Pamela Vachon

Orange, Black, and Brainy: Cheeses Perfect for Halloween

ajohnson — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 00:05:34 +0000

Orange, Black, and Brainy: Cheeses Perfect for Halloween ajohnson Tue, 10/29/2024 - 20:05 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/cheese-2785_1280.jpg.webp?itok=uOL3imyl October 29, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

These naturally spooky looking cheeses are the perfect additions to your Halloween charcuterie spread.

When you think about it, cheese has a lot of spooky sensibilities going for it.

“Cheese is milk’s leap toward immortality” — a quote from American poet John Updike — more eloquently expresses an idea that, at its essence, cheese is just milk in a suspended state of slow decay. Microorganisms are harnessed by cheesemakers, and mold is effectively farmed in caves to turn milk from something with only brief staying power into something preserved for a longer lifespan. Vampires, zombies, mummies, cheese: all things that represent the possibility of life after death.

Just ahead of the official holiday entertaining season, the end of October is teeming with hosting potential, and cheese is a perfect, naturally thematic element for any spooky celebrations. While a case can be made for just about any cheese to attend your costume party, certain cheeses are just more ripe for the occasion.

The orange, the black, and the brainy: here are the best cheeses to consider for your Halloween cheese board.

Annatto-Tinted Cheeses: Orange

While many of us are introduced to cheese in the form of bright orange cheddars or American singles, orange-hued cheeses do not represent the vast majority of artisanal cheeses. There is precedent for cheeses that are this color, however, that goes beyond American industrial production. Using annatto seed, a carotenoid that comes from the Central American achiote tree, cheesemakers in certain regions have been dying their cheeses orange for centuries.

Red Rock Cheese, a traditionally-orange colored cheddar.

There are numerous reasons why cheesemakers began using annatto to alter cheese's natural color. One theory is that cheesemakers began adding annatto to batches of milk that were collected in the winter, to approximate the beta carotene that would be naturally present in cheese made during the summer months when herds graze on fresh grasses. Another theory is that unscrupulous cheesemakers may have been skimming some of the butterfat from their batches of milk to use in other products. In order to make the resulting skimmed-milk cheeses look richer, annatto was added. It’s also possible that in places where numerous makers were creating the same style of cheese — the village of Cheddar in England, for example — wheels were dyed just as a point of differentiation.

Related: �� Uses of Firm Cheeses

Annatto seed is natural, but relatively flavorless, and is considered a valid ingredient in cheese. Similar to turmeric or saffron in character, a little bit imparts a tremendous amount of color. You don’t need to turn to industrially-produced blocks for your Halloween-themed cheese board, as many artisanal or traditional cheese makers still use annatto in the making of cheeses in a variety of styles.

Cheeses to try:

Mimolette
Shropshire Blue
Roelli Cheese Haus Red Rock
Sparkenhoe Mature Red Leicester
Cosanella
Brebirousse d’Argental

Ash-Ripened Cheeses: Black

Long before activated charcoal cocktails and squid ink linguini became popular, cheesemakers were employing ash in the making of various cheeses, resulting in wheels with a distinctly goth, haunted appearance. While black mold is a sign of something gone wrong in cheese, a halo of black vegetable ash indicates other characteristics.

Most commonly found in French or French-inspired goat’s milk cheeses, the primary function of vegetable ash in cheesemaking is to raise the pH on the surface of the cheese to allow beneficial microbes to grow. Ash can also lower the moisture content on the surface of the cheese, to inhibit the growth of undesirable organisms.

Selles-Sur-Cher, a French goat's milk cheese.

Cheeses such as Morbier or Humboldt Fog that have a black ash stripe in the center of the cheese represent historical styles. Many cheeses are made with numerous batches of milk, collected both in the morning and in the evening. Curds that were made in the morning were sprinkled with ash as a preservative and insect repellent to await the addition of the evening milking, hence the center stripe.

Cheeses to try:

Sottocenere
Firefly Farms Mountain Top
Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog
Selles-Sur-Cher
Valencay
Sainte-Maure
Morbier

Geo-Rind Cheese: Brainy

The world of bloomy rind or soft-ripened cheeses is varied, with a number of different microbial cultures applied that can create delicate, toothsome rinds that contribute both flavor and texture to cheeses. While traditional bloomy wheels such as brie and camembert can effectively be carved into Halloween-friendly shapes, other soft cheeses can take on brain-like appearances.

Vermont Creamery's coupoule cheese, an aged soft goat's milk cheese.

Cheeses with soft, mottled exteriors that resemble brain matter have a strain in common: geotrichum candidum. Geo-rind for short, this culture is actually a yeast-like fungus that develops on the surfaces of cheeses, reducing bitterness, promoting earthy aromas, and developing into brainy folds that make it another ideal candidate for a Halloween cheese platter.

Pro tip: brush any of the following geo-rind cheeses with a red fruit preserve for a distinctly bloody effect.

Cheeses to try:

Perrystead Dairy Intergalactic
Chabichou
Blakesville Creamery Shabby Shoe
Vermont Creamery Coupole
La Tur
Langres

Expand Your Cheesy Horizons: Understanding Fresh Cheeses and Their �� Uses

Ingredient Exploration Cheese & Dairy Halloween

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Why Do Flavors Pair Well?

ajohnson — Sat, 31 Aug 2024 07:41:06 +0000

Why Do Flavors Pair Well? ajohnson Sat, 08/31/2024 - 03:41 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Plated%20dish%20lobster%20green%20header.jpg.webp?itok=XGXaIgrx September 9, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

When different flavors come together harmoniously in a dish as a perfect pairing, it can be a thrilling culinary sensation, but one that may be difficult to describe.

Peanut butter and grape jelly, for example, is a very familiar and comforting flavor combination to Americans, but how does the magic actually happen between a roasted, savory legume and a sweet, fruity compote? Kidney beans, another legume, and watermelon, for example, hardly come together in quite the same way.

As a more complex case, I recall my first experience with a Thai food recipe. Before takeout pad thai noodles became ubiquitous in America, I couldn’t fathom how ingredients such as peanut butter, mint, lime, and bell peppers could possibly get on the same page — but they absolutely did.

ICE Los Angeles Senior Chef-Instructor Stephen Chavez shares one of his favorite, unexpected flavor pairings: “One of my favorites has always been shellfish and vanilla,” he says. “It does seem kind of weird, but they really complement each other, and the vanilla almost makes the shellfish taste smoother and creamier.”

The art and science behind why flavors pair well is complex and fascinating, with roots in biology, culture, tradition, and chemistry.

Balance in Flavor Pairing

Taste and flavor aren’t necessarily the same thing, but are both important to consider when it comes to flavor pairing. The taste buds on your tongue can detect about six sensations: sweet, salty, bitter, sour, umami, and spicy. Everything else is a result of olfactory sensations that come from aromas. While those aromas are critical to understanding certain flavor pairings, you can begin with taste to understand why some things work well together.

“Things taste better when there’s balance,” Chef Stephen says, “and certain tastes tend to complement each other."

Some examples of those complimentary tastes are spicy and sweet, sweet and sour, and spicy and bitter.

Cocktails are an excellent example for understanding this type of balance in flavor combinations. While sweet and sour elements have been the hallmarks of well-crafted cocktails historically, “now every cocktail has bitters, and almost every cocktail has a few drops of saline in it,” Chef Stephen says, offering a broader sense of balance and a more intriguing taste sensation.

