Written By: Lindsay Grohs
Have you ever wanted to experience the “magic” of fine dining in the comfort of your own home? Well, lucky for you, with the right ingredients, tools, and presentation, this is a very doable task. In this guide, you will learn tips and tricks to bring the fine dining level of culinary excellence to your kitchen.
1. Prep Your Ingredients (“Mise en Place”)
Mise en Place means “everything in its place." Many professional chefs will prep their ingredients ahead of time before making the actual dish so that they have everything they need (and maybe even extra) ready to go when they start cooking. They do so by prepping, measuring, chopping, and separating their ingredients. This helps organization, cleanliness, and efficiency. Implementing this strategy at home is very simple. All you will need is a few bowls or containers that allow you to prep different ingredients and keep them in their respective areas until you’re ready to cook the dish.
2. Use Fresh Ingredients
Fine dining establishments often use high-quality ingredients in their menu dishes. A good measurement for this is if the ingredients are fresh and seasonal. This can be achieved by purchasing and using in-season produce and meats to use in your dishes at home. These can be bought from local farmers markets, butcher shops, fishmongers, and other various sources. One place I love going to purchase meat is WildFork. It’s a food retailer that sells a wide variety of high-quality, gourmet frozen meats. Incorporating specialty items can also elevate the flavors and experience of the meal (truffle oil, saffron, tahini, sea salt, etc.). Combining all these things makes for a lovely and flavorful meal.
3. Learn Essential Techniques
Replicating fine dining dishes can be made easier with a few essential skills. A few skills you might want to have in your back pocket include searing, sous vide cooking and sauce making. Searing involves cooking just the surface of meat or fish, which you will do by placing the meat or fish in a stovetop pan with a little oil on high heat. This enhances the flavors of the meat or fish and gives it a golden-like outer crust. Sous vide cooking involves vacuum-sealing food in a bag and submerging it in a water bath at a low temperature for an extended time. This allows the food to be cooked evenly and retain moisture. There are multiple techniques for sauce-making. A few include reduction, emulsification, roux, and deglazing. Reduction is a method where liquids are simmered to concentrate their flavors. Emulsification is a method that combines fat with water-based ingredients to create smooth sauces. Creating a sauce involves combining flour and fat to thicken sauces. Lastly, deglazing is when a liquid is added to a hot pan after sautéing or searing, producing a rich base for thicker sauces.
4. Invest in the Right Tools
Using the right tools can play a huge part in the outcome of your dish. A few important kitchen tools to have on hand include a chef’s knife, saucepan, skillet, and a stockpot. A chef’s knife is very versatile, allowing you to cut, chop, and dice a variety of items, from fruits and vegetables to meats and more. A saucepan aids in making sauces, simmering, poaching, melting, blanching vegetables, and more. A skillet is used for searing, sautéing, frying, pan-frying, and toasting. Lastly, a stockpot is used for making stocks and broths, pasta, soups/stews, steaming, deep frying, etc. All of these tools provide a great foundation to grow in the culinary world right at home.
5. Season to Perfection
Have you ever had unseasoned food? You probably just thought of an unpleasant experience in which your food was bland, lacked flavor, and was just all around mid. The good news is that by stocking your cupboard with just a few simple but crucial spices, you won’t have to feel this way again. A few spices/seasonings that are good to have on hand include (kosher) salt, pepper, paprika, fresh and dried herbs (thyme, rosemary, basil, cilantro, oregano, etc.), acids (vinegar, lemon juice), and chili flakes. Layer the salt and pepper in your dish, adding a little throughout different steps of the cooking process. Paprika can be used for a more spooky, bold flavor. Herbs will add aromatic flavors to sauces, as garnishes, and mixed into dishes. Acids like vinegar and lemon juice add a nice tang to finish off a dish.
6. Practice Plating
You know the Yelp review pictures you see someone post and just drool over? Well, what if I told you you could create that yourself with a few key details in your presentation? The first step to this is to incorporate color and contrast into your dish. This can be done through both the ingredients and garnishes you use. Herbs, microgreens, and edible flowers are all excellent options. Next is the use of different textures. Mixing and layering smooth, crunchy, creamy, etc. textures within the dish. Lastly, make sure the dish looks uniform and clean. Clean up the edges of your plate. Make sure nothing is spilling off the sides. (Think Yelp).
Now you are all set to make a gourmet dish in the presence of your own home. You have the tips, the tricks, and the tools, now you just have to make it happen. Best of luck, chef!
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