back of a spoon. Ice cream base that is cooped is cooked to this stage before cooling and then freezing. Cooking it to this stage indicates that the proteins have been fully cooked and the […]
The room is quiet except for the rhythmic tapping of chef’s knives touching softly on maple cutting boards as they glide smoothly through firm carrots. The chef paces up and down the rows looking over the shoulders of his students, watching their efforts in creating the perfect julienne. “Remember,” he […]
As you become a more proficient as a baker, you are able to pay less attention to your recipe and more attention to your ingredients. Understanding the forms and functions of an ingredient gives you the information you need to experiment, and even small swaps can make a huge impact. […]