Béchamel is classical white sauce that is made with milk thickened with a roux. Blond roux is traditionally used, and the amount of roux will determine the sauce’s consistency. Vegetables or aromatics are sometimes added to strengthen the flavor, but they are normally strained out after cooking to preserve the […]
You probably buy fresh fruit, and you may love the sweet and chewy dried fruits—but do you ever buy freeze-dried fruit? Unlike chewy dried cranberries and apricots, freeze-dried fruit is crisp and crunchy with an ultra-concentrated flavor. They are a great snack, but we love them for their baking and […]
During these cold winter months, our gatherings are typically indoor and out of the elements. But this year is unlike others, and many of us are taking our socially-distant get-togethers outside. Eating outside can be a challenge, since your hands are cold, your face is cold, and your food gets […]
The bright, sunshiny, refreshing juice of citrus fruits screams, “Summer!” But citrus fruits generally reach their peak season during the winter months. What luck for us, since what could be better during the cold, stuck-inside season than a reminder of the sunny days to come. Citrus fruits are prized for […]
One of the most frequently asked questions from guests at our CIA campuses is: “Can I freeze this?” And it’s a good question! After all, no matter how much you like to cook, there are some days that having a back-up dinner ready to go can be a life-saver. You’ll […]
Fats are an essential ingredient in baking, directly imparting flavor and influencing tenderness and flakiness in pie and tart crusts. Most pie and tart crusts need to be made with a solid fat in order to create their characteristic tender and flaky texture. The role of fats in creating crusts […]
I am one of those people who says, “Oh my goodness, this is my new favorite food” when I taste just about anything, so my endorsement may not hold much weight. That being said, I love sticky toffee pudding more than just about anything. If you’ve never had sticky toffee […]
Whether you’re a newbie or a top chef, there is one word that strikes fear deep into the heart of any cook. Bland. YIKES! Bland is just a nicer way to say boring or flavorless. It means your food isn’t even interesting enough to taste bad; it tastes like nothing. […]
I haven’t always embraced my Italian-American identity. That’s not to say I’m not proudly Italian-American, or that I’m somehow ashamed of my Italian ancestry. It was more the Jersey Shore Italian-American stereotype that sort of haunted me, even before MTV entered the conversation. On campus at The Culinary Institute of […]
Sometimes the classic, tried-and-true way just doesn’t work for you. For me, I was always hung up on the perfect fried egg. Sunny-side-up, runny yolk with a little bit of texture, crisp underneath, and set–not runny–whites. I knew the tricks. After all, I did learn from the best at the […]
By the end of this summer, I will be able to write a book on how to cook exclusively outside. As I’ve mentioned, probably too often, I live in Texas, where it is currently HOT. My house is small, but tragically under-cooled in the summer, so when I turn on […]
Here at the CIA, we believe in teaching people how to cook confidently. And while we love sharing our favorite recipes with you, in a perfect world, you wouldn’t need them because you would be busy dinner-freestyling! But to do that, you need all of the information! So today, let’s […]