Section 4
Preparations
Classics that exist because of the anatomy.
The classic preparations are not arbitrary. A sauté works because jointed pieces cook at their own pace in one pan; a poule goes into water because an old bird is mostly collagen. Each of these is anatomy written down as method.
All 6 guides in Preparations
- The Sauté and the FondBrowning, deglazing and the pan sauce built in the same pan. The single most useful sequence in poultry cookery, explained as chemistry.
- A Long BraiseOld birds, tough muscle and time. Why the classic braises specify an animal nobody sells any more, and what to do instead.
- The Plain RoastThe hardest one to do well because there is nothing to hide behind. Temperature, position and when to stop.
- Poached, and the Broth as the PointA preparation where the cooking liquid is half the dish.
- Cooked in FatLow temperature in fat as a preservation method that became a texture. What it actually does to the meat.
- Over FireDirect heat, flare-ups and why the thigh forgives what the breast will not.