General information on cooking

Cooking, that is, cooking, is an art that has evolved over the centuries, bearing the imprint of its respective era and culture. From the time when primitive man, accidentally dropping a piece of meat on hot coals, appreciated its best taste, to modern concepts of nutritious and tasty food has come a long way. Modern cooking, taking into account the experience of the past, uses the achievements of science and technology. It also takes into account the current requirements of the science of rational nutrition.

Cooking is a complex production process that obeys its own rules. This process takes place in three successive phases:

Preparing for cooking write - defining the menu and the number of servings; selection and verification of recipes of the selected menu; providing the necessary products; preliminary processing of the delivered raw materials.

Food preparation - processing (cold or heat) of raw materials, flavoring and temporary preservation, possibly temporary preservation of finished products.

Final work in food preparation - distribution and decoration of portions, garnishing and serving of finished products.

The menu is determined depending on the desire, need, the occasion for which it is being prepared, and the capabilities of the farm. If you have a refrigerator or pantry, it is advisable to prepare the menu a week in advance. This allows you to provide the necessary products in a timely manner and in one step, as a result of which the hostess saves a lot of time.

It is essential to include in the menu large quantities of raw or canned vegetables and fruits, as well as vegetable and fruit juices.

When making a homemade menu, you should avoid often eating the same vegetables, the same sauce, the same dish, although they are the favorite of some family members. Regardless of the fact that there are many varieties of food gyuvechIt is not recommended to cook gyuvech at home every day, because in the end the dish will get bored and will be reluctant to eat. This should be avoided. Even the dish left over from lunch should be transformed by a good housewife for dinner with an addition or side dish and served as a new variety. For example, you should not include in the menu chicken soup, chicken with rice, rice porridge or tomato soup, tomato yagna, tomato salad.

The number of dishes, the type and volume (in grams) of portions, as well as the order of their serving depend on many objective and subjective factors, such as the season, climate, delivery of raw materials, habits, lifestyle, age level, health status, etc. In some European countries fish or meat components prevail in food, and vegetable and fruit components prevail in others. In some countries, it is customary for the first breakfast to be relatively light, but lunch is hearty and dinner is light. In our country and in some northern countries, breakfast is hearty (similar to a small lunch), lunch is hearty, and dinner is light. Prof. Efremov recommends distributing food by volume in three main doses: in the morning 30%, at lunchtime 40-50%, in the evening 20-30%.

Recently, there has been a tendency to observe the daily diet in three doses with two additional (a small second breakfast and an afternoon snack) in the middle of the working noon - after 4 hours. The motivation is as follows: when food enters the stomach more often, a person does not feel hunger and gets used to eating smaller amounts of food. When a person does not eat breakfast or skips one of the meals, it causes the accumulation of fat, because with severe hunger, more food is consumed for saturation.It is believed that a healthy adult consumes an average of 2 kg of food per day (including bread and fruits).

Lunch or dinner usually starts with light liquid meals and then heavier meals are served. The only exceptions are desserts.

Regardless of the presence of a refrigerator, the practice in some families to cook once or twice a week is unhealthy, and the nutritional value of food diminishes with storage and each time it is heated.
According to the recommendations of doctors, more specifically nutritionists, the daily menu should be approximately as follows:

First meal (first breakfast) - before work: hot drink (milk, tea, coffee) with feta cheese, cheese, butter, jam, sausage, and for a change - hot jail, soup, etc.

Second meal (lunch) in the middle of the working noon: fruit or thick compote, sandwich and fruit juice or sour milk.

The third meal (lunch) in the middle of the working day: 1-4 dishes, salad, bread, and on the occasion of the holiday - an additional aperitif with a snack.

The fourth meal (afternoon snack) in the middle of the second half of the day: fruit, a roll, a glass of fruit juice or milk.

The fifth meal (dinner) after a working day: 2 dishes, salad, bread, fruit.

It is recommended to include a cold or hot fish dish in one of the menus during the week, or more often. Fish is an easily digestible food rich in minerals and proteins. Moreover, there is always a wide variety of fish products on the market: fresh, frozen, salted, canned, smoked fish, etc., which provides an opportunity for different options.

When fish is served, poultry is not served and vice versa.

In Bulgaria, on special occasions, it is customary for the menu to consist of 3-5 courses, and in exceptional cases (weddings, anniversaries, banquets, etc.) - up to 12 or more dishes. Recently, in such cases, more and more often arrange a "cold self-service buffet" or the so-called. "cocktail", which greatly simplifies and facilitates the matter.

In general, at crowded lunches or dinners, liquid dishes (soups, sauces, compotes) should be avoided, since serving is very difficult - a large amount of dishes is needed.

In Bulgaria, in such cases, the following dishes are served, which, however, are not obligatory.

