There are "red cases" and "white cases" in the kitchen. The "red case" is the kung fu on the chopping board, that is, cutting meat, chicken and duck. What kind of chicken and duck can be used, which part of the meat can be used and which part of the meat can't be used. Whether the meat is cut into slices, strips, blocks or shreds is the first process, which is the business of the "Red Case" master.
"White case" is to make pasta. Rolling noodles, pancakes and making snacks is the business of the master of "White case", which should be strictly separated from chicken, duck, fish and meat in "Red case". The helper kneaded the dough, rolled it, and processed it into various shapes of snacks, which were brought to the side of the stove and handed over to the "stove master" for processing.
Dutch: one of the red cases in the catering industry, responsible for cutting the sticky board, marinating the prepared raw materials, seasoning, powdering and sizing, cooking in the stove, and assisting the chef in making shapes. Simply put, the all-around player in the kitchen is also a handyman, who needs to know everything but is not the top leader.
Water platform: a special facility for killing fish and cooking chickens and ducks in the kitchen.
Chopping board: Compared with other domestic cuisines, the collocation of Guangdong cuisine is indeed very particular. In a sense, the perfect collocation of ingredients can be used to measure the cooking skill level of Cantonese chefs, because as a good Cantonese chopping block chef, he deeply understands and should first consider the basic characteristics of Cantonese cuisine when making each dish, that is, "color", "fragrance" and "shape"; And a reasonable mix of ingredients will inevitably add "color" and "fragrance" to each dish; "Color" comes from the collocation of carrot (carrot) flowers, red peppers, green peppers, mushrooms and other color materials; The "fragrance" comes from the collocation of spices such as ginger, garlic and shallots.
In the process of the continuous development of Cantonese cuisine, there has been a specific and customary usage of the collocation of the material head, which is what the Cantonese cuisine industry says: "You can know the steaming and frying by looking at the material head." Of course, it is inevitable that various factions will take off and unload some materials according to their own solid knowledge, but there is also the principle of its collocation, that is, the collocation method of "silk with silk, pieces with pieces, and small pieces of meat with small materials".
It is worth noting that not all spice heads can be matched with any meat materials, and there are still collisions, just like the "pigs don't put ginger, cows don't put garlic, sheep don't put sauce" left by their predecessors who know deep; Otherwise, not only can it not increase the flavor of the dishes, but it will make the meat more difficult to eat after cooking.
The ingredients used in Cantonese cooking are usually: ginger, southern ginger (Chaozhou ginger), fresh galangal, green onion (shallot), Beijing onion (green onion), dried onion (red onion), onion head, garlic, red pepper, green pepper, yuanjiao (lantern pepper), winter mushroom, straw mushroom (white mushroom), garlic.
Among them, ginger, southern ginger (Chaozhou ginger), fresh shajiang, shallot (shallot), Beijing onion (green onion), dried onion (red onion), onion, garlic, onion, Chaozhou pickles, Jinhua ham, roasted meat, salted fish, lemon, dried tangerine peel, etc. Take red pepper, green pepper, yuanjiao (lantern pepper), mushroom, coriander (coriander), coriander (parsley), carrot (carrot), white radish, bamboo shoots, five-willow herb, celery and celery as "color materials".
The function of the material head is to increase the flavor of the dishes, adjust the color of the dishes, remove the fishy smell of the raw materials, and identify the cooking methods of the dishes. Therefore, the shape of the material head is different because of the different dishes.
Compared with other domestic cuisines, the collocation of Guangdong cuisine is indeed very particular. In a sense, the perfect collocation of ingredients can be used to measure the cooking skill level of Cantonese chefs, because as a good Cantonese chopping block chef, he deeply understands and should first consider the basic characteristics of Cantonese cuisine when making each dish, that is, "color", "fragrance" and "shape"; The reasonable collocation of materials will inevitably add "color" and "fragrance" to each dish; "Color" comes from the collocation of carrot (carrot) flowers, red peppers, green peppers, mushrooms and other color materials; The "fragrance" comes from the collocation of spices such as ginger, garlic and shallots.
