For the January 11, 2007
Carefree… by Joyce McCombs
Carefree 101 Cooking Terms...
Welcome to 2007! It’s time for resolutions and I’m ashamed to
admit I’ve already broken one of my top four promises to myself.
(Someday, in a far off land where time is on my side, I really
will get the CG to the editor early.) The other three resolutions
are the same as they’ve always been: Be slow to judge, be quick to
forgive, and practice, practice, practice being patient. Dang,
that last one is always SUCH a pain!
There’s been a lot of eating and cooking and kitchen activity in
the past couple of weeks, so I thought you might be a bit tired
thinking about what to make and eat and then clean up after yet
again. So instead of recipes, let’s look at some cooking basics,
and give the leftovers a chance to clear out of the fridge for a
couple weeks.
I like checking in with the Food Network whenever I have a couple
of minutes, especially when I’m folding laundry. I remember when
we first got the satellite dish and I found channel 110. I was
stunned by the variety of the programs offered. I was also way,
WAY out of my depth when it came to professional terminology and
kitchen procedures. I can usually handle a chef’s knife without
hurting anyone, and I know enough to turn the heat down when the
food starts smoking. But this land of the professional egg
polisher and nineteen burner gas ranges (never say “stove) was
almost too much. When I stopped looking at all the pretty sets and
dishes and the audience and started really listening, I began to
realize just how much I didn’t know.
It’s like one of my favorite library patrons said to me last
summer as he browsed the cookbook section: “What’ the heck’s a
simmer, anyway? Can’t they just say “cook until done”? That’s what
I do when I make Hamburger Helper!” I suppose they could, but
“done” means different things to different cooks, where a “simmer”
means the same thing to everyone . So take a look at these
snippets and definitions and ideas and terms, and perhaps they’ll
ease you into a new phase of kitchen adventures. If you start
practicing all these things and the Food Network calls, be sure to
let me know!
Chiffonade
French for “made of rags,” a chiffonade is a lovely way to dress a
salad or a sandwich or even tacos. All you is stack up leaves of
something leafy and green like lettuce or spinach or fresh basil
or mint, roll them up in a tube and cut across the roll into very
thin ribbons. Gently separate them by dropping them from about a
foot above your cutting board or into a bowl and they’ll mound up
perfectly.
Emulsion
An emulsion is nothing more than bringing two things together that
usually want to stay apart. The two liquids are broken up by
vigorous whisking and the tiny droplets of the heavier liquid
disperse into the lighter one. Emulsions can be made in a blender
or food processor, though the purists insist there’s nothing like
a hand powered whisk to do the job properly. Personally, I can’t
tell the difference, except for the time it saves. The classic
emulsion is oil and vinegar and mustard or herbs for vinaigrette
salad dressing. .
Deglaze
Food Network chefs just live to deglaze, all day, world without
end amen. They are obsessed with those tasty browned bits left in
the bottom of the roasting pan, and rightly so. That’s where the
flavor is and it’s up to you to get it back into the the food you
just cooked. Remove the roast or chicken or whatever you just
cooked and set aside to rest. (Read about “resting” below.) Pour
in at least a cup of liquid (wine, water, stock, cognac, etc.)
heat it with the remaining cooking juices in the bottom of the
pan. Scrape up the browned bits as the liquid heats. Use it for
sauce, or simply pour it back over what you just roasted.
Resting Meat (Carryover Cooking)
If you have the time, it’s a great idea to remove whatever you’re
roasting from the heat a little early. Thinner meats such as blade
roasts should be allowed to “rest“ for 5 – 10 minutes, but larger
cuts need to rest for at least 15 minutes. Meat continues to cook
internally even after it’s removed from the oven. But without the
high heat of the oven, the external heat decreases. That’s a good
thing, though, because it redistributes the juices evenly and
makes the meat more succulent and much easier to carve.
Baste
One of the first things most cooks learn, especially when baking a
turkey. To baste, simply moisten periodically with cooking juices,
marinade or butter. This not only keeps the meat moist, but
promotes even browning.
Reduce
When water in a sauce evaporates, it concentrates and thickens the
liquid. The flavors intensify as the volume is reduced, which is a
good reminder to not salt stocks, soups, sauces and gravies until
after they have been fully reduced. Frozen reduced chicken stock
is culinary gold. Try using ice cube trays to make small portions
and then keeping a zip top bag full handy in the freezer.
Roasting
This is nothing more than dry cooking in an oven in a large
uncovered pan. Uncovered is the operative word here! Dry heat
creates a crusty brown exterior, sealing in moisture. Large
shallow pans work great because the moisture that does escape from
the food evaporates quickly; otherwise the steam will keep the
food from browning properly.
Turkey’s and chicken’s are perfect for dry roasting, and so are
the more tender cuts of meat such as tenderloin, prime rib or top
round. Tougher cuts like Chuck roast (called Charles Steak in our
house, in honor of Papa McCombs) needs a slow moist heat to
tenderize it.