When it comes to developing a new dish, consulting a recipe, or even deciding what to order in a restaurant, chefs can use the balance principle to consider what functions each individual component might serve. This allows for a whole, finished dish that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Cultural Connotations of Pairing Flavors

Food combinations also taste good to us when we are exposed to them repeatedly, and our taste buds become accustomed to having them together, as with peanut butter and jelly, for example. There’s an adage about flavor pairing: “what grows together, goes together” which also brings in an element of terroir, or sense of place, to the pairing conversation.

Many classic dishes from around the world, which predate industrial food cultivation or even refrigeration, demonstrate how components that share an agricultural pedigree often come together harmoniously. A Thai curry demonstrates this, but so does a French cassoulet. People in those cultures have different experiences of certain flavor pairings, given repeated exposure and a sense of familiarity.

There are also certain cultural cuisines that especially highlight the idea of balance. In these cuisines, different elements interact to create well-paired flavors. In this way, certain flavors can become well-known allies because they are frequently used together.

Before I was a full time culinary student, one of the first classes I took at ICE was Fundamentals of Thai Cooking, which was my introduction to this idea.

“Southeast Asian food is a perfect balance of spicy, sweet, sour, and salty,” Chef Stephen says.

No matter whether you’re talking about a noodle dish, a curry, or a soup, you’ll notice a spectrum of ingredients in Thai cuisine that each brings a different element of balance to the table. Palm sugar or tamarind paste are typical components used for sweetness, kafir lime provides a sour element, various chilies are incorporated for spice, and fish sauce contains both umami and salty sensations. While one or two of these elements may come forward more prominently in a given dish, all these sensations are typically accounted for.

Scientific Properties of Flavor Pairing

While a lot of favorable flavor pairings can be attributed to trial and error, balance, or repeated exposure, as described above, certain ingredients actually pair well together because they are scientifically prone to do so. There are numerous, distinct categories when it comes to various aromas that are built upon chemistry. Chemical compounds that are released into the air that trigger the olfactory system include those such as esters, terpenes, pyrazines, aldehydes, etc. Components that share multiple similar aroma compounds can also make for favorable pairings.

For example, “there are actually a lot of things that are hidden within chocolate and coffee that we don't necessarily know are there,” Chef Stephen says, “but they are there.”

This explains why they work so well together, beyond the fact that they are both prone to bitterness, and may come from the same region. They also share pyrazines, a compound that gives them both similar, earthy tasting notes.

While chocolate and coffee are familiar pairing partners, consider that chocolate and blue cheese also share these same compounds, and also make for a favorable pairing.

Flavor Pairing Resources

You don’t need to have a degree in chemistry, however, to experiment with different pairings, nor do aspiring chefs and recipe developers have to rely entirely on trial and error. Compiled by both chefs and food scientists, there are a number of resources that cooks can use to stoke inspiration when creating a new dish, whether they are new to recipe development or have already had a career as a professional chef.

“I have a copy of �� Artistry that I've had for beyond 20 years,” Chef Stephen says. “It's wrapped in plastic wrap, and the pages are coming out, but it's my favorite resource."

Authored by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, the text examines the creative process of culinary composition through interviews with leading American chefs, and includes top 10 lists of ingredients chefs can’t live without.

Another resource by the same duo, “The Flavor Bible,” works as a simple reference manual. Looking up any ingredient, the book provides a list of the most common pairing elements for that ingredient, as named by chefs. “The Flavor Thesaurus” by Niki Segnit is built on a similar principle, breaking down ingredients into four aromatic themes: meaty, cheesy, woodland, and floral/fruity. These themes help delineate what kinds of foods might pair well together.

Food Science Ingredient Exploration

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Understanding Herbs: A �� Deep Dive

ajohnson — Sat, 17 Aug 2024 01:30:11 +0000

Understanding Herbs: A �� Deep Dive ajohnson Fri, 08/16/2024 - 21:30 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Dried%20herbs%20header.jpg.webp?itok=s0WHDVqb August 16, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Herbs are one of the most versatile ingredients that chefs and culinary students can use, providing big doses of flavor in small packages.

Students at the Institute of �� Education have access to a hydroponic garden, where many varieties of herbs may be snipped directly for maximum freshness.

“Herbs belong everywhere,” Chef-Instructor Ann Ziata says. “Yogurt sauces, salad dressings, and pestos add a fantastic freshness to so many dishes thanks to their generous usage of herbs. Anything that gets roasted in the oven will gain a lovely, savory aroma with the addition of a few sage leaves and rosemary sprigs.” Even baked goods such as certain breads or scones can also benefit from the intense flavor of herbs.

Related: The Hydroponic Garden

Not all herbs are created equal, however, and have a variety of different uses depending on their biological structure and flavor profile.

Here, we dive deeper into what qualifies as an herb, how different herbs are used in culinary preparations, and take a closer look at some of the most popular herbs used in cooking.

What Are Herbs?

The difference between that which we call herbs and that which we call spices can be nuanced, especially because variations can come from different parts of the same plant. Cilantro, for example, is understood in this country to be the leaf part of a certain plant, whereas ground coriander comes from the seed part of the same plant. In different parts of the world, however, coriander may refer to both the leaves and seeds.

"An herb is any leaf of a plant that is used primarily for its pronounced flavor,” Chef Ann says.

Herbs get their flavors from a high concentration of volatile aromatic compounds in the form of essential oils, which differentiates them from other edible leaves such as lettuces.

Types of Herbs and Their �� Uses

While the herb category is mainly comprised of leaves whose aromas and flavors are especially powerful, herbs can further be broken down into two major categories, which also governs their culinary uses.

“We generally sort herbs into two categories: soft and woody,” says Chef Ann. “Soft herbs have delicate stems that can be eaten, and woody herbs have tougher stems that are typically not eaten. As with most culinary ingredients, it’s more of a spectrum than a black and white system.”

Consider the difference between soft herbs like dill and basil, where the entire plant can be chopped and easily consumed, and rosemary, whose leaves are separated from the stems, as the woody stems aren’t meant for consumption.

Traditional Flavor Profiles: French Herbs and Spices

Whether or not the stem can be consumed plays into how different herbs can function in recipes and culinary preparations.

How to Cook with Woody Herbs

“Woody herbs can be picked, stems discarded, and then chopped finely,” says Chef Ann, “or they can be used whole in the dish and removed later. Because they are fibrous and strong, they are added early on in the cooking process to give the herb time to soften and release its flavor.”

Herbs such as rosemary and thyme, for example, are often bound into a sachet, which may be used in braises or sautés to aromatize a dish while it cooks. The sachet is then removed prior to serving. Even if they are removed and chopped, the leaves of woody herbs also tend to be sturdier than their soft herb counterparts, and are appropriate to add early in the cooking process, or to use in high heat cooking.

How to Cook with Soft Herbs

As their name implies, soft herbs are more delicate in character, and aren’t necessarily suited for the same treatment as woody herbs.

“Herbs, like basil, cilantro, and dill are lightly chopped and then added toward the end of cooking,” Chef Ann says. “Over-mincing and overcooking will cause them to bruise, turning them a drab green and causing them to taste more bitter. Fresh sprigs can also be kept whole for infusing into light broths and pickling brines."

Soft herbs are typically more suitable for raw preparations than woody herbs, such as in pestos, dressings, or even added as additional greens in salads. They are also often used as garnishes.

Fresh Herbs Versus Dried Herbs

The aromatic leaves of those plants which we refer to as herbs may also be dried, minced, and stored for later usage. (Good news for those of us who don’t have access to an herb garden, or notice a lack of fresh grocery store herbs during the winter months.)

