During the winter season, when the cold breeze is being felt by many, heart-warming casseroles, braises, and stews are on the rise for that day. Your butcher can give you the value of cuts that are suitable for slow-cooking dishes. It could be the neck, brisket, chuck, or shin are ideal meat cuts for food that is perfect for slow food dishes.
Moreover, there are little time needs to be spent on food preparation, and pre-planning pays dividends. You can prepare braises and stews in advance and reheat it before serving.
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Slow Food Cooking
Slow-cooked meals are more natural and simple to prepare, and usually, they are cost-effective. Opt cuts of meats that enhances the texture and flavor when it cooked for more extended periods at a very much lower temperature. You can find this cooking technique in Meatworksco restaurant in Melbourne to pull out the flavorful taste of the meat in the soup.
These cuts may contain large amounts of collagen tissue, which is needed for longer cooking times to narrow down the tissue into a rich gelatin type. When cooking the meat, the tissue will begin to melt for about 72C, which can extract flavorful taste to the meats.
Collagen tissue also offers an amazingly silky texture on the meat. During the cooking method, it is essential to dissolve the collagen into a liquid. This process is called kinetic, and it is used both the temperature of heating. Moreover, the longer cooking times it was cooked, the more the collagen will melt, and more flavorful taste will be added to the dish.
You may create caramelized crust before the slow cooking process by searing the cut of meats in a dry pan or with a small amount of your favorite oil or lard. This technique will add to a flavorful taste in the final process of the cooking method.
Against to the common belief, searing or browning the meat surface does not conceal in meat juices. Therefore, it produces a new flavor compound as the sugar and protein create a reaction due to the high temperature. Also, the color depends on the result of these heat reactions. This kind of searing process is called the Maillard reaction.
The Texture and Taste
The meat is commonly looked at as browned before braising to create a coagulated residue that will enhance the flavor, color, and body of the dish. Then, you might also add aromatic vegetables to combine with the flavors, preferable a bouquet garni. This kind of leaf is called thyme, parsley and bay wrapped in a cheesecloth or carefully tied in a leak leaf.
The bouquet garni is removed when the cooking process is done. Also, the vegetable might be replaced with fresh ones before serving them to the customers. Besides, the quantity and the quality of the soup are crucial to the overall character of the dish. Meat may be braised on a spoonful of liquid before it can be completely immersed in the dish.
Moreover, the lesser the liquid you add, the more flavor it will generate. So, always choose a piece of braising equipment that holds all the ingredients tightly; while minimizing the required liquid that you need.