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Chef seasoning tips features
Seasoning is one of the technical keys to the final maturation of a dish. Only by constantly honing and groping can we slowly master its rules and methods, and skillfully combine them with the heat to cook excellent, fragrant and well-shaped dishes.
The basis for seasoning is roughly as follows:
Seasoning: Seasoning according to the ingredients
Fresh chicken, fish, shrimp and vegetables have their own special umami taste, and the seasoning should not be excessive, so as not to mask the natural umami taste. Raw materials with a strong fishy smell, such as fish, shrimp, beef and mutton and offal, should be seasoned with more condiments to remove the smell and relieve greasy, such as cooking wine, vinegar, sugar, onions, ginger, garlic, etc., so as to reduce the bad taste and increase the umami taste.
Raw materials that do not have a specific taste, such as sea cucumber and shark fin, must be added to the soup in addition to the specific condiments of the dishes.
Seasoning: Seasoning due to the dish
Each dish has its own specific taste, which is finalized through different cooking methods. Therefore, the type and quantity of condiments should not be messed with. Especially for multi-flavored dishes, it is necessary to distinguish the main and secondary flavors in order to use the main and auxiliary seasonings appropriately. Some dishes are mainly sweet and sour, some are mainly fresh and fragrant, and some dishes are sweet and salty, or salty and sweet, etc., this kind of variety of flavors and changes in a dish lies in the seasoning skills.
Seasoning: Seasoning according to the time
People's tastes tend to vary with the seasons, which is also related to the body's metabolic status. For example, in winter, due to the cold climate, thick and fatty dishes are preferred; In the hot summer, they like light and refreshing food.
Seasoning: Seasoning for people
When cooking, on the premise of maintaining the flavor characteristics of local dishes, it is also necessary to pay attention to the different tastes of diners, so as to make dishes according to the preparation. The so-called "food has no definite taste, and the palatable one is precious", which is a good summary of the dishes made by people.
Chef technique is at the heart of the chef profession and covers a wide range of areas, from basic skills to advanced techniques. Here are some key techniques and skills:
- Knife technique: This is one of the basic skills of a chef, including cutting, chopping, cutting, chopping and other skills. Skillful knife skills can improve the processing efficiency and quality of ingredients, laying the foundation for the taste and beauty of dishes.
- Identification and handling of cooking ingredients: Chefs need to understand the characteristics, origin, seasonality, and other information of various ingredients, and be able to handle them appropriately to ensure that they are in the best condition.
- Feeding technique: During the cooking process, the correct addition of seasonings and ingredients is a crucial step to ensure the taste of the dish.
- Sizing, battering: These techniques are used to enhance the taste and appearance of dishes, such as making the meat more tender or creating a beautiful crust.
- Master the heat technique: Controlling the heat is a very important part of cooking, and different heat conditions will affect the doneness and flavor of the dish.
- Thickening and Sauce Splashing Technique: Thickening and pouring juice to adjust the consistency and flavor of the dish to achieve the desired texture.
- Techniques for mastering the timing and amount of seasoning: The timing and amount of condiments used are critical to the final taste and need to be mastered precisely.
- Spooning techniques and plating techniques: these techniques not only affect the appearance of the dish, but also the overall presentation of the dish.
- Fresh raw material processing technology: The processing method of fresh ingredients directly affects the freshness and taste of dishes.
- Knife sharpening technique: Knives are an important tool for chefs, so sharpening techniques are also one of the essential skills that must be mastered.
In addition, chefs need to have some other professional skills, such as:
- Organizational skills: Organise the workflow in the kitchen and ensure that all ingredients and cooking utensils are properly managed.
- Nutrition Knowledge: Understand the nutritional value of food and adopt healthy cooking practices to meet diners' needs and healthy eating trends.
- Innovative thinking: Innovate on the basis of traditional cooking methods and explore new flavor combinations.
- Teamwork skills: Collaborate with colleagues to complete tasks and have good communication skills to communicate directly with customers.
In conclusion, becoming a good chef requires continuous learning and practice of various culinary techniques and skills, as well as keeping up with the times and constantly improving one's professional level.
How to improve knife skills to improve the efficiency and quality of food processing?
To improve knife skills to improve the efficiency and quality of food processing, you can start from the following aspects:
- Choose the right knives and cutting boards: Choosing the right knives and cutting boards for different ingredients is the foundation. For example, cutting boards made of polymer synthetics are clean, hygienic and durable. An 8-inch or 10-inch chef's knife is the most practical knife, while a small cutlery is ideal for cutting or peeling smaller foods.