Dried herbs are also used differently than their fresh counterparts, regardless of whether you’re using soft herbs or woody herbs.

“Dried herbs are more concentrated, so you can usually substitute one teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs. The flavor of dried herbs is pretty dormant and needs time and heat to bloom again,” Chef Ann says.

According to Chef Ann, oil or cooking fat will also help intensify the flavor of dried herbs.

“You can add them early on in the cooking process, usually right after sweating the other, larger aromatic ingredients like onions and garlic,” she says.

Because of their naturally sturdy leaves, woody herbs will tend to have more pronounced flavor in their dried form than soft herbs.

You can usually substitute one teaspoon of dried herbs for every tablespoon of fresh chopped herbs.

Common Herbs for Cooking

There are dozens of different types of herbs, many of which have very specific uses or are most commonly found in certain cultural cuisines. Here are some of the most common types of herbs used in cooking.

Basil

Fresh basil

Basil is a soft herb that belongs to the mint family. Several varieties of basil are used in cooking such as sweet basil, Thai basil, and opal basil. Typically used in Italian and Southeast Asian cuisine, basil has a pungent, slightly spicy character that is reminiscent of fennel or licorice.

Bay Leaf

Bay leaves come from many varieties of laurel trees, and are unique herbs. Unlike most herbs, bay leaves themselves aren’t meant for consumption. Bay leaves are savory and floral, and are typically added whole, whether fresh or dried, to sauces or braises and removed before serving.

Chervil

Chervil is one of the most important herbs in French cuisine, as one part of an herb blend known as “fine herbs” which consists of parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon, used to season everything. These "fine herbs" are often found seasoning omelets, potatoes, vegetables, poultry and seafood. A relative of parsley, chervil has delicate, lacy leaves. Less pungent than other soft herbs, chervil’s flavor has been likened to licorice or anise.

Two springs of fresh rosemary

Rosemary

Rosemary is actually an evergreen shrub with woody stems. Rosemary's leaves are some of the most bold and aromatic in the field of herbs. Native to the Mediterranean, it has wide culinary uses, and its complex, woodsy and earthy flavor is often used for various meats, potatoes, and stuffings.

Cilantro

Strong in flavor, with an almost tangy or citrus aroma, cilantro is a soft herb that is used in many cuisines such as Mexican, Indian, and Southeast Asian. Cilantro, it must be said, is also one of the most polarizing herbs: people with a specific genetic code will often find its flavor to be soapy and off-putting.

Dill

Dill is a soft herb whose flavor is very dynamic when fresh, but much more subtle when dried, and has been described as grassy and lemony. Dill is most commonly used in Central and Northern Europe and the Baltics, where it is used to flavor seafood, potatoes, and vegetables, and is also common in various pickled preparations.

Mint

Mint is a soft herb with many variations, which has a warm, sweet flavor and a cool aftertaste. Mint is extremely versatile in culinary preparations. It is frequently served as a jelly with lamb, in sauces, as a tea, in dessert, and even in cocktails.

Oregano

Oregano is a woody plant with stems that may be soft enough (when young) for consumption. Unlike herbs such as dill, oregano’s leaves are more intense when dried than when fresh. Oregano is peppery, pungent, and slightly bitter, and is used widely in Italian, Greek, Turkish, Spanish, and Latin American cuisine.

Sage

Fresh sage

Savory and peppery in nature, sage is a strong-flavored, woody herb, whose culinary uses are similar to those of rosemary. Sage’s distinctive, almost fuzzy leaves are often used with meats, sausages, beans, vegetables, pastas, and in sauces.

Parsley

Parsley is a soft herb with lacy leaves that is frequently used for garnish, though it also has many culinary uses. Parsley is widely used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and French cuisine, and is often used in sauces, or to season potatoes, rice, vegetables, and a wide variety of proteins. Parsley’s flavor is fresh and lightly bitter, with notes of pepper and earthiness.

Fresh tarragon

Tarragon

Similar to basil and chervil, tarragon has a flavor profile similar to anise, with floral notes, and can be used in both sweet and savory preparations. Its elongated, tender leaves are used throughout various Northern hemisphere cuisines, such as Georgian, Syrian, and French, where it is one of the herbs used in the “fine herbs” blend. Tarragon is frequently paired with chicken, fish, eggs, and cheese.

Thyme

Thyme is a Mediterranean, woody herb with a spicy, citrusy and peppery flavor. Its leaves are among the smallest of any herb, and while they may be picked and chopped, thyme is frequently used in an herb sachet to aromatize sauces, braises, soups, and stews.

Herbs Ingredient Exploration Spices

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Understanding the Science of Cookies

ajohnson — Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:17:31 +0000

Understanding the Science of Cookies ajohnson Tue, 07/30/2024 - 12:17 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Cookies%20on%20a%20sheet%20tray%20header.jpg.webp?itok=yuyEKvyd July 31, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Cookies are a classic baked treat.

Whether you’re whipping up a batch from scratch or utilizing refrigerated cookie dough, in theory, you can enjoy a fresh cookie, still warm from the oven, in about 20 to 30 minutes time from start to finish.

Few other baked goods can claim that kind of efficiency when it comes to satisfying a craving for something sweet. Plus, they're professionally significant: ICE Pastry & Baking Arts students learn about cookies early on in their classes, since the beloved dessert is so fundamentally important in the baking world.

Many baked goods have some proportion of sugar, flour, butter and eggs in their basic formula, along with a rising agent, so what makes a cookie uniquely a cookie, rather than a muffin or cake? Cookies can be dense or airy, chewy or crispy, flat or puffy — what variables in the basic formula create different outcomes in the shape and texture of cookies? In short, have you ever thought about the science of cookies?

Understanding the science of cookies can improve your baking skills, or even just simply add to your enjoyment of them. ICE Senior Chef-Instructor Stephen Chavez talks us through the science of what happens when you put your cookies in the oven, and how variations in ingredients and techniques can produce different outcomes.

Chef Stephen setting up a cookie display in class.

Cookies: The Baking Process

For understanding cookie science, it’s actually helpful to begin near the end of the process. Knowing what happens when your cookie goes into the oven can help inform your understanding of the individual elements that go into the cookie dough, and how best to mix them.

When your cookies go into the oven, there are several things that are happening scientifically, according to Chef Stephen.

“Your proteins are coagulating," he says. "Your starches are gelatinizing. Your fats are melting. Your moisture is evaporating. Your sugars are caramelizing, which leads to browning. The gas is expanding, and things are rising.”

Once out of the oven, as your cookies cool, the previously liquified ingredients begin to harden or solidify, and the cookies deflate slightly due to the cooling of the air inside of them as well.

If you peek into the oven while cookies are baking, you won’t see these processes happen one after the other, however.

“It all works in tandem,” Chef Stephen says. “So when the fats melt, the fat turns into a liquid and the liquid evaporates, which becomes a steam. Steam rises, which makes your cookies pop up. It doesn't matter whether it’s a cookie or a piece of steak. It all happens exactly the same. Cooking is cooking, and physics is physics.”

Understanding this, next let’s examine some of the major players in the cookie dough mixture for their possible effect on the outcome, depending on the products you use, as well as the treatment of those components.

Butter: Creamed, Melted or Browned

Different recipes frequently call for different butter treatments, which have a major impact on texture, and in certain cases, on flavor. Melted butter will result in a fudgier texture, whereas creamed butter will allow a little more air into your cookie. (Brownies, for example, almost always call for melted butter.)

