Food Articles & Culinary Information

We know food; we know pastry; we know kitchens. Here are links to basic culinary prep info, food articles, and cuilinary terminology from Renee Shelton, editor of BeachCuisine.com & PastrySampler.com. Other articles are copyright the respective writers.

Food & Beverage

• Cheese Definition, Aging and Classing
• Cheese Classifications: Texture, Covering, Ripening or Cooking Types
• Cheese Descriptions and Pictures
• Risotto 101: Risotto Cooking Basics
• Tapas

Meat

• Beef Cuts
• Mutton Cuts
• Offal: Variety Meat Terminology
• Pork Cuts
• Traditional French Beef Cuts
• Veal Cuts

Fruits & Vegetables, Seasonings

• Asparagus
• Cilantro & Coriander
• Dried Chiles
• Fresh Chiles
• Fruit & Veg Purchasing
• Mushrooms
• Okra

Equipment

• Batterie de Cuisine

Pastry Basics

• What are paramount crystals?
• How long do Cannolis keep? And what are good fillings for them?
• What are tuiles?
• What's the purpose of using baking soda in some brittle recipes?
• Building the Cake: Guidelines for the Decorator.
• What flour should be used in making crêpes?
• What are Madeleines?
• I have a recipe using cornflour. What is it and can I substitute it?
• What's in a buttercream?
• What is Kadaife?
• I want to build a gingerbread house. What are some good resources?
• I've heard of penuchi but don't know what it is. Is it a candy of sorts?
• What is a petit four? I've seen it labeled on a lot of things.
• Is there a way to turn a regular ice cream vegan?
• How can I make candied orange rind?
• What are churros made of?
• I saw "guimauve" on a menu. What is it?
• What is in pastillage?
• What's a good recipe for pound cake?
• What is canele? Is it a shape or a dessert or what is it?
• Is gingerbread a cookie or a cake or a bread?
• What variety of apple is best for apple pie?
• What is a good plain rice pudding recipe?
• Can I use margarine in puff pastry instead of whole butter?
• Where are some sources to buy good chocolate?
• What is Kosher salt?
• Is dark brown sugar just darker sugar than light brown sugar?
• Can I make fondant?
• I've seen 10x on your site. What is it (I know it's sugar) but what does it refer to?