Drinks are also taken with meals every day. They should correspond to the dishes served, but the existing custom should also be taken into account. So, for example, in the USA, chilled, skim milk is served with each dish, in Italy and
France - light ("thin") wine, in Germany and Denmark - beer, in southern countries - ayran (whipped sour milk) and juices.

Drinks are in all cases served by choice. However, it is customary to serve concentrated alcoholic drinks or mixtures for appetizers, white wines for white meat dishes (chicken, veal, fish), red wines for dark meat dishes, for desserts and "during a conversation" - dessert and liqueur wines.

White and dessert wines are served slightly chilled (approximately 10-12 ° C) and optionally with sparkling water. The temperature of red wines should be room temperature, that is, 16-18 ° C. Or more precisely:

a. For snacks - all types of brandy (including vodka, absinthe). In summer, vermouths are suitable - well chilled, with a carbonated drink of your choice. Combined vegetable juices are also served with the addition of a few drops of plum or grape brandy, cognac, rum.

b. To poultry and fish - wine "Riesling", "Manastirska izba", etc. with sparkling water.

combined appetizer - mayonnaise, aspic, galantine; meat and fish vinaigrette; spicy delicacies - croquettes or fish "orly", tartlets (baskets) with stews, kebabs or brains; fried or stewed meat or game; fried breaded or uncooked meat; small sandwiches and sausages; desserts; fruits - southern and local; small cakes (petit fours), coffee and cocktails; different types of cheese; ice cream.

in. For dishes made from meat or vegetables in sauce: homemade "rose" wine, chilled or not chilled, with the addition of ordinary or mineral carbonated water.

d. For baked, fried or stewed "dark" meat - red wines: "Mavrud", "Malaga", "Burgundy", etc.

e. For desserts and "during a conversation" - sparkling, dessert, sweet or mixed wines, strongly cooled. In addition, in the summer - very chilled "punch", and in the winter - heated rakia with sugar or honey; warmed wine - punch, grog. Liqueur wines made from fruits (black currant, raspberry, strawberry, etc.) are also served with cookies in all cases when no other dish follows.

Beer is served chilled, but not too (curdled), with all dishes, with the exception of soups, desserts, compotes, sour milk and coffee.

Non-alcoholic drinks are served on request:

for dishes with sauce - ayran or skimmed chilled milk;

for baked, fried and stewed meat - tomato juice with the addition of a few drops of lemon juice and black pepper; combined vegetable juice with apple juice; the grape juice;

for desserts - orangeade and citronade from fresh fruit.

Fruit wines (fermented and blended) are classified as dessert wines and are served chilled, with or without carbonated water, "during a conversation," with dry biscuits, salty biscuits, etc. in small wine glasses.
The number of servings depends on the number of guests, but on special occasions it is recommended to add 2-3 more devices (just in case). The amounts of cooked food left in the kitchen that were not taken out of the kitchen are saved for recycling. Leftovers from roasted, stewed or roasted meat, combined with freshly cooked herbs and sauces, are almost equal to freshly cooked food.

Preparation for cooking is as follows:

- Coarse cleaning of raw food - removal of unsuitable parts and impurities that, during further processing, can change the taste and quality of food or worsen its composition.

- Pre-washing and basic cleaning of raw materials - removal of skins, bones and seeds (for vegetables and fruits), removal of films, tendons, skin, horny residues, deboning, etc. (meat).

- Final washing of raw foods, drying, soaking to soften (legumes and dried fruits), marinating (meat and fish) to improve the taste, depending on and in accordance with the recipe according to which the dish is cooked, stuffed, etc.

- Slicing - selection of suitable pieces of meat for the preparation of appropriate dishes (chops, rolls, schnitzels, meat for frying and stewing, etc.); individual pieces of meat have a certain size and weight; product processing by crushing, chopping, fine cutting, grinding, cold wiping, straining and straining (fruit and vegetable juices).

Cooking takes place mainly through heat exposure of raw foods at high pressure, low pressure or under normal conditions. There are the following types of heat treatment: cooking, frying, stewing, baking (in the oven), frying (on charcoal, on a wire rack, on a spit), smoking, pasteurization, sterilization, etc. The duration of this treatment cannot be determined with accuracy, since under The effects of heat on a product are influenced by a variety of factors, but the data in the following table are indicative within relatively wide limits.

Cold processing in food preparation is expressed in the flavoring of prepared products and raw materials through pretreatment with saturated solutions or the addition of such (marinades, brines, bites, etc.). Most of the cold food products - mayonnaise, remoulades, cold sauces, special oils, creams (sweet and savory), pates, fillings, salads, etc. are prepared by cold processing.

Ready meals lose most of their taste, vitamins and nutritional properties with prolonged contact with the surrounding air, as well as with prolonged heating or frequent changes in temperature. Some foods and dishes spoil if stored improperly (form a poison that causes serious, even life-threatening disorders in the consumer's body). Therefore, the finished product (prepared dish) must be consumed immediately after its preparation. However, there are reasons why storage is inevitable, for example when there are large quantities of meat that cannot be used immediately. In this case, it is recommended to fry the meat in its own juice without any additives and use one part as intended, and place the rest in the refrigerator, but not more than for 2 days. This also applies to broths, which should also be without any addition of flour and other dressings.