“In general, most of the time we want to use the creaming method,” says Chef Stephen, “which is not only softening the butter but along with the sugar is putting little air pockets in it, which adds to the little bit of leavening that you need for your cookies to rise.”

As for browned butter, whether you add it melted or let it cool and solidify somewhat, it's all a matter of taste. As an ingredient, browned butter adds a nutty, enhanced caramel flavor to the cookie.

“Cook’s Illustrated’s chocolate chip cookies are famous for having brown butter — and it's a delicious cookie,” he says.

Related: Key Ingredient: Butter

White Sugar Versus Brown Sugar

Consider your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe, which tends to have both white sugar and brown sugar in the recipe. This isn’t necessarily a matter of flavor, but more so one of texture.

“The more white sugar you have, the more crispy your cookie will be. The more brown sugar you have, the softer your cookie,” Chef Stephen says.

This has to do with the moisture content of the different sugars. This is especially important to consider if you’re faced with making ingredient substitutions if you’re out of one kind or another. As brown sugar is made with molasses, which is a sugar syrup, it has more water content. Raw sugar, on the other hand, is a type of unrefined sugar but is not the same as brown sugar, as it doesn’t contain molasses and its related moisture content.

Related Recipe: Foolproof Sugar and Gingerbread Cookies

Differences in Flour

Most of us probably have all-purpose flour in our cupboards as a go-to option. AP flour is an ideal flour for cookies because it results in a pleasantly chewy texture, rather than dense or cakey cookies.

“AP flour will work perfectly pretty much every time,” Chef Stephen says. “Just don't get self-rising flour or anything like that,” he says. “I don't get anything that adds ingredients — just stick to straight flour.”

If you have other flours on hand, they’ll work, but you shouldn’t expect the same outcome.

“Bread flour has the most protein content, so your cookies will probably end up a little bit on the tougher side,” Chef Stephen says. “Cake flour has the lowest protein of any flour. So with cake flour, the cookies will be soft, and they may even be crumbly.”

Different types of flours have different textures and baking properties.

Baking Soda Versus Baking Powder

You’ll notice that most cookie recipes call for baking soda rather than baking powder, so it’s important to understand the reason why if you’re considering making a substitution.

“Baking soda is gonna give you a little pop, which is why you use it mostly for cookies,” Chef Stephen says. “Baking powder is when you want a bigger pop, like for cake or muffins.”

Baking powder is considered “double acting,” where it activates with both moisture and heat. It will begin developing in the bowl as the ingredients come together, and continue working in the oven to give your baked goods a big rise.

Unless you specifically want puffy cookies, baking soda is the way to go. “Baking soda simply requires an acid to activate,” Chef Stephen explains, which can be found in several ingredients in the cookie: salt, for example, and even chocolate.

Mixing the Dough

How you build the cookie dough also has a scientific impact on its outcome. Very few (if any) cookie recipes call for you to put everything in a mixer all at once. Typically, butter and sugar are creamed together, then additional liquids are added, then dry ingredients. How you handle each step can have an impact.

“One thing I teach my students every time is with the creaming method, combining the fat and the sugar, you can mix that as long as you want, you can make that light and fluffy and airy and creamy,” Chef Stephen says, “but after that, for the remaining ingredients it’s just about mixing enough until they come together.”

This is especially important with the eggs, which should be lightly beaten first before being added to cookie dough, so they can be easily incorporated into the mixture.

“If you whip up your eggs with a bunch of air, you're going to have big cakey cookies,” Chef Stephen says.

The goal with adding the dry goods is not to overly develop the gluten content in the flour.

“Flour plus moisture equals gluten,” Chef Stephen says. “We don't want our cookies to be tough. We want them to be tender. So I want that flour to mix until it's just combined. And then if I'm adding in chocolate chips or nuts or anything like that, then I'll put those in and just stir them through and that's it.”

A spread of various types of cookies from Chef Stephen's class.

Resting the Dough

While you definitely can have fresh cookies baked in under 20 minutes, there is a scientific rationale for making yourself wait, even just an extra half hour.

“One of the most important things when it comes to cookies is the controlling of the temperature of the fat,” Chef Stephen says. “When I want to make chocolate chip cookies, I want to have chocolate chip cookies now.” (Relatable.) “But the best thing that you can do once you’ve mixed them is to put them in the fridge for about half an hour.”

Resting the cookies is the key to activating the ideal cookie physics Chef Stephen mentioned before.

“I need the starches gelatinizing and the proteins coagulating before the fats melt away," he says. "If you've ever had cookies that you were trying to make right now, you put them in the oven, and they turn into basically just a puddle. It's because your fat was too warm, and it melted before everything else had a chance to do its thing.”

Cookies Baking Arts Pastry Arts Desserts

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Understanding Fresh Cheeses and Their �� Uses

abaker — Mon, 24 Jun 2024 18:50:47 +0000

Understanding Fresh Cheeses and Their �� Uses abaker Mon, 06/24/2024 - 14:50 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/fresh-cheeses-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=48zdZLeI June 24, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Fresh cheeses go through only minimal transformation from milk to cheese, and experience little to no aging, leaving them with a high moisture content compared to other kinds of cheese.

Mostly milky or a little salty in flavor, fresh cheese can be made in a matter of hours, rather than weeks or months. Despite their inherent simplicity, however, fresh cheeses may be produced by various methods and treatments, which can produce a multitude of textures, from crumbly to stretchy to spreadable. The type of animal milk used, as well as any marinades or brines applied, can also govern fresh cheeses’ diverse flavors and textures.

Related Reading: 5 Major Cheese Styles Every Chef Should Know

Here we uncover what makes different types of fresh cheese unique, as well as explore various culinary applications for each.

Mozzarella

Mozzarella is arguably the most famous of the fresh cheeses and is typically made from either cow’s milk or buffalo milk, as in mozzarella di bufala. Inarguably, it is the best-selling cheese in the United States, largely due to our love of pizza. But simple mozzarella is more than meets the eye. Mozzarella’s signature attribute — its stretchiness and meltability — comes from the unique way that it is made.

Mozzarella is also known as a pasta filata, or “stretched curd” cheese. This stretching of the curd during formation is the step that creates mozzarella’s ability to stretch later on when heat is applied. Burrata, mozzarella’s cousin, is simply mozzarella stuffed with mozzarella scraps that have been dressed with cream, a mixture that is considered a fresh cheese unto itself, called stracciatella.

Mozzarella isn’t only limited to melty, pizza and pasta dishes with an Italian pedigree, however. Mozzarella is an excellent salad cheese, especially when it has a starring role like in caprese salad. It can be deep-fried, used as a stuffing, incorporated in egg dishes such as quiche and frittata and employed anywhere an excellent melting cheese is called for, such as grilled cheese or quesadillas.

To create mozzarella, fresh curds are melted together in a briny, hot water bath while they are pulled and shaped into the fresh balls we can easily find in almost any grocery store. (How hot is hot, you ask? I still have PTSD from making it in culinary school.) Mozzarella is typically made in a bath of about 180 degrees Fahrenheit. By comparison, the hottest hot tub tops out at about 110 degrees Fahrenheit. While it is readily available commercially, mozzarella is also an easy cheese to make yourself, either starting with fresh curds or making the curds from scratch from easy-to-get ingredients.

Try it Yourself: Hand-Pulled Mozzarella

Ricotta

Historically, ricotta may actually be considered a by-product of cheese, as it would have been developed from the liquid whey drained from making other types of cheese. This whey still contains minuscule milk solids, and another heating and acidifying of the whey creates micro-curds that are strained out of the liquid to form fluffy ricotta. Its name reflects its formation since it effectively goes through the heating and coagulation stage twice: ricotta means “re-cooked” in Italian.

