What is seasoning? What role does it play in cooking?

Abstract: Today, with the rapid development of national economic construction, people's living standards have been continuously improved with the prosperity of national economy, and they have completely got rid of the poor lifestyle of not having enough to eat and not being warm. There must be new changes in food and clothing. Change from a single food and clothing type to a multi-nutrient diet type; From crude to artistic appreciation, and pay attention to diet balance, nutrition collocation, moderate taste, endless variety of taste types. All these have put forward new topics for the vast number of people engaged in cooking today. The new breakthrough of seasoning plays a very important role in promoting the development of cooking. Key words: seasoning, law and choice of seasoning. In the late Neolithic period, people not only ate heated food, but also brewed wine, a grain and fruit that "boiled the sea as salt", so the earliest seasoning appeared and people used it in cooking, so seasoning came into being, which was an indispensable part of the development and composition of cooking. Taste is the soul of a dish. If the taste is right, the food will rot, which fully shows the role of seasoning in cooking. So what is seasoning? What is the specific method of seasoning? What rules should be followed in seasoning? What role did the change of taste play in the success or failure of the banquet? These are all general seasoning knowledge that we engaged in cooking workers must be familiar with. Only on this basis, combined with practical experience, can we make exquisite dishes with excellent fragrance, full taste and beautiful shape. The so-called seasoning is a kind of technology that through the proper proportion of raw materials and condiments, various physical and chemical changes occur in the cooking process, removing bad taste and increasing delicious taste, which is an important link in cooking technology. It is directly related to the quality of the dishes. There is a saying in China: "Open the door to seven things: firewood, rice, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar", and four of them are condiments, which shows the status of condiments in daily life. Cooking workers have higher requirements for seasoning. They should not stay at the simple level of housewives, but should make a breakthrough and study seasoning as a science and technology. If the color of a dish is reasonably matched, it gives a vivid appearance. As the saying goes, "Cooking three fresh ingredients and seasoning five flavors" affirms the importance of seasoning. The ancients knew this truth, not to mention our students who have studied systematic cooking theory. Seasoning is divided into three stages, that is, three different seasoning methods, that is, before heating, during heating and after heating. These three ways are often used in daily life, and each stage of seasoning has different effects on the quality of dishes. Seasoning before heating mainly means that raw materials have a basic taste when heated, such as all kinds of fried, fried and fried vegetables, which must be pulverized, pulped and added with certain seasonings before heating. The dishes processed in this way are quite different from those processed in this way in the quality of dishes. Secondly, some robbed raw materials have a strong smell. Pickling with wine, onion and ginger before heating and then heating will play a certain role in eliminating differences and increasing the delicacy of dishes. The second seasoning method is seasoning during heating, which plays a decisive role in dishes, that is, determining the taste type. After the raw materials are processed in the first stage, according to the quality of raw materials, the taste of dishes and the requirements of guests, appropriate condiments are added at the right time. For example, when cooking Sichuan cuisine "Mapo Tofu", all condiments are put into the pot according to a certain proportion, but it is unreasonable to put them into the pepper noodles or when lifting the pot. Because Zanthoxylum bungeanum is a kind of pungent substance, only in the process of heating can it produce hemp flavor. Therefore, it is impossible to achieve the effect without putting or heating. Then "Mapo Tofu" can't stand out because of the different time of seasoning. The third is seasoning after heating, which is an auxiliary seasoning, mainly to make up for the shortcomings of some special cooking methods that can not be seasoned during heating. Such as frying, rinsing and steaming, can not be seasoned when heated, and can be supplemented with auxiliary seasoning after heating. Generally, you can't add monosodium glutamate to stir-fry first, because it will decompose into carcinogenic components at high temperature. Therefore, in view of this situation, seasoning after heating can not only ensure the umami characteristics of dishes, but also avoid other side effects or abnormal phenomena. So what rules should be followed in seasoning? China is vast in territory and abundant in natural resources, and its raw materials are inexhaustible. Condiments are also dazzling, with different properties and unique effects. Only by reasonable use and following certain rules can we make delicious food with strange taste and pleasant aroma. The first seasoning must be accurate and timely, and its characteristics should be identified according to the performance of raw materials. Cutting the material according to the symptoms can't achieve the seasoning effect. For example, fresh chicken, fish and shrimp all have their own special flavors. When cutting materials, enough is enough to ensure the flavor of raw materials and pursue the original flavor. It is not advisable to add too many seasonings, so as not to cover up their natural delicacy. If the raw materials are not fresh, the seasoning can be heavier to remove the odor. Secondly, the raw materials with heavy fishy smell should be seasoned with wine, ginger, onion and other seasonings to remove fishy smell, and then added with seasonings in an appropriate proportion and put into operation at the right time. For example, Sichuan famous dish "Fish-flavored shredded pork", we must first know that the taste of this dish is salty, sweet, sour and spicy, with outstanding garlic flavor, moderate amaranth juice and bright red color. In the process of operation, first stir-fry the douban soy sauce, then add ginger and garlic, add a little soy sauce, salt, monosodium glutamate, pepper and Chili oil, and finally add vinegar to thicken it. Finally, add vinegar, because it will volatilize when it meets high temperature. For example, the "fish-flavored shredded pork" with vinegar in advance shows that you need to know the types of dishes, what seasonings you need, what proportion, order and time, and don't sell yourself short, otherwise it will be self-defeating, which plays an important role in dishes. Secondly, according to different places and customs, seasoning should be very flexible. Because people's tastes fully meet the requirements of guests, people's tastes vary according to regions, products and customs. "Food with uncertain taste is precious only when it is delicious", which means that seasoning must be decided by people, such as Jiangsu people like sweet, Shanxi people like sour, Sichuan people like spicy, and Guangdong people like light. Therefore, Sichuan guests asked the kitchen to put peppers in the "fried beans", so they had to break the routine of cooking and add peppers in the seasoning process. Only in this way can we meet the needs of guests and truly achieve the purpose and function of cooking. Thirdly, in the process of seasoning, the seasoning used must be of high quality, and every chef must have a strong ability to distinguish, otherwise the fake seasoning will also affect the quality of dishes. In this regard, Yuan Mei pointed out that "a good cook should use excellent sauce, taste it first, use sesame oil, be careful first, and cook it first. Wine should be brewed with wine, dregs should be removed, vinegar should be made with rice vinegar, and it should be measured clearly. And there are thick sauces and meat oil. Wine is sweet and sour. Vinegar can be divided into old and new. You can't make any mistakes. Although other onions, peppers, ginger, cinnamon and salt are not used much, they still have to choose the top grade. " So no matter what you cook, the condiments used must be excellent. Nowadays, with the development of science, many synthetic condiments have hit the market, so traders can't make up for the bad and get high profits, which will harm the interests of consumers. What's more, the condiment produced is harmful to the physical and mental health of others. In view of this, chefs are required to master the knowledge of cooking theory and have a strong ability to identify fake and inferior condiments. Only in this way can authentic spices be added in the process and the process of making excellent and delicious food can be guaranteed. Secondly, the seasons change and the spices are constantly changing. People's tastes change with the seasons, which is related to the metabolism of the human body. In winter, the climate is cold, I like to eat greasy dishes, and I like to eat light food in summer. Therefore, we should change the seasoning methods with the seasons and innovate constantly. As a new force in the culinary industry, we are eager for China cuisine to reform and innovate with the national economic construction.