In the process of the continuous development of Cantonese cuisine, there has been a specific and customary usage of the collocation of the material head, which is what the Cantonese cuisine industry says: "You can know the stir-fry by looking at the material head"; Of course, it is inevitable that various factions will choose certain materials according to their own solid knowledge, but there is also the principle of matching, that is, the matching method of "silk with silk, pieces with pieces, and small pieces of meat with small materials".
It is worth noting that not all spice heads can be matched with any meat, because there are times when they collide, just as the experience of the predecessors in diet has left behind that "pigs don't put ginger, cows don't put garlic, sheep don't put sauce" and "women match husbands" in Suiyuan Food List. Otherwise, not only can it not increase the flavor of the dishes, but it will make the meat more difficult to eat after cooking.
At the same time, the pattern of the material head has been updated and promoted. Some restaurant chefs have extended the concept of putting coriander leaves with lace to "fabric material head" with various textures and colors, which makes the color of the dishes more stereoscopic and bright, and therefore the old-fashioned material head collocation can be renamed as "bottom material head" from now on.
"Pickling" is to add seasoning, edible powder or floss powder to meat or vegetable raw materials and mix them well. According to the seasoning principle of "flavor makes them out, but tasteless makes them in", the pickling treatment of raw materials is not only beneficial to the needs of cooking, but also can remove the odor of raw materials, improve the texture, increase the taste and change the taste, so that the pickled raw materials become "cool", "smooth" and "fragrant". Because of the different techniques and formulas, it is the so-called "secret recipe".
To make meat cured well, we must first understand the function of curing raw materials:
"Edible powder", the full name of which is "edible baking soda powder", is also written by Hong Kong people as "combing powder". Its scientific name is sodium bicarbonate, and its chemical composition is NaHCO3, which can destroy the fiber structure of meat, make meat absorb water, thus making the meat soft and swollen, and achieve the purpose of fresh, tender, smooth and soft.
"Alkaline water", also known as "big soda" or "big carding", is scientifically called sodium carbonate, and its chemical composition is NaCO3. In aqueous solution, it can strongly promote the softening of meat, but its disadvantage is that it will be harmful to human body when it has an unpleasant alkaline taste and heavy weight, and it is mostly used for soaking soft dry goods; In addition, there is a strong alkali named "Koshi", which is more corrosive.
"Chencun Doushui", that is, edible alkaline water, whose scientific name is potassium carbonate and chemical formula is KCO3, can also achieve the function of expanding meat quality, but the disadvantage is that after the meat is cured, it has a feeling of smooth gurgling, and it can also be used to make bread. Traditionally, it is also used to make vegetables green. It mainly uses chlorophyll to hydrolyze into chlorophyllin in alkaline environment to keep vegetables green. On the other hand, if vegetables are acidic, chlorophyll will be destroyed and green leaves will fade.
"Clear water", the chemical component of which is H2O, helps other marinades to promote meat swelling.
"Nitrate" includes "skin saltpeter" or "Chilean saltpeter" and "mirabilite". The former is named sodium nitrate, and the latter is named potassium nitrate, and the molecular formula is KNO3. It is a commonly used coloring agent in food processing, which can make the meat color appear bright light rose red after use and has certain antiseptic effect. Because they are reduced by bacteria in food, they become substances with scientific name of nitrite and chemical formula of NaNO, which become the source of possible cancer. Therefore, the maximum dosage stipulated by the state is: no more than 0.5g per 1 kg of materials, and no more than 0.5g per15g if nitrite is used and then used.
"Borax" includes "edible borax" and "industrial borax"; The chemical formula is Na2B4O7˙ 10H2O, in which "edible borax" (called "Lunatone" in Chinese medicine) is the main ingredient, which can make the meat taste refreshing, especially the pickled shrimps; However, it has been proved to be a cancer-causing substance and has long been banned.