Ricotta is potentially the easiest cheese to make from scratch, and fresh, house-made ricotta will always be superior to industrial, packaged ricotta. You can probably make it right now from the ingredients you have on hand. Some form of acid is required, such as lemon juice or white vinegar, and either cheesecloth or a mesh strainer.

Known mostly for its use in stuffed pasta dishes, ricotta can also be used to create creamy sauces and dips or to enrich the bases for goods such as pancakes, muffins or gnocchi.

Related Recipe: Pumpkin and Ricotta Gnocchi

Cream Cheese/Mascarpone/Quark

As cultured dairy products made by the separation of curds and whey, all of these fresh variations on “cream cheese” are in fact considered actual cheeses, and are governed by matters of process as well as fat and acid content. While ricotta is historically made from whey, cream cheeses are made with additional cream added to a milk base.

Their dense, homogeneous natures make cream cheeses ideal spreads, fillings and dips, but of course, they are also famous for being the stars of the show when it comes to cheesecakes or other custardy desserts. They can also create the frosting to top different types of cakes. For a savory application, I also find cream cheese and its ilk an excellent hack for creating quick and creamy stovetop macaroni and cheese.

Related Recipe: Tiramisu

Chèvre

While mozzarella may be the most famous of fresh cheeses, goats were domesticated before cows to produce food, meaning that fresh chèvre or something similar may be one of the oldest types of cheese. Fresh goat cheese also stands alone among fresh cheeses for having a very distinctive flavor, where farming practices really matter: keeping bucks separate from female goats while they are milking is necessary to avoid a funky, aggressively “goaty” taste. Otherwise, chèvre has a smooth consistency that can range from creamy to lightly chalky, and a flavor that is especially fresh and tangy.

Chèvre is extremely versatile and can be used for salads, deep-fried, baked into pastries and can also stand in for ricotta or cream cheese in a variety of spreads, dips and even cheesecakes. Fresh goat cheese is especially harmonious when paired with herbs.

Related Reading: Understanding Goat Cheese

Feta/Brined Cheese

Other forms of fresh cheeses, namely feta, may be kept in a water brine which both enhances their salty nature and increases the longevity of cheese, which is especially important for high-moisture fresh cheeses which otherwise have a typically short shelf life. Feta may be made from a number of different animal milks but is typically sheep and or goat, which both contribute to its strong, distinctive flavor.

Feta is known for being particularly crumbly and slightly drier in texture than other fresh cheeses, due to having a relatively large curd structure compared to other fresh cheeses. It can be pulverized into dips or spreads for a more homogenous consistency, but on its own, it also makes a beautiful addition to salads and Greek pastries. As it is not a superb melting cheese, feta can hold its form when grilled or baked. Also look for flavorful marinated feta options, where the cheese is stored in oil frequently flavored with garlic and herbs.

Related Recipe: Whipped Feta, Two Ways

Cheese & Dairy Ingredient Exploration

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8 Classic Cookbooks Chefs Still Rely On

abaker — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 19:25:08 +0000

8 Classic Cookbooks Chefs Still Rely On abaker Fri, 06/07/2024 - 15:25 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/cookbook-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=ZgGF7Du6 June 11, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

In the age of the internet, one might think that cookbooks would have become a relic of the past, however, new cookbooks continue to enter the market on a regular basis.

Plenty of classic cookbooks contain wisdom that even tenured chefs still rely on.

“I think the thing that makes classic cookbooks classic is they are both trend-proof and bullet-proof,” says ICE Los Angeles Campus President Lachlan Sands. “The recipes in them remain popular because they are delicious, culturally relevant and if you follow the directions as written, they work. With the advent of the internet and the opportunity to source from millions of online recipes, professionally tested and functional recipes are hard to identify. Classic cookbooks make it easy.”

Why do professional chefs prefer certain classic cookbooks?

In the digital age, cooking remains stubbornly analog, which is a comfort for those of us who love to do it, and physical cookbooks are also a reminder of that, regardless of changing technology and tastes.

“Many of these books are by the giants upon whose shoulders we stand,” adds ICE Chef-Instructor Stephen Chavez. “I do believe that ingredients, innovations and tastes change, but the technique is forever. There are only seven classic ways to cook: sauté, grill, fry, braise, poach, roast and the rarely used poeler,” he says. “If you can master those techniques, then you can cook anything.”

ICE Chef Ann Ziata adds “Chefs today didn't invent cooking; they learned from the cooks before them. And before the internet, if you wanted to expand your skills beyond family recipes, you had to open a book. When students start culinary school, we take them back to the basics: traditional cooking techniques and classic recipes. Once they have a solid foundation, they can add their own flair and create dishes with dimension and meaning.”

Cookbooks have and will continue to be our partners-in-crime for the cooking process. Their dog-eared corners and sauce-splattered pages are like a diary, reminding us of some of our favorite memories of feeding ourselves and our loved ones. Both recently and historically classic, here are eight cookbooks that chefs still frequently turn to.

“The Joy of Cooking” by Irma S. Rombauer

“The Joy of Cooking” reminds us that cooking can — and should — be a joyful pursuit.

“‘The Joy of Cooking’ is such a solid foundation for understanding everything from grains to soups to breads and desserts,” Chef Ann says. “A great dish is a classic for a reason, and good taste never goes out of style."

Originally published in 1931, The New York Public Library named it one of the 150 most influential books — not just cookbooks — of the 20th century, speaking to its long-lasting relevance. The 75th Anniversary edition, published in 2006, retains the original voice of the author, and there is a joy to be found even in the table of contents, with sections including “Griddle Cakes and Fritter Variations” and “Poultry and Wildfowl.”

“CookWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking” by Shirley O. Corriher

Published in 1997, this excellent, scientifically focused cookbook is a favorite of Chef Stephen.

“Along with James Beard, she is one of the major influences on Alton Brown and was seen occasionally on camera in his show ‘Good Eats,’” he says. “She approaches food from a scientific perspective and answers not only how to do something, but why that something happens, and what the science is behind it,” an especially helpful methodology for aspiring chefs.

Cookbooks not only outline the cooking process but can help reignite memories tied to specific dishes and cuisines. Chef Stephen knows this well.

“Years ago, when applying for my first job teaching [at] Le Cordon Bleu, I memorized [Shirley O. Corriher's] information about cooking crème anglaise, and recited it word for word when doing my cooking demo,” he says. “Thankfully, that extra bit of information that I gave to the panel was what put my demo over the top, and I got the job. Here I am still teaching in my twentieth year, and I still reference Shirley and her book today.”

“The Silver Spoon” published by Phaidon Press

Before Marcella Hazan did for Italian cuisine what Julia Childs did for French, this cookbook was on hand to help people learn Italian cuisine.

“‘The Silver Spoon’ cookbook was originally published in 1950 to establish a baseline for classic Italian cooking,” Chef Lachlan says. “Focused on fresh, quality ingredients and authentic regional flavor profiles, this is my favorite cookbook ever. If I could eat from this one every day, I would.”

“The New Best Recipe” by Cook's Illustrated

Chef Lachlan cites this extensive work as one of two cookbooks he finds himself returning to. Authored collectively by Cook's Illustrated, informally considered “America’s Test Kitchen,” the original was published in 1999, with the “New” version published in 2004.

“This encyclopedic work covers just about everything you would ever want to cook with clear directions and dozens and dozens of tests for each recipe,” Chef Lachlan says, “making them both bullet-proof and super tasty.”