- Proper grip and force: The right grip is essential to improve the efficiency of your cutter. Common grips include four-finger grips, three-finger grips, and holding the knife perpendicular to the body. These methods help to improve the stability and accuracy of the cut.
- Systematic learning of knife theory and practice: Through the systematic study of the theoretical basis of knife skills, such as tool selection, sharpening techniques, basic postures, etc., the improvement of operation skills can be promoted. In addition, comprehensive technical exercises, such as push-cutting, slicing, etc., can enhance the ability of fingers to move and hold on to raw materials.
- Standardized processing processes: In modern kitchens, the introduction of standardized processing equipment and technologies can ensure the consistency of food forms, thereby improving the quality and consistency of dishes. For example, the use of a multi-functional vegetable cutter can adjust the cutting shape and size according to different needs to meet the processing requirements of various ingredients.
- Prepare and mise en place in advance: Preparing ingredients ahead of time and doing mise en place (i.e., all ingredients are pre-prepared and placed in place) can significantly improve cooking efficiency and reduce waste.
- Use knives safely: When using knives, keeping your hands dry, preventing slipping, and choosing the right knives for different dishes are very important safety tips.
What are the best practices for the identification and handling of cooking ingredients?
The identification and handling of cooking ingredients is a critical step in ensuring the quality and safety of dishes. Here are some best practices:
- Selection and Identification:
- When choosing cooking ingredients, in addition to nutrition and flavor, you should also pay attention to factors such as shape, size, color, and origin.
- The identification methods of raw material quality include sensory identification (visual, smell, taste, hearing), physical and chemical identification and biological identification. Among them, sensory identification is the most commonly used method, which judges its advantages and disadvantages by observing its appearance, shape and color; Use the unique smell of raw materials to identify quality changes; Judge the quality based on the change in taste; and the sound of raw materials when they are shaken or slapped to judge the merits.
- Tactile discrimination:
- The tactile identification method is to use the human sense of touch to identify the texture and weight of raw materials, so as to judge the quality of raw materials. For example, the elasticity and stickiness of fresh animal raw materials, the crispness and tenderness of fresh plants, and the fineness of high-quality flour can all be judged by touch.
- Preservation Method:
- The preservation of cooking ingredients can be achieved by a variety of means and methods to ensure their quality. Commonly used preservation methods include low-temperature preservation (refrigerated and frozen), dry storage, pickled preservation, smoked preservation, high-temperature preservation and radiation preservation.
- The principle of cryogenic preservation is to stop and delay the process of spoilage of cooking ingredients by maintaining them at a low temperature level or in a frozen state.
- Dry storage is the process of long-term storage by reducing the moisture content of cooking ingredients to a sufficient extent to prevent spoilage and keeping moisture low. There is a wide range of raw materials suitable for dry storage, such as mushrooms, beans, some vegetables, shark fin, fish maw, dried cuttlefish, dried scallops, etc.
- Pre-processing skills of ingredients:
- The pre-processing of ingredients includes a variety of techniques such as cleaning, offal treatment, and knife skills. According to the processing methods of vegetables, livestock, poultry eggs, and aquatic products, it can help readers face the cooking needs of various dishes.
- Tips for handling ingredients include peeling, shelling, soaking, and more, which are especially important for those who are new to the kitchen.
- Basis for judging food:
- When judging whether a substance can be used as a food raw material, you can refer to whether it has traditional eating habits, whether it is a new food raw material approved by the Health and Family Planning Commission, whether it is on the list of medicine and food homology or the list of health food raw materials, etc.
What are the key tips for mastering heat technology?
The key skills to master the heat technique include the following:
- More practice: Mastering the heat requires continuous practice and attempts, and it is recommended to practice the heat control of various dishes in the kitchen.
- Observation and perception: During the cooking process, it is necessary to observe the changes of ingredients at all times, and learn to perceive the relationship between temperature and time. This includes observing changes in oil and water, as well as changes in the texture of ingredients.
- Flexible use: Different occasions and different needs need to flexibly adjust the heat to meet different cooking needs.
- Mastering different cooking techniques, such as stir-frying, stewing, boiling, steaming, etc., will allow you to better control the heat.
- Stir and check the status of the food regularly: During the cooking process, stir and check the status of the food regularly to ensure that the food is evenly heated and to avoid burning or sticking the pan.
- Clean pots and pans: can make food cook more evenly while avoiding food sticking to the pan.
- Fire classification: According to the requirements of raw materials and dishes, different firepower and time are used, such as martial fire, civil and military fire, simmering fire, micro fire, etc.
- Temperature control: The core of heat is temperature, high heat (high heat) is suitable for fast cooking, medium heat is suitable for maintaining the taste of ingredients, and low heat is suitable for slow cooking and keeping warm.
