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Preparation Skills. Chapter 47. Equipment for Cutting. Knives—mincing, chopping Shears– cutting dough, meat Pizza wheels– slicing pizza Peelers– taking skin off veggies, etc Page 462 for pictures, figure 47.1. Safety Issues with Knives. Fit the knife to the task
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Preparation Skills Chapter 47
Equipment for Cutting • Knives—mincing, chopping • Shears– cutting dough, meat • Pizza wheels– slicing pizza • Peelers– taking skin off veggies, etc • Page 462 for pictures, figure 47.1
Safety Issues with Knives • Fit the knife to the task • Large blade for dense foods • Lighter blade for smaller foods • Use cutting boards • Slice away from yourself
Best knife has blade well into handle • Tuck fingers in while cutting • Keep knives sharp, dull knives likely to slip • Figure 47.2 shows techniques for cutting
Sharpening Knives • Sharp knives are essential. Newer devices for sharpening knives often leave nicks in the blade, so most experts recommend a sharpening steel –a long cylindrical tool with a brushed metal appearance. Many cooks sharpen knives this way before each use.
Terms • Pare = to cut skin away from fruit/vegetable • Chop/mince = cut food into small irregular pieces • Puree = mash food until it is smooth
Slice = cut into thin flat pieces • Cube/dice = cut in 3 directions, slice, stack, cut in one direction and then another • Shred/grate = make very small particles • Page 464, Figure 47.2
Hint • To remove skin from foods that resist a peeler, such as tomatoes and almonds, try blanching. • Submerge the food in boiling water for 10 to 20 seconds; rinse in cold water. The skins should peel off quickly and easily.
Mixing Foods • Stirring slowly • Stirring vigorously
Equipment for Mixing • Figure 47.3 • Mixing spoons = hardwood, plastic, metal • Rubber scraper = fold ingredients, gently combine • Electric mixer = blend, beat, whip
Mixing bowls = different sizes, metal, plastic, glass • Rotary mixer = eggs and thin batters • Pastry blender = cut in shortening
Tips for Mixing • Choose bowl that is the right size • Choose best tool or appliance • Place wet cloth under bowl to prevent slips • Add dry ingredients to wet and do so in small amounts • Use rubber scraper to clean bowl
Mixing Terms • Stir = slow mixing in circular motion • Whip = rapid beating, incorporating air • Fold = gently add air-filled ingredient to mixture • Toss = tumble ingredients lightly together
Blend = thoroughly combine two or more ingredients to mixture, making it uniform in appearance • Beat = mix ingredients vigorously, introducing air into mixture
Cream = beat shortening in sugar, light and fluffy. • Cut in = to mix a solid fat with dry ingredients using a cutting motion • Page 468, Figure 47.4
Special Techniques • Separating eggs = divide yolk from whites • Egg yolk separator or use egg shells • Breading = covered in light layer of flour, crumbs, cornmeal before cooking
Separating Eggs • When separating more than one egg, catch each white in a separate bowl before adding it to the others. That way, you can keep stray bits of yolk from making the rest of the whites un-useable.
Did You Know? • Choose mixing bowls carefully for beating egg whites. Using an aluminum bowl will cause the whites to turn gray. • Whites may not beat to full volume in plastic bowls if they still contain any oil from previous foods. • Glass and stainless steel are good choices.
Real Life Application • Looking through her grandmother’s recipes. Greta came across a cake recipe that she wanted to try. The ingredients included sugar, shortening, eggs, flour, spices, baking soda, and buttermilk. However, the directions read simply “Mix all together.”
How might Greta decide now to proceed? • What different tools and techniques might Greta use to mix these ingredients?