“Mastering the Art of French Cooking” by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck

Chef Stephen notes that he, of course, has a copy of what became one of the most influential cookbooks of all time. Not only did it inspire home cooks in the 1960s to travel to France via their own kitchens, but it also inspired so much more: the genesis of cooking television, a tribute blog and a major motion picture. So let it continue to inspire you, as well.

Sure, you can look up hundreds, if not thousands, of Boeuf Bourguignon recipes online, but will your process have the well-tested pedigree of this manual, not to mention the appropriate feel without it propped open on the counter, and the quirky falsetto of Julia herself whispering in your ear?

“The Fannie Farmer Cookbook: A Tradition of Good Cooking for a New Generation of Cooks” by Marion Cunningham

ICE Pastry & Baking Arts Chef-Instructor Kathryn Gordon recommends this cookbook with its reassuring title, for its “classic and usually straightforward recipes and a sense of nostalgia.”

Speaking of nostalgia, this is arguably the most classic of the classics, originally published in 1896 as "The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book." A perfect manual for beginners especially, the book includes nearly 2,000 recipes to bring aspiring cooks back to the basics.

“The Voluptuous Vegan” by Myra Kornfeld

While Mollie Katzen’s "Moosewood Cookbook" is long considered the bible for vegetarian cuisine long before “local” and “seasonal” became principles that American cooks dared aspire to, Chef Ann suggests that Myra Kornfeld’s book does the same for vegan cookery.

Published in 2000, “it was ahead of the time for vegan recipes,” Chef Ann says. “If you've been plant-based for a while, you remember how rare it was to find good recipes that weren't just sautéed tofu with carrots. This book opened my world to vegetables I hadn't tried before and techniques that made every meal very gourmet.”

Want to eat more plants? Broaden your horizons in ICE's Plant-Based �� Arts program

“Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook” published by Better Homes & Gardens

It is the red gingham of this book that conjures my own earliest kitchen memories and comforts me with its ongoing commitment to practicality: the category tabs, the helpful introductory sections on measuring and ratios, the photo series that delineate everything from pasta shapes to cuts of beef. And perhaps most importantly, the 3-ring binding, which allowed it to easily lay flat on the counter. (It’s hard to believe that this hasn’t become the industry standard for cookbooks in the years since it was first published in 1965.)

Even though each edition has added new recipes to stay contemporary and relevant, it hasn’t lost sight of its roots, and it’s what I want to reach for when the urge for classic comfort foods like scalloped potatoes or pot roast strikes.

More like this: Essential Cookbooks Written by Black Authors

Cookbooks

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Discover 3 Underrepresented Asian Cuisines You Need to Try

abaker — Thu, 30 May 2024 16:48:21 +0000

Discover 3 Underrepresented Asian Cuisines You Need to Try abaker Thu, 05/30/2024 - 12:48 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Underrepresented-Asian-Cuisine-hero.jpg.webp?itok=9nwHretH May 30, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

According to a Pew Research study, about one in nine restaurants in America is a restaurant with Asian heritage. While it may be no surprise for those who crave Asian foods, this is nonetheless a huge number, considering that most Asian cuisine only started gaining mainstream popularity across the U.S. in the 1990s or later.

Of those Asian restaurants, however, a vast majority in the U.S. are represented by the cuisines of only a few cultures. Chinese, Japanese and Thai restaurants account for nearly 70% of all Asian restaurants in this country, with another approximately 20% consisting of Indian, Vietnamese and Korean restaurants. The remaining 10% consists of a wide variety of Asian cuisines, often representing regional cultures or fusion expressions.

While there are numerous underrepresented Asian cuisines in the U.S. that you should get to know — Malaysian, Pakistani, Goan, Mongolian and more — here, several chefs talk us through three cuisines that are on the rise.

Cuisine of Taiwan

While Taiwanese cuisine might have recognizable elements for those who love Chinese food, the cuisine of Taiwan, an island nation near China’s southeastern coast, is distinct.

“It’s indigenous, pure and simple,” says Jin-Ya Huang, founder of Break Bread, Break Borders, a social enterprise empowering refugee women economically through the storytelling of food and culture. “To experience the unique flavors of real Taiwanese food is truly spectacular gourmet, with wild ingredients, original spices and native species, foraged and prepared by the aboriginal tribes who hunted and gathered from the mountains and the plains across the island.”

She cites a dish known as zhutong fan, or “bamboo tube rice” — rice literally steamed in a bamboo tube with wild boar meat — as an example of that which is inspired by nature, a tenet of Taiwanese cooking, which exhibits the influence of various Indigenous peoples such as Atayal, Truku and Tsou tribes.

Colonization often plays a role in the evolution of indigenous cuisines around the world, including all three cuisines highlighted here.

“Taiwanese food is the political fusion of the eight major cuisines of mainland China, with local modifications and Japanese influences due to colonization,” Huang says.

Related: Types of Chinese Dumplings

She highlights a few important dishes and elements such as yu lai gu or “star jelly,” a gelatinous substance that forms on trees after rain, alivongvong, a dumpling-like preparation that’s cooked in woven pouches to resemble lunch boxes and flying fish, often prepared as a jerky and served with taro.

Look for Taiwanese restaurants tucked in among Chinese restaurants in communities with sizable Chinatowns such as Flushing, New York, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Rockville, Maryland, and especially throughout the Los Angeles area.

Filipino Cuisine

Given the Filipino population in the U.S. relative to the number of available Filipino restaurants, this may be the most underrepresented AAPI cuisine in the country. But Filipino cuisine is definitely on the rise, and important to get to know for culinary enthusiasts.

"It's an untapped cuisine that is ever growing,” says Daniel Corpuz, a Filipino-American Pastry Chef and Owner of Daniel Corpuz Chocolatier. “I am fortunate to say that through my work, I am able to define and even redefine what Filipino cuisine is.”

Meet the ICE grad serving up deliciousness in LA's Historic Filipinotown

“Filipino Cuisine speaks to the colonial past of the Philippines,” Chef Daniel says. “In a way, Filipino food is everything and nothing at the same time. Everything, because it's a fusion of Spanish, Japanese and American cooking, and nothing, because of how that colonial past has been able to influence what Filipino food is. What makes it unique is the complete usage of ingredients while having sharp and impactful flavors.”

While dishes and ingredients such as lumpia and ube have become mainstream, not to mention the proliferation of Filipino fried chicken chain Jollibee, Chef Daniel says he tries his best to showcase Filipino flavors beyond the well-known ingredients.

“I am able to utilize ingredients and flavors that not many are familiar with,” he says.

Chef Daniel often cooks with ingredients such as pandan, an aromatic palm leaf, kalamansi, a lightly bitter citrus hybrid and pili nuts, a sought-after, savory nut redolent of almond, macadamia and sunflower seed.

Chef Daniel highlights a few important Filipino dishes:

Lumpia, a Filipino fried spring roll exhibiting Chinese influence, is “a great introduction to Filipino food for its approachability,” he says.
Filipino chicken adobo, a slow-cooked chicken, is distinctive because of the sharpness of both the vinegar element and the amount of garlic.
Sapin-Sapin is a Filipino dessert made “primarily using glutinous rice flour. It is a vessel for different flavors like coconut and other native flavors like jackfruit and ube,” Chef Daniel says.

Fast and fast-casual Filipino restaurants can be found throughout the country, but Chicago boasts the first Michelin-starred Filipino restaurant, Kasama.

