From Tailgate to Table

By Steven M. Price

Tailgate to Table is written for the contemporary ‘Foodie’. Foodie is a popular term that literally describes ‘those captivated and passionate about food – either as discussed or demonstrated’. Not everyone is cut out for culinary school or the long apprenticeship in the food business. However, many of us are passionate about food discussions, preparing food, and seeking out new culinary insight.

The information presented in Tailgate to Table strikes a chord to be inquisitive and diligent to learn more about your food, its preparation, and how truly blessed we are to have the bounty brought to us courtesy of Mother Earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven M. Price
• Release date: Sep 13, 2019
• ISBN: 9781370467310

Book preview

THE JOURNEY OF ECLECTIC EATING

Everyone has a favorite party dish – whether it is a knock off from the classics to a cocktail-induced midnight creation! You rock America – the great melting pot of culture, cooking, content, and creativity. This is not a ‘cook book’ nor is this a ‘how to book’. This is a rollicking advocacy for culinary experimentation for the commoner.

Anyone who studies the culinary arts, enjoys entertaining, or simply likes to cook, this book is for you. From Tailgate to Table, is a journey through ingredients, pantries, techniques, and recipes – anything that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary. As the title suggests, great food can be found in our casual ‘get together’ and our most revered restaurants.

Many of the classic cookbooks are focused upon technique, others are thematic in nature. Undoubtedly, cookbook authors are passionate about food and the artistry of presentation. The so-called missing ingredient in many cookbooks is context. Context in this sense is how all of this fits together and how our individual creativity can be enhanced with a little knowledge.

Tailgate to Table is written for the contemporary ‘Foodie’. Foodie is a popular term that literally describes ‘those captivated and passionate about food – either as discussed or demonstrated’. Not everyone is cut out for culinary school or the long apprenticeship in the food business[1]. However, many of us are passionate about food discussions, preparing food, and seeking out new culinary insight.

The amazing phenomenon that has transformed the culinary landscape has been the so-called, cooking show. The advent of chef-choreographed demonstration cooking has elevated meal preparation from daily drudgery to theatrical performance. Many have led the televised culinary revolution, in multiple countries. Their names and contributions are important but not the focus of Tailgate to Table.

Likewise, the profusion of published cookbooks, outstanding culinary magazines, and numerous well-written food blogs and informational websites has added depth and interest. Anyone who wants to know about food has no excuse – it’s out there.

There were two primary challenges in writing Tailgate to Table. The first was to organize an expansive subject such as food. The second challenge was to decide what to include – the need for balance and breadth.

The crowning achievement for Tailgate to Table was creating a table of contents representative of the food world. Every cookbook has the same challenge and the ease of navigation through these books varies widely. The trick was settling on the right degree of granularity such that the book’s organization approximated how we think, shop, and eat.

The inclusion challenge was more perplexing. When a subject is introduced, there was often more information than expected. For example, who would have known there are twenty varieties of apricot? The ‘rule of thumb’ was to represent ‘the classics’ and honor the creative ideas many have tried.

The selection of recipes was essentially a compromise between getting the context right and representing the ingredients and techniques that make the culinary world so interesting. The large majority of recipes presented within Tailgate to Table are referenced so readers can find the recipe that best fits their needs. It’s all about the hunt and the challenge of discovery.

Many of the leading mastheads are well represented in Tailgate to Table. Likewise, there is a host of new recipes garnered from restaurants, notable chefs, home cooks, and of course family favorites. The blending of old and new, coupled with information and insight offers a broad assortment for Foodies to absorb.

Tailgate to Table is a learning resource for those who seek to understand and a repository for recipes that reflect the eclectic. Eclectic eating may seem coarse. After all, most can appreciate fine dining and inspired meals. Eclectic, in this sense suggests, ‘deriving ideas, styles, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources’.

The opening salvo for Tailgate to Table mentions that the notion of a ‘cook book’ or a ‘how to book’ are mildly passé. Foodies will gladly let others do the cooking. After all, it’s all about the experience not necessary the exhaustion of prepping and preparing. This is not to say cooking isn’t an enjoyment, but rather it’s about understanding and sharing the knowledge of ingredients, flavors, techniques, and culture.