Keeping finished products hot is more expedient than heating them. Therefore, ready-made meals that are used for a longer time should be stored in thermoses, and in ordinary households - in a water bath, that is, in a vessel closed with a lid, which is placed in another larger vessel with hot water. It is recommended, especially in summer, to prepare food in quantities that can be used immediately, so that it is as beneficial to the body as possible and to avoid stomach upset.

You can store in the refrigerator:

Fresh eggs ........................................................................................... up to 10 days

Eggs, fresh, boiled (in shell)....................................................... 2 days

Milk, boiled and chilled - in a closed vessel.................... 24 hours

Cheese - depending on species - in closed vessel......................... 5-12 days

Fresh sausage..................................................................................... 4-6 days

Fresh meat, wrapped in a cloth dipped in vinegar......................... 2 days

Meat stewed in its own juice or baked........................... 2 days

Fish - gutted and chilled............................................... 24 hours

Unfilled and tasteless food - in a tightly sealed container 24 hours

The final work in cooking consists of the following operations:
Registration of individual portions. All servings of the dishes provided in the menu should not only be the same in taste and content (weight), but also be equally decorated (decorated).

The garnish gives an appetizing and aesthetic appearance to the finished food. When garnishing, do not use indigestible and non-consumable ingredients. What is served on the table should be tasty and appetizing. Side dishes and sauces in all cases must correspond to the dish for which they are intended. Their choice is a matter of taste, but also depends on the capabilities of the hostess.

Serving is a matter of aesthetic table decoration at home, as well as in a festive setting. It includes the arrangement of cutlery and dishes in the order in which they will be needed, as well as serving dishes in accordance with the menu.

Serving dishes. The correct serving of ready-made meals, including desserts and drinks, in different countries occurs according to the corresponding rules. Bulgarian and Central European cooking rules are adopted in Bulgaria, but they are not mandatory.

In Europe, there are four main ways of serving and serving dishes:

Self-service.All dishes - hot and cold, including sauces, salads and desserts of this menu - are preliminarily placed on the table, and dishes and cutlery are placed next to them. Each invitee chooses what he likes and puts in the desired amount, finds his own place and sits down, without observing any restrictive rules regarding the sequence of dishes.

Common table. They put cutlery on the table, put glasses and plates. Each dish is served on a platter in a certain order, coming up from the left side, and everyone puts on their own plate, and drinks - from the right side. Each guest can refuse the dish or drink offered to him or determine its quantity (French method).

Individual serving. At an equal distance from each other and closer to the edges of the table, small large plates are placed (according to the number of those gathered). To the right of the shallow plate, put a knife (with the sharpened side to the plate) and a spoon, on the left side - a fork (and a spoon and fork - with the convex side down). On the right, in front of the knife and spoon, a glass is placed for an aperitif and two glasses for white and red wine. For water or milk (optional), a glass is placed, and for dessert wines, additional glasses are served. In the middle along the length of the table, place bread bins with thin slices of bread or small breads and a salt shaker. Dishes served according to a specific menu are distributed in portions and garnished in the kitchen - a restaurant way of serving dishes, adopted in Bulgaria.

Home serving. The table is set, in the middle of the table are salad bowls and a bread basket. The prepared dishes are brought from the kitchen in appropriate containers or on dishes that are also placed in the middle of the table. The dishes are laid out by the host or hostess in the presence of guests, starting with the guest of honor, and in the absence of such - with the eldest of the women present, ending with the host. Pouring drinks (wine), the owner first pours himself a sip, and then the others - in seniority. " This way of serving is convenient in an intimate circle - from 4 to 10 people.

Recently, there have been new ways of serving dishes. Products for the main course are served on the table in a semi-finished form, and the guests independently carry out their heat treatment using a special device consisting of an alcohol lamp, a deep metal vessel into which fat (usually vegetable fat) is poured, and skewers or forks with two teeth. Everyone chooses for themselves two skewers with plastic handles of the same color, puts on each skewer several pieces of prepared food - meat, fish, mushrooms, and fry them in a bowl with fat. When the pieces are fried (after about two minutes), he takes them off the skewer, places them on his plate, and puts new pieces on the skewers.

The hostess prepares several cold sauces, usually with mayonnaise, vinaigrette, salads and dessert.

The drinks that are served can be non-alcoholic vegetable or fruit cocktails or wine that matches the meat that is served.

This way of serving dishes makes it easier for the hostess to prepare an official dinner and creates a pleasant mood among the guests.

With any method of serving dishes, the chairs around the table should be positioned at such a distance that each person sitting has enough space for free movement.

S. Solnitska, "The Art of Cooking"