The reason that the terms roux and béchamel can be confusing is that a bechamel is made from a roux. A roux is the technique of cooking flour in fat or oil. Most often, butter is used, but other fats or oils can also be used. A béchamel is made by whisking milk into this … Read more
The term “flavor profile” is great for describing the unique characteristics of a certain cuisine or dish. Thai food has a different flavor profile than Mexican food. The term refers to the combinations of tastes, aromas, and textures that make food unique. The kind of spices and other ingredients that are typically used determine the … Read more
Cuisson [kwee-SOHN] is French for cooking. It is a word that certain pretentious chefs, who don’t speak a word of French, use to sound impressive when talking about things being perfectly cooked. It’s usually applied to things like steak and fish. The cuisson, the cuisson. It’s all about the cuisson! When not being applied by … Read more
When making dough or pastries, you often have to mix the flour and shortening or butter by “cutting in.” To cut in means to incorporate butter or shortening into flour by using a pastry blender, often called a pastry cutter or dough cutter. A pastry blender a rounded loop of metal that separates into blades or heavy … Read more
Most of us know what it means to boil a food. We do it with dried pasta when we bring water to a rolling boil and put in the pasta. Even if we reduce the heat of the burner to stop the pot from boiling over, we are still boiling the pasta. But, what does … Read more
There are some misconceptions about the stir-fry technique we associate with Chinese and other Asian cuisines. A recipe I came across underscored this confusion. This recipe was for an Italian Chicken Stir Fry. Is a stir-fry just a sauté by another name? Sure, you use traditional Italian ingredients and make a stir-fry dish. But it is … Read more