Abstract: Introduction to condiment knowledge - Features - Classification: This article introduces the four aspects of seasoning, blanching, garnishing, and making the dishes delicious.

Teach you how to use kitchen condiments well (3) 7. How to season seasoning. Seasoning is one of the technical keys to the final maturity of dishes.

Only by constant practice and exploration can we slowly master its rules and methods, and skillfully combine them with the heat to cook delicious, fragrant and delicious dishes.

The basis for seasoning is roughly as follows: 1.

Fresh chicken, fish, shrimp and vegetables have a special umami flavor due to their seasoning. Seasoning should not be excessive to avoid covering up the natural umami taste.

For raw materials with a strong smell of fishy smell, such as stale fish, shrimp, beef, mutton and offal, you should consider adding more seasonings to remove fishy and greasy smell, such as cooking wine, vinegar, sugar, onion, ginger, garlic, etc., so that

Reduce bad taste and increase fresh taste.

Raw materials that have no specific taste themselves, such as sea cucumbers, shark fins, etc., in addition to adding fresh soup, should also be added with corresponding condiments according to the specific requirements of the dishes.

2.

Each dish has its own specific taste, which is finalized through different cooking methods.

Therefore, the type and quantity of condiments cannot be messed up.

Especially for multi-flavor dishes, it is necessary to distinguish the primary and secondary flavors in order to properly use the main and auxiliary seasonings.

Some dishes are mainly sour and sweet, some are mainly fresh and fragrant, and some dishes are sweet at the beginning and salty at the end, or salty at the beginning and sweet at the end, etc. The secret of this variety of flavors in one dish all lies in the seasoning skills.

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3.

Seasonal Seasoning People's tastes often vary with seasonal changes, which is also related to the body's metabolic status.

For example, in winter, due to the cold climate, people prefer thick and rich dishes; in hot summer, they prefer light and refreshing food.

4.

When cooking according to personal taste, on the premise of maintaining the flavor characteristics of local dishes, we should also pay attention to the different tastes of diners and make dishes according to their taste.

The so-called "food has no fixed taste, but what tastes good is the best" is an appropriate summary of making dishes based on people's taste.

5.

Good seasoning with high-quality ingredients but poor seasoning or improper seasoning will affect the flavor of the dish.

High-quality seasonings also have another meaning, which means that the famous seasonings of the place where the dishes are cooked should be used, so that the dishes can have full flavor.

For example, the boiled pork in Sichuan cuisine uses bean paste from Pixian County, Sichuan and Sichuan peppercorns from Hanyuan. The salt and MSG used in Sichuan cuisine are also unique to Sichuan cuisine. The taste is very authentic.

Of course, if conditions are limited, there is no need to make things difficult for yourself. Satisfying your cravings should come first.

Seasoning during the cooking process can generally be completed in three steps: the first step is to season before heating; the second step is to season during heating; the third step is to season after heating.

Seasoning before heating.

Also called basic seasoning, the purpose is to give the raw materials a basic flavor before cooking and at the same time reduce the fishy smell of some raw materials.

The specific method is to mix the raw materials with condiments; such as salt, soy sauce, cooking wine, sugar, etc., mix them evenly, soak them, or add eggs and starch slurry to make the raw materials initially flavorful, and then heat and cook them.

Chicken, duck, fish, and meat dishes also need to be seasoned before heating. Ingredients such as green bamboo shoots and cucumbers are often salted to remove water to determine their basic taste.

Some steamed and stewed dishes that cannot be opened and seasoned during heating should be seasoned before being put into the pot, such as steamed chicken, steamed meat, steamed fish, stewed (waterproof) duck, canned braised meat,

Jar meat, etc., their seasoning method is generally: put the good soup or stirred ingredients into the vessel together with the steamed raw materials to facilitate the flavoring during the heating process.

Seasoning during heating is also called formal seasoning or set seasoning.

The taste of the dish is determined by this step, so it is the decisive seasoning stage.

After the raw materials are put into the pot, salty or sweet, sour or spicy, fragrant or fresh condiments are added at the appropriate time according to the cooking requirements of the dish and the taste of the eater.

For some dishes that are cooked quickly, the required condiments must be mixed in a bowl in advance. This is called "preparing the condiments", also known as "juice preparation", so that they can be added in time during cooking without delaying the heat.

Seasoning after heating is also called auxiliary seasoning.

Can add a specific flavor to dishes.

Some dishes, although seasoned in the first and second stages, still do not meet the required requirements in terms of color, aroma and taste, so they need to be finalized after heating. For example, fried dishes are often sprinkled with salt, pepper or spicy food.

Soy sauce, etc., and shabu-shabu products (shabu-shabu mutton, etc.) also need to be dipped in a lot of seasonings. Some steamed vegetables also need to be cooked and seasoned before serving. For braised mullet eggs, some vinegar is added to the soup when taking out the ladle.

The roasted duck needs to be topped with sweet noodle sauce, and the stir-fried and mixed cold dishes also need to be topped with the right Sanhe oil, ginger vinegar sauce, mustard paste, etc. These are all seasonings after heating and are necessary to increase the specific flavor of the dishes.

Indispensable.

8. How to blanch water? Blanching is to put the preliminary processed raw materials in a boiling water pot and heat them until they are half-cooked or fully cooked, and then take them out for further cooking or seasoning.

It is an indispensable process in cooking, especially cold dishes.

It plays a key role in the color, aroma and taste of dishes, especially the color.

[Meishijie] Blanching has a wide range of applications. Most vegetables and meat raw materials with a fishy smell need to be blanched.

The functions of blanching have the following aspects.

1.

It can make the color of vegetables more vivid, the texture more crisp and tender, reduce the astringency, bitterness and spiciness, and it can also sterilize and disinfect.