Hawaiian Cuisine

“I think it's important for culinary students to pay attention to this last state of the U.S.,” says Kiki Aranita, owner of Hawaiian-inspired sauce brand Poi Dog, and Senior Editor for New York Magazine. “Hawaii is the most diverse state in the country, not just in terms of population, but in terms of environment and ecology, and we have our own culinary traditions that are unlike anywhere else in the world.”

With its extraordinary produce such as taro and sugarcane, and equally diverse history, the foods and dishes of Hawaii are especially dynamic. Similar to the cuisines outlined above, Hawaiian cuisine should also be considered in two parts.

“There’s a distinction between Hawaiian cuisine and Hawaii’s local food,” Aranita says. “The term 'Hawaiian cuisine' indicates cuisine that was made by Native Hawaiians, especially prior to Western contact. That said, a lot of Hawaiian cuisine has been very much influenced by its immigrants, who came to Hawaii during the sugar cane plantation era, or even a little before. So there's a lot of what we would consider Hawaiian food that does have elements of Chinese cuisine in it."

Numerous other cultures, both Asian and European, also intersected with Hawaii throughout its complicated colonial history. Hawaiian sweet rolls, for example, are actually Portuguese in origin. Spam features heavily given the influence of American GIs, combined with the necessity of canned goods in an area prone to hurricanes.

These diverse influences in part explain why Hawaiian food is unrepresented on the mainland, according to Aranita.

“We have a lot of Japanese, Chinese and Korean immigrants, which means that if you're from Hawaii, and you move to the mainland, you can scratch your itch for those foods by going to other restaurants,” she says.

It may be challenging to find a true taste of indigenous Hawaiian cuisine outside of Hawaii, but for a deeper dive than poke, thoughtful Hawaiian restaurants can be found not only in major U.S. cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but also in communities such as Burnside, Oregon, and Midvale, Utah.

Food History Ingredient Exploration

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AAPI Heritage Month Product Spotlight: Black Vinegar

abaker — Tue, 21 May 2024 22:43:31 +0000

AAPI Heritage Month Product Spotlight: Black Vinegar abaker Tue, 05/21/2024 - 18:43 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/Noodle%20Lane%20Dishes%20-%20Dan%20Dan%20Noodles_HERO.jpg.webp?itok=0QeD1MYW May 21, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Even if you've never heard of black vinegar, you've probably tasted it.

The ingredient is a "cornerstone of Chinese cuisine," according to Chef Lane Li, the Chinese-born Owner and Executive Chef of Noodle Lane in Brooklyn, New York.

Various Asian cuisines, beginning with Chinese, started to become popular in the United States in the 1920s. With a boom in numerous styles of cuisine from Southeast Asia occurring from the 1990s, now approximately one in nine restaurants in America has Asian providence. Along with its massive increase in popularity in the past few decades, American cooks are no strangers to a variety of Asian ingredient staples such as miso, fish sauce and gochujang, among others.

Black vinegar, however, may not be as well known to the masses — at least, not yet. Chef Lane's restaurant features authentic dishes from both Sichuan and Cantonese cuisines, many of which feature black vinegar.

“As a key ingredient, it adds both complexity and tanginess to dishes ranging from soups to cold salads,” she says.

Here’s everything you need to know about this enigmatic ingredient before you inevitably add it to your cabinet of cooking staples.

What is Black Vinegar?

Vinegar is a fermented product that can be made from a number of different plant sources, and in the case of black vinegar, it can be made from a number of grains that are common in Chinese culture.

“Chinese black vinegar is typically made from fermented rice, wheat, barley or sorghum,” Chef Lane says. “It undergoes a slow fermentation process to develop its distinctive flavor.”

Like other varieties of dark vinegar, black vinegar is typically aged for a number of months in various vessels in order to develop not only complexity but also its signature deep color. Different varieties of black vinegar are utilized throughout various Asian cuisines, but its origin is Chinese, and it tends to be always fermented from grain regardless of its pedigree.

Credit: Andrea Nguyen on Flickr.

What Does Black Vinegar Taste Like?

Chef Lane describes the flavor of black vinegar as “robust, slightly sweet and tangy, with hints of maltiness and a subtle smokiness.” While black vinegar has a similar color to another well-known dark vinegar — balsamic — the maltiness and umami flavor distinctive of black vinegar can be attributed primarily to its grain base, and slow fermentation.

The subtle sweetness of black vinegar is more rich and caramel, rather than fruity. Balsamic vinegar, on the other hand, has a fruity sweetness due to its grape base, and the specific balsa wood vessels in which it is aged. Some sources have likened the flavor of black vinegar to that of a different dark condiment: Worcestershire sauce, which also has a base of fermented barley, but is flavored with additional ingredients.

Black vinegar, however, develops its complex flavor strictly from its fermentation and aging process.

How is Black Vinegar Typically Used in Chinese Cuisine?

You’ve doubtlessly had black vinegar in Chinese dishes regardless of whether you’ve been aware of it, as it is ubiquitous as an ingredient in numerous Chinese preparations and recipes.

“Black vinegar is commonly used as a dipping sauce for dumplings, adds balance to the richness of soups and braises, and is also a key ingredient in most cold dishes,” Chef Lane says.

Black vinegar is also an excellent counterpoint to spice, according to Chef Lane, providing a deep umami character in addition to its typical acidic function. “We use black vinegar in our most popular noodle dish, Dan Dan noodles,” she says. “Its acidity balances the heat of chile peppers and the richness of the broth perfectly.”

Interested in More? Try One of Our Cooking Classes:

Ingredient Exploration

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How to Cut Cake Like a Pro

abaker — Mon, 20 May 2024 19:51:47 +0000

How to Cut Cake Like a Pro abaker Mon, 05/20/2024 - 15:51 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/cake-cutting-guide-HERO.jpg.webp?itok=2ed1D_Vm May 22, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Layer cakes are generally celebration cakes, so unless you’re a pastry chef or otherwise work in a bakery, you might not actually be in the habit of cutting cake more than once or twice a year. It follows, then, that without regular practice and consistent technique, you might not always get the best outcome in terms of producing neat, even slices, or the correct number of pieces to feed the crowd at hand.

Despite being the most popular method, cutting cake into wedges by eyeballing the radius of a round cake isn’t necessarily the best way to approach a layer cake situation, especially if you’re dealing with a cake of more than six or eight inches in diameter.

With wedding and graduation season on the horizon, ICE Pastry & Baking Arts Chef-Instructor Kathryn Gordon takes us through some best cake-cutting practices so you can cut celebration-worthy slices with confidence, no matter the size or style of cake.

“You need to make sure, whether it’s a smaller, party-sized serving or a bigger, dessert-sized serving, that there are enough slices to go around,” Chef Kathryn says.

Chef Kathryn's advice applies for casual cakes made at home or cakes made for a professional catering job. A pastry chef’s goal is also to produce slices that retain their textural integrity and look neat and presentable, but you don’t need to be a professional pastry chef to adopt the same mindset for cutting cake.

Related: All About Cake Math

The size or shape of the slices might depend on the size or style of the cake.

“I also consider to some extent how rich a cake is,” Chef Kathryn says. “For example, generally people will eat a smaller slice of a ganache, praline fudge and nut cake than a strawberry and cream sponge.”

No matter the style, though, having the right tool and the right approach to cutting are both key to the optimal outcome of ample, beautiful cake slices.

The Right Tool for the Job

As with any culinary undertaking, using the appropriate tool for the job at hand is an important habit for both professionals and amateurs. While layer cakes are generally soft in texture, that doesn’t mean you should disrespect them with a dull knife, or with the side of a wedge-shaped pie server.