What are the application methods of thickening and pouring juice in different dishes?
There are various ways to apply the technique in different dishes, which can be divided into the following main types according to the specific cooking method and the characteristics of the dish:
- Thickening: This type of sauce is the thickest, and the purpose is to completely coat the sauce on the ingredients. It is suitable for quick cooking dishes such as stir-frying, such as fish-flavored shredded pork, stir-fried kidney flower, etc. After eating, there is basically no marinade left at the bottom of the plate.
- Mush: Slightly thinner than bread, it is used for cooking methods such as boiling, smoothing, stewing, and stewing, such as sweet and sour pork ribs. Its function is to turn the soup of the dish into a paste, so that the main ingredients, seasonings and soup are combined with each other to achieve a smooth and soft taste.
- Thickening: The powder sauce is thinner, and it is generally used for large or whole dishes, and its function is to increase the taste and luster of the dish. Usually after the dish is plated, the marinade in the pot is heated and thickened, and then poured on the dish, part of it is stained on the dish, part of it is in a glazed state, and some of the juice can be left in the plate after eating.
- Milk soup (薄銡): This is the thinnest type of sauce, also known as thin sauce, and is generally used in stewed dishes, such as spicy tofu, shrimp pot and so on. The purpose is to make the soup of the dish thicker and meet the requirements of delicious and fresh color.
- Glazed Root: Part of it sticks to the surface of the dish, and part of it is glass-like in the dish, smooth and transparent. This sauce is suitable for some high-end dishes to add visual effect to the dish.
- Rice soup: A thinner sauce such as squid pot. This sauce is mainly used to add moisture and shine to dishes.
- Sauce thickener: Starch is mixed with various condiments, which is suitable for stir-frying and other cooking methods that are quick to cook. This method thickens the soup of the dish and adheres evenly to the dish.
- Drizzling and cooking:
- Cooking method: Quickly pour the right sauce into the pot and quickly stir the dish to coat the dish with the sauce. This method has the characteristics of wide coverage, rapid ripening of the sauce and uniform coating.
- Drizzling method: Slowly pour the sauce into the pot to allow the dish to gradually absorb the sauce.
- Notes:
- The time of thickening should be mastered when the dish is ripe, too early thickening will make the marinade burnt, and too late thickening will easily make the dish heat for a long time and lose its crisp and tender taste.
- The thickening of the dish should not use too much oil, otherwise the marinade will not stick to the raw materials easily, and the purpose of increasing freshness and beauty will not be achieved.
- The soup of the dish should be appropriate, too much or too little soup will affect the effect of the sauce.
What is the role of innovative thinking in modern cooking and what are the strategies for its implementation?
The role of innovative thinking in modern cooking is mainly reflected in the following aspects:
- Pushing the Fusion of Tradition and Modernity: Innovative thinking helps chefs combine traditional culinary techniques with modern technology to create new culinary experiences. For example, by using molecular cuisine or 3D printing technology, it is possible to innovate the shape and taste of ingredients. This fusion not only preserves the traditional taste, but also brings new surprises and experiences.
- Improving the quality of culinary education: The application of innovative thinking in culinary teaching helps to develop students' creativity and practical skills. Teachers need to take effective measures to enable students to develop innovative culinary thinking and skills in the course of the curriculum. This is not only of great significance to the personal growth of students, but also plays a positive role in the development of the country and society.
- Promote the inheritance and development of culinary skills: Innovative thinking can help chefs improve and innovate while maintaining traditional culinary skills, thereby driving the industry forward. For example, Sichuan cuisine master Zhu Wancheng has helped the development of Sichuan cuisine through innovative thinking, showing how to innovate on the basis of tradition.
- Enhance entrepreneurship: Innovation is not only a requirement of culinary technology, but also the foundation of entrepreneurship. Culinary majors need to strengthen the cultivation of innovative thinking to open the way to entrepreneurship, and this requires the joint efforts of schools, governments and enterprises.
Implementation strategies include:
- Construct a curriculum system that integrates tradition and modernity: In culinary education, a curriculum system that includes traditional skills and modern innovative elements should be constructed, so that students can be exposed to a variety of cooking methods and techniques in the learning process.
- Provide experimental platforms and think tank support: For example, the experimental platform and think tank support provided by the Bulldog Foundation can help researchers systematically compile and share innovative thinking to drive continuous innovation in the field of cooking.
- Encourage interdisciplinary communication: Through interaction with other disciplines, more innovative ideas can be stimulated. For example, combining cooking with other areas of science can have unexpected effects.