Vegetables roast well also, but give them enough room to roam and
leave at least a quarter of the pan empty so they won’t touch and
stir them often.
Braising
Braising is similar to roasting, only with a small amount of
liquid for a moister heat and you can cover it or not, depending
on the meat. Try searing (see below) first to help seal in juices.
Using low heat for a longer period of time means tougher cuts of
meat turn out tender because the fibers are broken down slowly
while the stock, water or wine, keeps food moist. The braising
liquid can be used in making sauces.
Sear
This is what you do to seal in a food's juices in prior to
braising or roasting. You want to brown all surfaces of the meat
quickly using very high heat in a skillet, under the broiler, on a
grill, or in the oven. This seals in natural juices and creates a
crispy exterior. Seared food is often eaten very rare with the
center being left uncooked, as in blackened steak.
Sautéing
From the French verb sauter which means "to jump." Use a preheated
pan, a bit of oil brought just to the smoking point before adding
the food. And keep the food moving (“jumping”) over medium high to
high heat. Don’t crowd the pan or things will steam instead of
sauté. You’ll want about 1/3 of the surface area left empty to
distribute the heat.
Sweating Vegetables
Sweating vegetables is similar to sautéing, but the goal is to use
as little oil as possible cooking at a lower heat. The goal is to
not let the vegetables brown, but to cook them until they are
still colorful and still a bit crisp.
Simmer
To cook over medium or medium low heat to just below the boiling
point which means low enough so that tiny bubbles just begin to
break the surface. Sauces usually need to simmer to let flavors
blend, and to reduce and thicken.
Poaching
Most often associated with eggs or fish, to poach means to cook by
gently simmering in liquid that is just below the boiling point
(180 to 190 degrees). My longtime idol Julia Child called this
stage a "shiver" which seems more poetic than “poached” doesn’t
it?
For a perfect poached egg, remember that the water should not be
boiling with full bubbles, but should be hot enough to cook the
egg quickly. Crack the egg into a small bowl or cup and then slide
it gently into the poaching water. Let the egg cook slowly, and
resist the temptation to poke at it, or you’ll end up with a sorry
mess of yellow and white blotches in hot water. Make sure the
water never comes to a full boil. Use a slotted spoon to remove
the egg from the water, drain it for a moment on a paper towel or
napkin and serve it on hot buttered toast. This will cure most
ailments known to the human race.
Scald
Recipes that called for scalded milk used to scare me and I’d
start over and make something else. That is until I got brave and
scalded some on my own one day and things turned out just fine.
All you do is heat milk to the simmer stage, waiting patiently for
the tiny bubbles to rise around the edges of the saucepan and for
the milk to steam, but not come to a boil If that happens, you
really do have to start over.
Dice
There’s a lot of hollering about dicing and mincing and all kinds
of other hacking up vegetables these days. I’m glad that for years
all I did was chop and get away with it. Anyway, an official dice
cut is about 1/8 to 1/4 inch on each side.
Mince
This is an irregular cut and is much smaller and finer than a
dice. Think garlic, chives or KFC coleslaw bits.
Julienne
Not to be confused with my pal, Julie Ann who shares my birthday,
a julienne cut means you’re going to slice things like cheese or
ham or carrots into thin match-stick strips. Food is evenly sliced
then cut into strips of random lengths.
Matchstick
Matchstick cuts are even more precise than julienne, and I get
very annoyed when I have to do it every often because it’s so
tedious. Still, it’s excellent knife practice and the results are
pretty and worth it in the end. Begin by slicing the vegetable
into 1 to 2 inch lengths. Cut each length into 1/8 inch slices.
Stack those slices and cut into 1/8 inch matchstick size strips.
Cutting matchsticks is a good way to practice being PATIENT.
Puree
Traditionally a food was rubbed through a strainer, food mill or
sieve until it was completely smooth. Now this is done using a
blender or food processor. In 1977 it was the button pushed on the
blender my roommate Lori and I used when we were making split pea
soup. I’ll spare you the details, except to say that I know for a
fact it takes two rolls of paper towels to clean a college
apartment ceiling of split pea soup puree.
Sorbet vs. Sherbet
And now at last, time for dessert. Does it really matter if it’s
sorbet or sherbet? Not to me, since both are yummy, but here’s the
difference. Sherbet contains milk, sorbet does not. Sorbet is also
sometimes called granita and is granular in texture, whereas
sherbet is smooth and creamy. Both contain flavorings and usually
sugar and sometimes fruit essences as a sweetener. Sorbet
sometimes has alcohol added for flavoring, which creates a
slushier product. If you like fresh raspberry sorbet made five
minutes before you eat it, try The Lodge restaurant at the River
Palms Casino/Hotel in Laughlin Nevada. It’s the best I’ve ever
had.
Next time, if all goes according to plan, we’ll visit with Joanna
Holbrook and talk about bread and baking. Happy New Year to all!