A cake deserves a sharp chef’s knife just as much as would a tender, perfectly cooked cut of meat.

“The best knife is generally a hot, dry chef's knife,” says Chef Kathryn. “Boil water, and for each slice — yes, each slice — dip the knife in the water and dry it on a clean towel. This will help keep all the carefully created layers of cake and filling separate and clean, and not smeared together.”

The blade should be pointed away from you and not toward your hand when drying the knife between slices.

Consult a Cake-Cutting Guide

Most of us have experience with small round cakes cut into wedges, but this is rarely how professional pastry chefs or bakers approach layer cake, unless the cake is very small to begin with. You can find a variety of helpful cake-cutting guides online that demonstrate how to cut slices from a round cake in a grid fashion, allowing for many more slices than you could get by cutting wedges. Rectangular slices also are generally neater and easier to cut, especially if a cake has multiple layers, than the wedge approach.

Consider that most standard round cake pans are eight or nine inches in diameter. According to the grid method, anything larger than a six-inch cake should be cut into thin rectangles, not wedges. The larger a cake gets, the harder it is to estimate the exact center of the cake and the more likely you’ll end up with uneven and unruly slices by trying to cut wedges. Rather than trying to eyeball the center point of the cake and cut radiuses, with the grid method you need only estimate about an inch or two of cake at a time, working from the edge of the cake.

With a small eight- or nine-inch cake, “many people slice through the center to halve the cake, and then place that cake on a cutting board to cut rectangular slices as desired,” Chef Kathryn says.

With this grid-like approach, it’s possible to get dozens of neat, equal slices, even from a relatively small cake.

Consider Dowels and Concentric Circles

Chef Kathryn also points out that many multi-tiered cakes rely on dowels in the center to maintain a cake’s structural integrity, and need to be considered when it comes to cutting.

“If a large celebration-style cake has multiple tiers, it is often doweled,” she says. “This typically means the cake is baked and sized up, to account for the center ring to never be cut or served, given the risk of eating part of a non-edible dowel. Slices are cut only out of the outer perimeter of the cake in this instance,” which may be either rectangular in fashion, or in small wedges.

With larger round cakes, you can use a smaller cake pan to trace and cut concentric circles to create multiple rings from which to cut uniform slices.

Cake Pastry Arts

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Exploring Different �� Uses of Firm Cheeses

abaker — Tue, 14 May 2024 18:27:42 +0000

Exploring Different �� Uses of Firm Cheeses abaker Tue, 05/14/2024 - 14:27 /sites/default/files/styles/width_1400/public/content/blog-article/header-image/culinary-use-for-cheese_HERO.jpg.webp?itok=ax_5d9YU May 14, 2024

By Pamela Vachon

Cheese is typically categorized by how different varieties are made, resulting in several major style distinctions. Depending on who is categorizing, this may result in many different styles.

Firm or hard cheeses are often grouped together for the sake of simplicity, and typically have a couple of major characteristics in common, even among diverse types of cheese.

First, most hard cheeses are typically “pressed curd” cheeses, meaning that curds are pressed to extract additional whey — the water component of milk — once they’re assembled into molds and before they begin the aging process. Second, firm cheeses are usually the result of at least several months of aging, which allows for even more moisture to evaporate out of the cheese, resulting in an increasingly firmer texture as more months are spent in the caves. The long aging process for firm cheeses can also help complex flavors develop.

Related reading: 5 Major Cheese Styles Every Chef Should Know

In exploring different subcategories within the catch-all hard cheese category, it’s not only helpful to understand how various hard cheeses differ in how they’re made, but also how they function in a culinary framework. Not all cheeses are built the same when it comes to what happens when heat is applied. Here, we explore different culinary uses of various hard or firm cheeses.

Grana Cheese

Meaning “grain” in Italian, grana cheeses are some of the most important cheeses worldwide when it comes to their culinary usage. Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano are the most famous cheeses in this category. Both must be aged for at least nine months — 12 in the case of Parmigiano-Reggiano — resulting in a dry, crumbly texture and a savory flavor. But age isn’t the only defining characteristic when it comes to these types of cheeses, and how they may be used in cooking.

There is a particular nuance in the cheesemaking process for these cheeses that accounts for their granular structure. In cheesemaking, rennet is used in order to coagulate cheese, turning liquid milk into a solid. After this step, curds are cut. In the case of grana cheeses, curds are cut into incredibly small bits, or grains, before being set into molds. This small granular structure contributes to the endgame of these kinds of cheeses, as they are perfect for grating. Think the flurries of cheese topping salads, instantly thickening soups and salad dressings or combining with hot noodles to create an immediate sauce. These cheeses have a more powdery structure when grated than other types of firm cheese, and the smaller the particles, the more easily they adhere to whatever you apply them to.

Cooked Curd Cheese

Welcome to your best melting cheeses — cooked curd cheeses — which have a tendency to ooze gracefully, whether or not they are incorporated with any other creamy ingredients. When heat is applied, cooked curd cheeses turn into a naturally emulsified pool of fondue due to a nuance in their cheesemaking process.

Sometimes classified as “pressed and cooked,” most in large format, Alpine or Alpine-style cheeses such as Gruyère, Comté, Emmenthaler, etc., fall into this category. During the making of these types of cheeses, curds are gently heated to between 118° and 132°F, knitting their protein and fat structure together in such a way that they stay cohesive when cooked in the future, and not becoming lumpy or separated. Many of the most famously cheesy dishes from around the world rely on this type of cheese, such as fondue, tartiflette and French onion soup. Not all cheeses are created equal, especially when it comes to meltability, and knowing which cheeses are cooked curd melters is important for professional and amateur cooks alike.

Read more: All About Alpine Cheese

Cheddar Cheese

Cheddar cheese is considered its own style of hard or firm cheese because of a particular distinction in its making process. “Cheddaring” has become a verb in a similar way as “Xeroxing,” using the name of the product to describe its process. In cheddar cheesemaking, curds are cut, stacked and re-cut and stacked, creating a Tetris-like structure in the resulting cheese. Real, aged English cheddars, or those which are bandaged or clothbound, get crumbly with age, and incredibly savory, oftentimes revealing notes of horseradish or mustard in their flavor.

This depth of flavor makes cheddar an excellent culinary cheese, however, its unique structure doesn’t provide the same kind of meltability as the cheeses described above. (Cheddar cheese is a pressed curd cheese, like all of the firm cheeses here, but is not a cooked curd cheese.) Because it can tend to leach its oil when heated, it is important to use cheddar in a milk-based, béchamel sauce, or to combine it with other melting cheeses in order to achieve a desirable consistency. Because of its robust flavor, however, cheddar also works well when baked into savory dough.

Read more: Understanding Cheddar

Gouda/Washed Curd Cheese

Similar to cheddar, gouda is also considered a unique category of cheese unto itself because of the process it undergoes during cheesemaking. After whey is separated from the curds in its early stages, gouda’s curds are rinsed with water to remove additional lactose. With less lactose available to convert to lactic acid during the aging process, gouda cheeses typically possess a more pronounced sweetness rather than savory or sharp characteristics. This “washed curd” approach, which also happens with heated water, also renders gouda a great melter. In Dutch culture, gouda is often used for snacking more than cooking, however, gouda has similar applications to other cooked curd cheeses above. Because of its inherent sweetness, gouda is often useful alongside milder flavors.

Read more: Understanding Gouda

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