My intentions to start writing this blog is to give helpful information to an absolute beginner cook and to help them navigate their way around a kitchen. And for more selfish reasons, I might be able to pick up on a few things as well when I research about the topic I'm posting.
With that said, I'm planning on starting a weekly series that will showcase some commonly used terms by chefs around the kitchen so you can truly understand what they are saying when you are watching a cooking show or reading a recipe. This might be a weekly series depending on the interest level. Why is it called AtoZ of cooking? Well, because I will be posting 26 terms(A to Z, get it?), 10 terms per day over the course of 3 days, in each blog post to assist you with your cooking.
So, without further ado, part 1!
Aromatics - Commonly used ingredients such as onions, garlic, ginger, leeks and other herbs and spices are called aromatics. They help to enhance the natural aromas and intensify the flavors of other food items that you are cooking.
Blanching - Blanching is a combination cooking method where food items are briefly and partially cooked in boiling water and immediately placed under ice water to stop or slow down the cooking process. It helps to loosen peels from vegetables and to preserve the color of the vegetable, which helps during plating and presentation.
Clarification - The process of trapping impurities in a broth and transforming it to a clear liquid for cleaner presentation at the table. This is achieved by introducing a mixture called clearmeat into the broth, which contains egg whites, ground meat, any acidic product and mirepoix.
Deglaze - Introducing a liquid, in most cases stock or wine, in a cooked pan to dissolve the cooked food particles remaining on the bottom of the pan. This mixture usually is the base for a sauce, which accompanies the cooked meat.
Egg wash - A mixture of egg yolks and milk(or water) which is brushed onto the dough of a pastry to give it an extra sheen. This is an important aspect of baking as it gives that vibrant yellow color to the pastry that you are baking.
Fumet - A variation of a stock made from fish bones or shell fish shells and vegetables(mostly onions, carrots, celery) simmered in a liquid with various herbs and spices(cloves, peppercorns, thyme, parsley, bay leaves). This stock is mostly used as the base for seafood-based soups and sauces.
Gelatin - A jelly-like substance which is tasteless and odorless containing a mixture of proteins extracted from boiling bones and other animal parts. It is mainly used as a thickening agent and a stabilizer in various food items such as jam, yoghurt and cream cheese.
Homigenization - The process by which milk fat is prevented from separating out of milk products and forcing the cream to not rise to the top.
Instant-read thermometer - A thermometer used to measure the internal temperature of various food items. This is an extremely handy tool to have for even a basic cook as it prevents from overcooking. Some food items tend to get a rubbery texture if overcooked and having a thermometer is crucial to prevent that from happening.
Julienne - A type of cutting technique that produces stick-shaped pieces approximately 1/8 inch x 1/8 inch x 2 inches. This is a technique that is commonly used to cut vegetable for garnish.
Hope you picked up some cool new terms that you didn't know before which you can throw around your friends and impress them with your cooking expertise! Part 2 is coming up tomorrow morning. So, stay tuned for that!
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