French cooking techniques have inspired chefs for years. Traditional French sauces and cooking styles can be seen in restaurants and culinary schools throughout the world. Learning to master French cooking techniques can help you improve your dishes, whether you cook for your family and friends or you want to be a chef, this is where a cooking class in Provence really comes in handy.
French Cooking Techniques
The cuisine you know as French today is a mix of techniques and methods that originate from France and now play an important role in how chefs prepare, season, cook, and present their dishes.
French Cuisine History
French cuisine can be dated back to the fourteenth century, using a range of methods and ingredients that has influenced French dishes, making it distinct from other countries. Over the years French chefs have created sauces and rouxs, that pave the way to French cooking technique.
French Cooking Techniques You Can Learn in a Cooking Class in Provence
Learn how to sear prime steak to perfection, pairing it with delicate vegetables. In a cooking class in Provence, some of the techniques you will learn is how to sear, flambé, sauté, pan fry, poach, broil, roast, and more. These basic techniques become the foundation of your delicious dishes that you can share with your family and friends back home.
French Cuisine Basics
It can be overwhelming with the number of cooking techniques and terms you need to learn to understand French cuisine. When taking a cooking course in Provence, the chef explains everything to you in detail, ensuring you understand each technique in a language and way you can understand and use again and again in your home kitchen.
In order to master French cooking techniques, you need to remember:
- You can enhance flavours by poaching and grilling
- Simplicity is best over overcomplicated dishes
- Sauces add richness to your dishes
- Herbs add additional flavour
Bouquet gami
This traditional French cooking technique helps improve the depth of flavour of the dish you are preparing. You submerge herbs that are tied together in a dish during cooking. This is used in stews, soups, sauces, and stocks.
Coulis
Coulis is a juice from meat or poultry, poured over the plate before serving. It can also be made with fruit, providing a sweet sauce to pour over classic French desserts.
Chiffonade
This is a French technique used when preparing salad greens, using a very fine slicing technique. The vegetables are cut into fine, long strips, that are similar to a ribbon.
Demi-Glaze
Demi-glaze is a brown sauce or stock that is made from cooking meat to enrich the flavour of your meat dish. It can be used for chicken, duck, steak, or pork dishes.
Julienne
Julienne is one of the best known French cooking techniques that you will master when taking a cooking course in Provence. This technique is when you slice vegetables, meats, and fruits into long and very thin strips.
En papillote
This technique involves the cooking of meat in foil or paper, often seen with fish. The herbs, spices, fruits, vegetables, and butter are added into the foil or paper to enhance the flavour.
The Five French Sauces
When taking a cooking course in Provence, you will learn more than French cooking techniques, you will also learn about the five important French sauces, which are bechamel, veloute, hollandaise, espagnoli, and tomato.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a culinary holiday in France, then taking advantage of a cooking course in Provence will not disappoint, helping you master various French cooking techniques depending on the course you select and what you want to learn. Learning the basics and familiarising yourself with French cooking techniques and styles can form the basic starting point for creating delicious, mouthwatering, and flavourful dishes at home. Contact Cooking Classes in Provence now to book your cooking course in Provence with Chef Clement today.
