Sauté
Sauté
Sauté Sautéing derives from the French word sauté meaning ‘jumped, bounced’ which reflects the method of tossing while cooking.
Sautéing is a method of cooking that uses little oil or fat in a shallow frying pan over relatively high heat.
Sauté pans are a specific type of pan designed for sautéing, they would have a wide flat base and low sides, this is to maximize the surface area available for heating whilst allowing the evaporation of steam from the low sides.
Because of the high heat used for sautéing certain oils should not be used to sauté due to their low smoke point.
Clarified butter, rapeseed oil and sunflower oil are the fats commonly used for sautéing. Whatever the fat, it must have a smoke point high enough to allow cooking on medium-high heat, without burning.
Braise
Braise
Braising is a culinary term for cooking large joints/cuts of meat, poultry, or vegetables in enough liquid to partially cover over a very low heat.
A mirepoix of roughly cut vegetables is often included to add flavour to the liquid, the pot is then tightly covered so that the food cooks slowly in the liquid and steam until very tender.
The liquid from the braised food will be very flavoursome and can be reduced and served as a sauce.
The difference between Braising and Stewing is that with Braising, the main ingredient ie: the meat, is left whole and not wholly submerged in the cooking liquid, when cooked it is served separately, whereas with a stew the meat is cut into bite-sized pieces and is completely submerged in the cooking liquid, it is also served as a complete meal with the added vegetables.
Bouquet Garni
Bouquet Garni
A bouquet garni is a bundle of fresh herbs, that are tied together and placed in the pot you are cooking, to enhance the flavour of the dish.
Blind Baking
Blind Baking
The process of Blind Baking is where a pastry case is virtually baked on its own before any ingredients are added and used in cases where the contents of the flan case will cook quicker than the pastry.
Blanche
Blanche
Blanching is a cooking process in which vegetables or fruit are plunged into boiling water for very little time and then immediately plunged into ice cold water to stop the cooking process.
Bisque
Bisque
Bisque is a smooth, creamy, highly seasoned soup of French origin, classically based on a strained broth of crustaceans. It is typically made from lobster, langoustine, crab, shrimp, or crayfish.
Bavarois
Bavarois
Bavarois is a dessert consisting of Bavarian cream, which is milk thickened with eggs and gelatin, into which whipped cream is folded. The mixture sets in a cold mould and is turned out of the mould for serving.
Baste
Baste
Baste To keep your Roast Joint as moist as possible Basting is essential. There are several ways to Baste, you can use a spoon by tipping the pan slightly so you can ladle the juices and pour them back over the meat. use a Baster, which again you tip the pan to collect the juices/fat into a corner and suck the juices up into the baster and then squeeze the top of the baster to flowthe juices back over the joint, or by using a silicone /pastry brush to brush the joint with the juices.
Bain‑marie
Bain‑marie
Bain-Marie known as a water bath or double boiler is a piece of equipment used in cooking to heat various ingredients gently or to keep food warm over a period of time. A bain-marie is also used to melt ingredients for cooking as in chocolate.
Croquettes
Croquettes
Croquettes A croquette is a small cylinder of food consisting of fillings such as finely chopped meat, seafood, cheese, rice, pasta, or various vegetables that are combined with a thick sauce or mashed potato. It is then coated in flour, egg wash and breadcrumbs before being deep-fried. Croquettes are typically cylindrical in shape but may also be formed in other shapes, such as disks, ovals, balls.