TLE: Cooking Sauces, Cooking Soups, and Cooking Stocks

Roux Sauce

This kind of sauce is thickened. It is done by heating fat or oil and flour together. The flour thickens the liquid.

Starch-thickened Sauce

The thickening agent (Corn starch) is added to the simmering liquid.

Corn starch

It has a high content which makes it easy to blend with liquid and thickens quickly.

Vinaigrette

Light, tangy dressing or sauce made primarily by mixing oil and vinegar, often used to dress salads or marinate vegetables and meats. Some variations done are adding herbs and garlic or using wine and cider vinegar.

Mint Sauce

Fresh mint leaves and vinegar are combined then little sugar is added to blend with the sharpness of vinegar.

Mayonnaise

It takes practice in making this sauce. It is a thick, creamy condiment. It is done by pouring the oil to the egg yolks gradually and then whisking the mixture vigorously to dispense the oil.

Grating

Reducing a large piece of food to coarse or fine threads.

Chopping

Cutting food into pieces.

Whisking

Beating or whipping ingredients together.

Mixing

Combining ingredients together.

Blending

Mixing two or more ingredients thoroughly or by using a food processor.

Straining

Pouring the sauce through a sieve or strainer.

Simmering

Considered “gentle cooking.” The bubbling at the top of the liquid should be sustained.

Soups

Usually served at the start of a meal and sometimes considered an appetizer. It is also a popular item when a menu is offered.

Clear soups and thickened soups

Two types of soups.

Clear soups

Thin and full of flavor. This kind of soup does not contain solid ingredients.

Bouillon

The base from which all clear soups are made. French word which means broth. Only lean meats should be used.

Consommé

Clear and sparkling broth from bouillon. The preparation of this soup involves a very important technique called clarifying.

Clarifying

It is the process of removing all sediments so the soup is clear and sparkling.

To decant

Means to pour off the liquid slowly and gradually without stirring the sediment.

Thickened Soups

Include vegetables soups, creamed soups, and purées. They are also called potage in French.

Vegetable soups

Contain a generous amount of diced or cubed vegetables and sometimes meat cereals.

Cream soups

The most craved kind of soup. These have the consistency of a thick cream and are smooth and velvety.

Purées

French word for mashed. Any ingredient forced through a food blender or processor is puréed.

Sinigang soup

Famous in the Philippines. It is made from tamarind with kangkong tops or string beans using pork stock.

French onion soup

The most popular and the simplest of all French soups. It contains sautéed diced onions and chicken or meat stock.

Olla Podrida

Famous soup of Spain. It is a purée of black beans, hot sausages, chicken, and ham.

Wanton

Chicken, shrimp, and spinach soup from China. Minced meat is placed inside a wrapper called wanton.

Bouillabase

Soup famous from France and New Orleans. It is a heavy soup and is considered a meal since it contains chunks of fish, lobsters, oysters, and shrimp.

Stock

It is a thin liquid made from boiling the bones, trimming and scraps of meat, chicken, or fish to extract the flavor and nutrients.

White stock

Very pale in color and is lightly flavored.

Veal

This is where the finest white stocks are extracted from.

Brown stock

Made from beef bones. Cooking it takes four to six hours of simmering to extract the flavor. It has a deep reddish brown color.

Chicken stock

Pale yellow because of the chicken fat. This stock should have a rich chicken flavor.

Fish stock

Has a rich fish flavor and is very pale. This kind of stock should be highly seasoned.

Tails, heads, and backbones of fish

This is where the finest fish stock comes from.

Stock pot

The quantity of stock to be cooked, the correct size should be chosen.

Meat saw or cleaver

Used for cutting the bones.

Long handled laddle

Used for stirring or mixing.

Skimmer

Used for removing the scum.

Sharp knife and chopping board

Used for cutting other ingredients like vegetables.