This author owes much to the women in his life that have made cooking a passion and pleasure. The earliest memoires of cooking with my grandmother was the start of a great journey. Subsequently, the time spent with my mother in later years honing recipes and preparing family meals furthered the cause.

When I met my wife, the first ‘domestic’ date was to cook and just hang around her apartment. I chose Mexican, and had all of the raw ingredients to prove it. There were no ‘store-bought’ shortcuts. She in turn, made me a wonderful swordfish dish. It was love at first bite.

To this day I have several stories of in-laws, cousins, and now my own daughters who enjoy the process and the results. All of these wonderful times and events boil down to a true love of camaraderie in the kitchen. After all, most of us who love the art and science as much as the taste and appearance eventually become ‘Foodies’.

Well – that says it all. Tailgate to Table is a watershed of information, technique, and innovation. Readers are encouraged to explore and experiment with the material presented. Many of the recipes are time-tested, while others are part of an evolution of creativity and taste. Readers are encouraged to blend and borrow, to learn and reflect, and above all share the passion of food.

SMP

Technique: The Art and Science of Cooking

Any discussion on cooking techniques is a book onto itself. Many of the world’s famous cooking schools spend considerable time demonstrating and discussing technique and building a vocabulary suitable to the culinary arts. The combination of technique and tongue are indispensable for today’s Foodie.

Overall, chefs, cooks, and consumers realize that the art and science of cooking always converts a ‘product’ into a ‘plate’. The notion of transforming food into a delicious meal always starts with combining products and preparing the meal according to a recipe.

In Tailgate to Table, ‘products’ refer to any food item (i.e. ingredient), whether cooked or not, as a generic description. For example, a grilled steak can be a product just as a basket of fruit can be. Thus, we find ourselves embracing a world of diverse foods, ingredients, and techniques that we combine into a finished product. Voilà – a meal is born.

The art and science of cooking are well known in contemporary society. The science component borrows from both the life sciences and physical sciences. In this sense we have a balance of say biology and chemistry with that of changing the texture, temperature, and taste of a product.

Likewise, the art of cooking has been traced from the kitchens of Europe and Asia and through many cultural expressions from our diverse planet. The following sections are an exposé of cooking rather than a curriculum. The thinking here is to get Foodies contemplating what it takes to make their favorites and why the proper training and techniques matter.

The following sections illustrate several examples of how food, its preparation, its presentation, and its allure combine as art and science. The creativity and innovation of combining ingredients is always paired with the physical properties of those ingredients and their transformation into a meal to remember.

The Five Tastes

Taste is what makes food inviting. Although it is often said, we eat with our eyes, which implies the beauty of presentation is important - it is taste that carries us over the threshold.

Five tastes dominate the culinary world[2]. They are bitter, salty, sour, sweet, and umami. Recent research now suggests fat, or more specifically the high fat foods, also have a taste receptor and may soon join the list. The five tastes are briefly escribed as follows.

Bitter tastes are found in hundreds of substances and have a wide variety of representation in plants. Bitter is like a poison alarm – too much signals an unpalatable perhaps sickening danger; other times a small amount of bitterness accentuates taste.

Salty tastes help us maintain the right balance of salt in our bodies because too much ruins the taste and the right amount brightens the dullness into tastiness.

Sour tastes produce the mouth-puckering sensation of biting into as lemon. As with any taste, the right amount can release the natural flavors or conversely may signal food is decomposing.

Sweet tastes signal the presence of sugars, the foundation of the food chain and a source of energy.

Umami is Japanese for delicious taste which is best described as a savory, rich taste that is released by cooking, curing or aging.

Building Tastes

Taste, or more broadly building a taste, is apparent when chefs build a sauce. The crafting of brown sauces has been a fine art for some time, and the layering makes the point very well. The diagram below illustrates the sauce making process for brown sauces specifically[3].

We can see that the gradual layering of ingredients changes each previous step. The basic flavors are augmented with newer additions, all culminating in a flavor that can trace its root from all the previous steps. The finale is a finished sauce. This brief example is one aspect of how food chemistry plays prominently into creating a flavor profile.