"Teresin", also known as "Japanese borax", is called "coincidence phosphate preparation"; After use, it can make the meat more elastic, and at the same time, because it can make the meat absorb water and expand, it can make the food more refreshing, soft and smooth after cooking, and it can be used for preservation.
"Loose meat powder", also known as "loose meat powder", is mainly composed of papain extracted from papaya, which can make the meat soft after use, but the smoothness is far less than that of "edible powder", so it is usually used together with "edible powder".
Starch is also called fiber powder, camel powder, etc. Its raw materials include mung bean powder, millet powder, potato powder, sweet potato powder, pea powder, broad bean powder, arrowhead powder, lily powder, poria powder, taro powder and Polygonum multiflorum Thunb. It plays the role of soft and smooth entrance, and can fix the meat quality at the same time, so as not to shrink the meat quality when cooking.
Among them, "mung bean powder", also known as "bean powder", is high-quality starch with the highest utilization rate; It is characterized by sufficient viscosity, good thermal viscosity stability, little influence of acidity, and higher transparency and gel strength than other starches. "Corn flour", also known as "eagle corn flour" or "corn flour", can thicken the juice evenly without sediment, and sizing and frying can make the dishes extra crisp. "Potato powder" is characterized by sufficient viscosity, strong water absorption and fine white color, but its stability is poor. If it is heated under acidic conditions, its viscosity will be reduced more easily. "Sweet potato powder", also known as "sweet potato powder", "sweet potato powder" or "sweet potato powder", is characterized by dark color, rough texture, poor viscosity, but strong swelling. "Water chestnut powder" is characterized by white and shiny powder, fine and smooth powder, high viscosity, poor water absorption, crisp frying and soft and smooth thickening, but unfortunately the output is small, so it is only used in producing areas.
"Sticky rice flour" is not sticky, but it is brittle and hard after frying.
"Glutinous rice flour" is characterized by strong viscosity. After frying, the powder is soft and sticky.
"Cold rice flour" is made of cooked rice dried in the sun and then ground into powder. It is not uncommon now, and it was the secret weapon of flour embrittlement in the old days.
"Grease", including "vegetable oil" and "animal oil", can promote the crisp and tender meat quality when used in curing.
"refined salt", including "crude salt", is divided into "sea salt" and "mineral salt". Its scientific name is sodium chloride, and its chemical composition is NaCL, which is the root of all kinds of flavors and can relieve boredom and improve freshness.
Sugar, also known as carbohydrate, is divided into rock sugar, white sugar and brown sugar. It has the effects of refreshing, eliminating tiredness, removing fishy smell, relieving odor, increasing sweetness, harmonizing salty taste, and frying can add color.
"Soy sauce" includes "light soy sauce" and "dark soy sauce". The former is widely used to adjust the color and taste of dishes. Because of the different technology, it can be divided into "brewing soy sauce" and "preparing soy sauce". The national standard definition of the former is made from soybean, wheat or bran through fermentation; The national standard definition of the latter is that 50% of "brewed soy sauce" is the main body, which is prepared with acid hydrolyzed vegetable protein seasoning liquid and food additives.
Note: In the production process of "prepared soy sauce", if amino acids are generated by hydrolyzing vegetable protein with hydrochloric acid, chloropropanol which is easy to cause cancer will be generated. However, if the chloropropanol content in the added "acid hydrolyzed vegetable protein seasoning liquid" is less than or equal to 1PPM, and it is produced with soybean meal, it can be safely used.
Cooking wine, with scientific name of ethanol and molecular formula of C2H5OH, includes Shaoxing Huadiao wine, Rose dew wine, Shanxi Fenjiu, rice wine, sorghum wine and wine. It has the functions of improving taste and fragrance, and softening protein.
"White vinegar", the main component of which is acetic acid, can bleach, freshen up, get rid of greasy and fishy smell, and can speed up the use of meat materials.