Cooking Terms and Definitions

Don't you mean to cut them lengthwise. Chiffonade is to cut leaves into long strips.

To chiffonade basil, something done a lot, you would roll the leaves up tight, as if rolling a cigar, and cut across the roll. This leaves you with relatively long, thin strips of basil.

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CD
 
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If someone has the desire to become a better cook then understanding the importance of Mise en place which is having all ingredients ready to go before any actual cooking or composition takes place. It encourages a calm and confident mentality which results in fewer errors generally and reinforces a persons focus.
it's the only way I cook. everything is prepped. plus all spices going in at the same time are all in the same bowl etc.
 
Well "bricolage" is originally from construction and art - using bits and pieces to make something new. I´ve never heard it used as a culinary term, but I don´t see why it shouldn´t apply.
I too have never heard bricolage used in relation to cooking.....I guess it can be kind of made to fit if people want to but it just sounds really wrong to me (bricolage is French for DIY, there's even a chain of DIY/hardware stores called Mr.Bricolage).
 
To chiffonade basil, something done a lot, you would roll the leaves up tight, as if rolling a cigar, and cut across the roll. This leaves you with relatively long, thin strips of basil.

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CD
Yes exactly. This is a garnish. Some people and chefs have misunderstood the purpose of a chiffonade and forsaken that purpose in the belief that their prowess as a good cook or a chef lies in the length of their chiffonade, where the longer the better. It's not the length of the chiffonade but how it reacts as that garnish. Having long tentacle like greenery hanging down off of a fork is not a garnish and can easily translate to be an obstacle and cumbersome. A garnish is a finishing touch or embellishment that doesn't take away the focus from the intended ingredient(s). A chiffonade is a french technique that translates basically into "little rags" I've over the years changed my technique to a compressed ball instead of a rolled stack which then translates into less uniform strips but into a variety of threads of different lengths and widths which I find more appropriate to the description originally given from those original observations of little rags. This is my observation and deviation of the popular description and only my opinion.
 
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And I have heard the term supreme of citrus which is basically cleaned meticulous sections of citrus, or the best of....It's not used much anymore.

Yes - that was the term used by medtran49 in relation to an orange. I'd never come across it before in that context. I don't think its used in the UK.
 
Yes - that was the term used by medtran49 in relation to an orange. I'd never come across it before in that context. I don't think its used in the UK.
Yeah, it's not common and I'd go as far and say that it's a stretch to use that term to begin with. Looks good on a menu but in reality it's really no difference to the term sectioned citrus. I've never use that term to describe citrus and never will. Basically they've taken the definition of the word "supreme" and attached it to a completely different application and in this case sections of citrus, where the actual preparation is identical to the one they think they've replaced. Supreme is a dish not an application/preparation and in that sense I'm not a fan any why I won't be calling anything other than it was originally intended to represent, which is a protein originally fowl with a sauce. I can more readily accept a different protein like fish but it has to have a sauce to complete it. In my opinion.
 
Making gravy from pan drippings is simple enough, but deglazing takes that to an extreme.

deglazing: Adding wine or some other liquid to a pan after cooking, to remove the baked on material and create a solution which can then be combined with flour, milk and other ingredients to produce a gravy.
 
Yeah, it's not common and I'd go as far and say that it's a stretch to use that term to begin with. Looks good on a menu but in reality it's really no difference to the term sectioned citrus. I've never use that term to describe citrus and never will. Basically they've taken the definition of the word "supreme" and attached it to a completely different application and in this case sections of citrus, where the actual preparation is identical to the one they think they've replaced. Supreme is a dish not an application/preparation and in that sense I'm not a fan any why I won't be calling anything other than it was originally intended to represent, which is a protein originally fowl with a sauce. I can more readily accept a different protein like fish but it has to have a sauce to complete it. In my opinion.

I meant no criticism of the use of that term for fruit. I was simply unfamiliar with it in that context. Larousse doesn't mention it in that context but does mention fine fillets of fish and in another use 'suprêmes of foie gras'. I should add I have the concise Larousse - a mere 1300 pages! :laugh:
 
Making gravy from pan drippings is simple enough, but deglazing takes that to an extreme.

deglazing: Adding wine or some other liquid to a pan after cooking, to remove the baked on material and create a solution which can then be combined with flour, milk and other ingredients to produce a gravy.
Absolutely, but I would call it necessary and not extreme per se. This is a fundamental technique for making pan sauces or gravies in general. The material on the bottom of the pan is called a fond which are then dislodged and emulsified by deglazing into the liquid being used to add to the depth of flavor to a pan sauce/gravy.

The milliard reaction is what creates the fond by reducing the natural sugars which react with amino acids creating a complex matrix of compounds which gives it it's characteristic taste and smell of browned foods in general.
 
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I meant no criticism of the use of that term for fruit. I was simply unfamiliar with it in that context. Larousse doesn't mention it in that context but does mention fine fillets of fish and in another use 'suprêmes of foie gras'. I should add I have the concise Larousse - a mere 1300 pages! :laugh:
I know MG and I don't have a problem if someone uses the term for citrus or any other ingredient for that matter, people can do whatever they want, it's just not how I roll, that's all. :happy:
 
As long as we're talking about definitions, how do you define "stock" and "broth"? This is one distinction where you'll find a thousand answers, many of which contradict each other, or are just hazy statements about what they tend to be rather than a clear difference.
 
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As long as we're talking about definitions, how do you define "stock" and "broth"? This is one distinction where you'll find a thousand answers, many of which contradict each other, or are just hazy statements about what they tend to be rather than a clear difference.
Since I rarely make them from scratch, I just go with stock being a stronger version of broth. I keep it simple. :)
 
Since I rarely make them from scratch, I just go with stock being a stronger version of broth. I keep it simple. :)
That's kind of the exact opposite of what others would say!

I have an even simpler approach, it's called "not caring how you label things".
 
These points are courtesy of Food & Wine:

"While the difference between stock and broth is minimal, the two cooking liquids are made from different ingredients. According to F&W Executive Food Editor Kate Heddings, stock needs to be made with bones, in addition to a mirepoix, a mix of carrots, onions and celery. At its most basic, broth is simply any liquid that meat has been cooked in. However, the most common way to make broth is take stock and add additional meat, vegetables and salt to the liquid itself (traditional stock is unseasoned)."

"Stock develops a substantive body as the bones and any attached cartilage release collagen and gelatin into the liquid while cooking. If you happen to make broth without using stock, it will have a different texture and lack the sumptuousness that stock provides."

"'Broth is something you sip and stock is something you cook with.' Stock is used as a base in sauces and soups, but its role is to provide body rather than flavor. Broth, on the other hand, is designed to be flavorful and tasty enough to simply drink by itself, which is why the additional salt is so important."

That's more than I ever wanted to know. :)
 
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