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Romance in the kitchen doesn't always have to
happen on the dining room table... Becoming intimate with the
way you prepare and display your meals can have the same element of
lust and excitement as romance once you have "crafted your trade."
And much like that secret book many of us have shyly viewed (or have
hidden in that special place), there are many "positions" to
experience when performing the "Intimate Art of Food"...
TO CUBE: This is the "quicky" within the food preparation
arena. Involving cutting a solid food into little cubes about 1/2
inch to an inch thick, these chunks - whether they are from meat or
vegetables - easily burst with the original flavour Mother Nature
intended them to have.
TO CHOP: This most basic performance involves simply cutting
food into smaller pieces. Size depends on the dishes requirements
and of course, display if you are embellishing on the decorative
qualities fruits and vegetables have to offer for say a fresh salad.
TO DICE: Refining the basic "cube" and "chop", dicing requires
just a touch more "foreplay" resulting in pieces being less than 1/2
inch. Ideal for foods with a solid consistency such as celery,
chives and onions.
TO FLAKE: A technique used for foods that divide naturally
such as fish, squash or goat cheese. Using one or two forks or your
fingers, you gentle pull the food apart.
TO GRATE: Kitchen "toys" required here! Grating results in a
very fine texture and is ideal for medium to hard cheeses and
vegetables.
TO GRIND: Another form of grating but only the consistency is
more coarse. Perfect for the more "meaty" food varieties. Kitchen
"toy" required here too.
TO JULIENNE: One of the more intimate techniques, to julienne
means to chop into "match-like sticks". Excellent for creating an
interesting flow to raw dishes such as salads and a deliciously
aesthetic for your stir-fry.
TO MINCE: The most detailed interaction in culinary
preparations, to mince requires a sharp knife, precision fingers and
a desire for
perfection. The "art" of mincing involves rotating the |
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knife around the cutting board
while you rock the blade back and forth across the ingredient. The
knife should never leave the cutting surface.
TO SLICE: Precision required again as slicing
comes in many sizes, from fine to course. The art of a good slice is
from forward to back with a slight angle...to the knife, of course
;)
TO SLIVER: This skill involves cutting or splintering into long,
thin strips, or into very thin slices. The texture of the food you
are working with sets the precedence of how "sheer" you can go.
Now with a quality, sharp knife as your mate and a sturdy chopping
board as your platform, get ready to enjoy the next best thing to
sex: food! |