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Subscribe to forums RSS#1 Sun 15 Apr 12 6:13pm
mark's kitchen
- Member Occupation Head cook, Mark's Kitchen & Smokin' BBQ
- From santa rosa,california,usa
- Member since Mon 21 Jun 04
How to correct for taste or texture?
I was inspired by a recent post from Sharronrich, asking for help for a salty dish. I bet there are a lot of remedies for unwanted taste or texture problems. Or suggestions for producing great tastes and textures.
Let's see what we can find?
Reduce salty taste:
Reduce sweet:
Add salt:
Add sweet:
Reduce fat ie. in sauce:
Make more tender:
Add some Pop:
Intensify flavor:
Thicken broth:
Thicken sauce:
"Kick it up" Emerille?
Make a lite batter for fish fry:
Enough to start.
Add carrots to a tomatoe sauce to increase sweet,needed if the tomatoe is not at peak.
Use potatoe water to thicken gravy. Might as well use what you have after you have cooked your taters for mashed.
Mix equal parts flour/corn starch. Add salt and white pepper,baking powder and cold beer. Mix to pancake batter consistency. Cool until very cold. The cold lite batter when hitting the cooking oil will produce a nice crispy lite crust on your fish.
Hope we can have fun with this!
Mark
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#2 Sun 15 Apr 12 7:47pm
Kye
- Member since Fri 04 Apr 08
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
Thicken sauce:
Make a basic roux, use equal weights of butter and flour. Melt the butter over medium heat, slowly add the flour to the butter, whisking constantly. Within 2 to 3 minutes the roux will have a consistency that will correct the 'thinner' sauce once added...
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#3 Sun 15 Apr 12 9:24pm
Ashen
Occupation Why is the Rum always gone???!
- From out to lunch
- Member since Sat 07 Jan 06
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
I like to use a beurre manie equal parts soft butter and flour kneaded into a soft dough. It can then be whisked in to thicken. The fat from the butter coats the flour particles which prevents clumping. It does need a few minutes extra cooking after thickening to get rid of the raw flour taste though.
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#4 Mon 16 Apr 12 2:13am
mark's kitchen
- Member Occupation Head cook, Mark's Kitchen & Smokin' BBQ
- From santa rosa,california,usa
- Member since Mon 21 Jun 04
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
When making a simple roux with flour and fat, while combining the two and cooking the flour, add white pepper which will cut the flour taste.
Wow! Some good ideas. Thanks.
I bet there are many more.
Mark
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#5 Mon 16 Apr 12 2:43am
cohphanta
Occupation Book Seller
- From Jacksonville, FL
- Member since Sun 04 Apr 10
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
If you are cooking a dish and it seems to have too much fat.....toss in a potato. It will absorb some of the fat. Toss when done.
Scorched your rice? Don't have time to make more. Put a piece of bread on top and let it absorb the "burnt" taste.
I use a roux to thicken any thing. I'm cajun it's what we do.
Bread not rising? Break it up into small pieces and deep fry. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar...simple doughnuts.
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#6 Mon 16 Apr 12 2:46am
cohphanta
-
Occupation Book Seller
- From Jacksonville, FL
- Member since Sun 04 Apr 10
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
This isn't a taste or texture, but it happens sometimes in making a Jambalaya. In the area I grew up in, we liked "brown" jambalaya, not a tomato one. If you don't get the trinity to the right moment and add everything to soon, it looks a bit "white', add a few drops of "Kitchen Bouquet" it doesn't add any flavor really and gives it that nice Jambalaya color.
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#7 Mon 16 Apr 12 10:18am
TSR
- Member
- From Serbia
- Member since Sun 04 Apr 10
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
Reducing fat is easiest in soups, stews and braises - take it of the heat, and after a few miutes just scoop up the glossy layer on the surface.
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#8 Mon 16 Apr 12 11:46am
Kye
- Member since Fri 04 Apr 08
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
mark's kitchen wrote:
When making a simple roux with flour and fat, while combining the two and cooking the flour, add white pepper which will cut the flour taste.
Wow! Some good ideas. Thanks.
I bet there are many more.
Mark
It is a commun problem when using fat instead of butter and leaving the flour to heat too long.
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#9 Mon 16 Apr 12 1:28pm
koukouvagia
- From New York
- Member since Fri 12 Dec 08
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
To get rid of fat in a sauce or stew: run an ice cube along the surface, the fat sticks to it.
To add salt: sprinkle it with parmesan cheese
To make sweet: add more onion
To brighten up flavor: just a small squeeze of lemon juice brightens any dish
Intensify flavor: by adding chicken broth instead of water.
Thicken sauce: I keep a salt shaker with flour in it at my cooking station. Sprinkle with flour if you see your sauce is still too loose.
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#10 Mon 16 Apr 12 5:30pm
mark's kitchen
- Member Occupation Head cook, Mark's Kitchen & Smokin' BBQ
- From santa rosa,california,usa
- Member since Mon 21 Jun 04
Re: How to correct for taste or texture?
koukouvagia wrote:
To get rid of fat in a sauce or stew: run an ice cube along the surface, the fat sticks to it.
Wow, I almost forgot that one. Thomas Keller suggests dumping a bowl of ice cubes on top of your stock after cooking. Gets the fat out nice.
Guess he heard it from you!
Mark
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