In this episode of the Free Culinary School Podcast, we start or next series with a 4 episode basic course on Garde Manger, which is also know as the “pantry” or “cold kitchen.” Traditionally, Garde Manger is the first station that every cook will work when just starting out in a professional kitchen, and the techniques of Garde Manger must be mastered before the cook is allowed to move onto the hot line.
In this Episode’s Discussion Segment:
- How to choose and classify salad greens.
- How to make an informed decision on when to use certain types of greens for salads.
- When you should use bitter greens vs crispy and tender greens.
- How to make a balanced mesculin mix.
In the Technique Segment:
- We talk about what makes up a classical vinaigrette.
- We discuss the molecular make up of vinegar, and why its important to making a vinaigrette.
- How to make a balanced vinaigrette by understanding basic flavor structure.
And in the Culinary Quick Tip:
- How to wash and store salad greens for maximum freshness and shelf life.
Supporting Articles for this podcast:
- How To Make a Vinaigrette: Technique and Recipes
- Understanding Emulsions and How They Work
- FCS Episode 8| Hollandaise Sauce
Books Referenced In This Episode:
- The Pasta Bible by Silvi Rizzi
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
hi jacob–
i couldn’t hear the podcast. it kept stopping after “…better known as…”. over and over. just kept stopping. any suggestions?
btw–thanks for the site and the podcasts. i love food and am learning to love to cook! blessings to you…
Jacob, not to be picky, but as an Italian I must say that in the word bolognese, the g is silent. Phonetically it reads: bowl-o-nayse sauce. Anyways, I picked up a packaged bag of fairly mild lettuce greens– or mesculin mix as you say– and made a lime juice vinagerette with honey mustard to help the emulsification and honey to cut the acidity of the lime juice, and drizzled in olive oil. I seasoned with salt and pepper and it was awwweessoomme! Thanks for the tips. And by the way, it cannot be overlooked that purchasing good olive oil: I use Filipo Berrio Extra Virgin– is key. People must spend the few extra bucks for the quality. The olive oil my mom used to buy had no real taste besides oily or greasy. Purchasing Filipo Berrio allowed me to truly taste that “fruitiness” chefs talk about when discussing Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Thanks for doing the podcasts; I’m learning a lot before I consider culinary school after graduating colledge next year.
@ Judithellen,
I checked the podcast feed and it should be working now, let me know if you still can’t listen to it.
@JVB,
Yeah, I have a tendency to butcher words that didn’t originate in English…what more can expect from a middle class kid who grew up on the West Coast?
The lime and honey mustard vinaigrette sounds killer. And you’re totally right about using only good quality olive oil. That’s why I’m always preaching the use of olive oil as a finishing oil. The moment you apply heat to it, all those nice fruity, nutty and sometimes pine or grassy aromas that made the olive oil so expensive just disappear.
Jacob,
The greens/vinaigrette podcast was fabulous. I did my homework – made my salad and dressing. My husband freaked out and said it was the best salad he’d ever had in his life and gave me an A+..lol. So hey, thanks!
Question – can I keep the vinaigrette in the fridge or will it separate? If it can be kept, for how long? Do I need to do anything to re-reshen it before I serve it again? Mine had oil, vinegar, honey, shallots, garlic, mustard and S&P.
Thanks much – Mommycook
@ Mommycook,
I’m glad that you did your assignment; homework that you can eat is the best type anyways.
Yes, you can keep your vinaigrette in the refrigerator, and it will separate, but that’s not a big deal. When you decide to use it again, let it sit out at room temperature for about an hour, and then you can either whisk it back together right before serving, or if you stored it in a squeeze bottle, then you can just give it a good shake.
Store your vinaigrette either in a squeeze bottle or an airtight lid in you refrigerator, and it should keep for about 1 1/2 to 2 weeks since the vinegar will act a bit as a preservative.
Hi! I am so excited that there is a website like this. I been using Filipo Berrio for 9 years now their sauces, olive oil/extra virgin olive oil are such a blessing. Next time i’ll share with you my own discovery out of Filipo Berrio. Cheers!!!
@ Chedones,
I’m glad that you’re enjoying the site, and I’m always excited to hear opinions and suggestions from the FCS community. Thanks for commenting.