Do you know the SECRETS methods for a ‘cook in French’ style?
You want to know how to cook dishes really well but don’t know where to start? It’s all a bit hazy. Don’t worry, here, you’ve got the information you need to get started.
I’m Thomas Ricomard, your teacher. Don’t hesitate to ask me any questions you want in the comments!
La gastronomie est l’art d’utiliser la nourriture pour créer du bonheur.
Théodore Zeldin
Essentials of cooking in French
Here’s what you need to know if you want to create typical dishes from France:
Basic ingredients
Fresh, high-quality ingredients are generally used. Butter, cream, fresh herbs, cheeses, meat, fruit and vegetables take center stage in many recipes.
Cooking techniques
There are many different ways to cook potatoes or others ingredients. They can be sautéed, pan-fried, baked, braised or steamed. These methods are used to bring out the flavor of the ingredients.
The best-known sauces
Béchamel, hollandaise, velouté, mustard, tomato sauce and red wine sauce.
Patisserie
The art of patisserie holds a central place in French culture. Butter croissants, chocolate éclairs, colorful macaroons and fine pastries.
Cheeses
France boasts countless types of cheese, each with its own specific terroir. When dining in France, there’s always a cheese platter not far from the table.
Wine tasting
Wine is world-renowned. Appreciating wine and pairing it with food is part of French culture.
Structured meals
Meals are often structured as follows: a starter, main course, cheese, dessert, and possibly coffee.
Understanding French cooking terms
Here are some key terms in French cuisine:
Sauté
This involves cooking ingredients quickly over high heat in oil or butter, shaking the pan from time to time.
Une julienne
Cut vegetables or other ingredients into small pieces.
Un confit
This is a slow cooking method in fat, often used for duck or goose.
Sous-vide
This refers to a cooking technique where food is placed in an airless bag, then cooked at a low temperature.
Le bain-marie
Place a container of food (e.g. a tin of vegetables) in another container filled with boiling water for gentle, even cooking.
En croûte
Cooking, usually of fish or meat, wrapped in puff pastry or another crust before cooking.
Flamber
Use alcohol (often cognac or whisky) to quickly flame a dish, adding a particular flavor.
Un amuse-bouche
A small bite served before the main meal to whet the appetite.
French kitchen tools and equipment
Here are the best-known kitchen tools and equipment associated with French cuisine:
Les couteaux de cuisine (Kitchen knives)
They are essential for precise cutting of food.
Les casseroles et les poêles (Pots and pans)
There are saucepans of different sizes, non-stick pans and cast-iron pans for different types of cooking.
Une cocotte
This is a large cast-iron saucepan, often used for stews.
Un batteur électrique ou un fouet (An electric mixer or whisk)
Used to beat egg whites. For whipping sauces and creams.
Un moule (A mold)
Specific molds for tarts, quiches, éclairs and other pastries, often in silicone or non-stick metal.
Un moulin à poivre et à sel (Salt and pepper mill)
A well-known accessory for seasoning dishes.
Une planche à découper (A cutting board)
Wooden or plastic boards for easy ingredient preparation.
Un éplucheur (A peeler)
This is a specialized tool for peeling vegetables quickly and easily.
Une balance (A kitchen scale)
To measure ingredients accurately, this is very important when making cakes, for example.
Un plat à gratin (A gratin dish)
A dish that can be placed in the oven to make any kind of gratin. For example, potato gratins.
Un presse-ail (A garlic press)
For pureeing garlic.
Une bouilloire (A kettle)
There’s one in almost every kitchen. It’s used to heat water quickly, for infusions and coffee.
Exercise
In the comments below, write a few sentences in French with some words you learnt in this section. I’ll correct your French.
French cuisine is renowned for its refinement and attention to detail. Here are just a few of the methods that chefs and cooking enthusiasts know so well:
Braiser (Braising)
Braising is a slow-cooking method often used for meats. Ingredients are cooked over low heat in a fragrant liquid. The result is tender food.
Pocher (Poaching)
This consists of cooking food, usually fish, in barely boiling water. This preserves the texture of the ingredients while flavoring them with the cooking liquid.
Mijoter (Simmer)
Slow, prolonged cooking. It’s used for stews, soups and sauces. It allows flavors to blend harmoniously.
Monter une sauce (Making a sauce)
Monter une sauce involves gradually adding cold butter to a hot sauce while whisking to obtain a smooth, velvety texture. This is a key technique for many classic French sauces.
Emulsionner (Emulsify)
This technique is used to make mayonnaise or vinaigrette. A fatty liquid is slowly mixed with a liquid made of water until a stable solution is obtained.
Iconic French dishes to try at home
Here are some of the most famous classic French recipes:
La bouillabaisse
A fish soup from Provence.
Le coq au vin
Chicken simmered in red wine with mushrooms and onions.
La ratatouille
A dish from Provence based on vegetables such as eggplant, peppers, zucchini and tomatoes.
Le soufflé au fromage
A light dish made with cheese, eggs and béchamel sauce.
Les crêpes
These are small, thin pancakes often topped with sugar, jam or chocolate.
Le cassoulet
A dish from south-western France made with white beans and meats (sausages, duck confit, etc.).
La quiche Lorraine
A savory pie from the Lorraine region, filled with bacon.
Le boeuf bourguignon
A beef stew simmered in red wine with vegetables.
Les escargots de Bourgogne
Snails are cooked in butter with garlic and parsley.
La tarte tatin
An upside-down tart with caramelized apples.
Le confit de canard
Duck legs are slowly cooked in their own fat.
La salade niçoise
A salad made with tuna, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, olives and anchovies.
La pissaladière
A tart from Provence made with onions, anchovies and olives.
La crème brûlée
A vanilla cream baked and caramelized with a blowtorch.
La sauce hollandaise
A sauce made with yolks, butter and lemon juice.
La sauce béchamel
A white sauce made from flour, butter and milk, used as a base for many sauces.
Click on the video to know how to prepare food (a roast chicken) like an excellent cook.
Exercise
In the comments below, write a few sentences on how you would cook a specific dish, tell which method you would use to cook it and why. Do it in French. I’ll give you the correction.
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La vraie cuisine est une forme d’art. Un cadeau à partager.
Oprah Winfrey
How do you prepare food in your own country? Tell us in the comments.
How do you say Faire la cuisine in your own language? Tell us in the comments.
How do you say J’aime faire la cuisine in your own language? Tell us in the comments.
The cultural significance of French cuisine
Regional specialties and diversity
Here is an overview of some of the specialities and regional diversity of French cuisine:
En Alsace Alsace is a land of German influences. You’ll find these dishes:
la choucroute (fermented cabbage with meats)
la flammekueche (flambéed pie)
le baeckeoffe (meat and potato stew).
En Provence
la ratatouille (a mixture of simmered vegetables)
la bouillabaisse (fish soup)
la tapenade (purée of olives, capers and anchovies).
En Bretagne
des fruits de mer (seafood)
des crêpes salés (buckwheat pancakes)
des crêpes sucrées (sweet pancakes)
le kouign-amann (butter and sugar cake).
En Bourgogne
les vins (wines)
le boeuf bourguignon (beef stew simmered in red wine)
les escargots de Bourgogne (Burgundy snails)
le coq au vin.
En Savoie
la fondue savoyarde (melted cheese dipped in bread)
la raclette (melted cheese served with potatoes and charcuterie)
la tartiflette (a dish based on potatoes, bacon and reblochon cheese)
The influence of French cuisine worldwide
The influence of French cuisine around the world is enormous, and has left a deep imprint on global gastronomy.
La haute cuisine and culinary techniques
The concept of haute cuisine is French. This means that particular attention is paid to detail and the development of specific techniques. French cooking methods have been adopted the world over.
Culinary education
French culinary schools such as Le Cordon Bleu have trained chefs from all over the world.
Culinary terminology
Many of the terms and expressions used in cooking around the world are of French origin.
Influence on global gastronomy
La Nouvelle Cuisine is a French culinary movement of the 1960s and 1970s. It promoted the use of fresh, local ingredients, which many chefs now do around the world.
Reputation of French restaurants
French establishments such as Le Bernardin, L’Ambroisie and Michelin-starred restaurants have contributed to the worldwide renown of French cuisine.
Wine and cheese
Wine and cheese occupy a central place in French cuisine. Techniques for producing wine and cheese have been adopted around the world.
To remember
Here are the best dish to eat during you winter vacation in France:
Here is a list of simple and delicious French meals for those who are new to French cuisine:
La salade niçoise
A salad composed of tuna, green beans, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, potatoes and black olives, dressed with an olive oil vinaigrette.
La soupe à l’oignon
A soup made with caramelized onions, beef broth, bread and cheese au gratin. Often eaten in winter.
La salade lyonnaise
This is a salad with curly lettuce, bacon, croutons and a poached egg, with a vinaigrette made with mustard.
Le croque-monsieur
This is a hot sandwich made with ham and cheese between two slices of bread, toasted in the oven.
La salade de chèvre chaud
This is a salad composed of pieces of warm goat’s cheese on toast, with the toast placed on top of the salad. The dressing is usually a mustard vinaigrette.
Les moules marinières
These are mussels cooked in a mixture of white wine, garlic, shallots and parsley. They are served with French fries.
Building your French cooking skills
Here are a few tips to help you learn and progress in the art of French cuisine:
Learn the basics of French cuisine on your own with the help of books and the Internet
Take group cooking classes
Practice regularly
Reproduce classic recipes
Take culinary risks (experiment on your own)
Receive constructive criticism (have your family and friends taste your dishes to get constructive criticism)
Watch this video to know how to prepare food easily (a French omelette) like an excellent cook.
Exercise
What is or what would be you favorite salade française? Write it in the comments down below.
What are the essential ingredients in French cuisine?
Le beurre (butter) La crème fraîche (fresh cream) Les fromages (cheese) Les viandes (meat) Les poissons et les fruits de mer (fish and seafood) Les légumes (vegetables) Le pain (bread) Le vin (wine) La moutarde (mustard) Les oeufs
What is the verb ‘to cook’ in French?
‘To cook’ in French is cuisiner.
How do you conjugate the verb ‘cuisiner’?
Je cuisine Tu cuisines Il / elle / on cuisine Nous cuisinons Vous cuisinez Ils / elles cuisinent