Food Chemistry 101

Food chemistry is an expansive subject. In fact, one might call it a very active sub-discipline with the sciences. There are dozens of books dedicated to food chemistry each with varying degrees of detail and levels of inquiry. Likewise, the research literature and college classes that examine the chemistry of food processing are equally diverse and insightful.

Tailgate to Table provides a very high-level overview of food chemistry. The level of information presented is meant to inform and entice. Readers are always encouraged to seek out additional information and follow their interests. The following sections provide an education overview without becoming too detailed.

The use of acids such as lemon juice or bases (baking soda) is a prevalent aspect of food chemistry. The use of acids dominates in the cooking process – and for good reason.

Acids are used to denature proteins which means it helps them breakdown into simpler structures – this is how tenderizing works with marinades. Acids also help with breaking down complex sugars into simpler sugars – often times increasing the sweetness of various dishes.

Likewise, bases help chemical reactions, like baking soda helping to lift batter by releasing gases. There are also several bases that aid in preserving and curing.

Another aspect of food chemistry is how to prevent food contamination. There are countless pathways that lead to contamination. One of the best ways to understand contamination is to review what restaurants must comply with to protect the public form contamination[4]. Some practical approaches to preventing contamination are as follows.

Preventing Contamination by Employees: Wash hands and avoid hand and arm contact with raw ingredients – hence gloves are always recommended in raw food preparation. Also, tasting during food preparation must always be a sanitary operation.

Preventing Food and Ingredient Contamination: Using the appropriate containers and remembering to segregate raw, frozen, partially prepared, and fully prepared food items. Cross contamination can occur by using the same utensils when touch two different degrees of preparation (e.g. raw and finished products)

Preventing Contamination from Ice Used as a Coolant: Once ice is placed in contact with any food item, never use it for anything else.

Preventing Contamination from Equipment, Utensils, and Linens: Keeping everything clean, washed at the right temperatures, and using the approved cleaners must be a first priority.

Preventing Contamination from the Premises: Although it seems obvious, all foods, must be stored in the appropriate containers and must maintain the appropriate temperatures, dryness, and exposure to air.

Preventing Contamination by Consumers: This is a lesson from the classic buffet line. Notice the sneeze guards, use of utensils for one serving dish only, and the attention to keeping the temperature correct.

Preventing Contamination from Other Sources: There are a host of unknowns so use common sense – when in doubt do more that is required.

There are numerous sources to do additional research on food contamination. Everything from microbiology to food chemistry play into our food chain. The key take away is to realize that washing, preparing, storing, and cooking food has time-tested rules – follow them.

Another aspect of food chemistry are the additives frequently used. The modern food process requires several additives to be used in food processing. This is primarily a logical need to extend the life of foods and preserves food quality. Once we left the arduous task of farming and relying upon fresh prepared food done on a daily basis, some help was need to offset the lag between farm to table.

There are three primary reasons for food additives. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) has oversight for our additives[5] and routinely updates Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) and the more than 3000 total substances together comprise an inventory often referred to as Everything Added to Food in the United States (EAFUS). The reasons for additives include.

Maintain or Improve Safety and Freshness: Preservatives slow product spoilage caused by mold, air, bacteria, fungi or yeast. In addition to maintaining the quality of the food, they help control contamination that can cause foodborne illness, including life-threatening botulism.

Improve or Maintain Nutritional Value: Vitamins and minerals (and fiber) are added to many foods to make up for those lacking in a person’s diet or lost in processing, or to enhance the nutritional quality of a food.

Improve Taste, Texture and Appearance: Spices, natural and artificial flavors, and sweeteners are added to enhance the taste of food. Food colors maintain or improve appearance. Emulsifiers, stabilizers and thickeners give foods the texture and consistency consumers expect. Leavening agents allow baked goods to rise during baking.

Consistent with food additives, are the food flavorings that get added from time to time. The Code of Federal Regulations is very specific about what is meant by artifical and natural flavorings[6].

The term artificial flavor or artificial flavoring means any substance, the function of which is to impart flavor, which is not derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, fish, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof.

The term natural flavor or natural flavoring means the essential oil, oleoresin, essence or extractive, protein hydrolysate, distillate, or any product of roasting, heating or enzymolysis, which contains the flavoring constituents derived from a spice, fruit or fruit juice, vegetable or vegetable juice, edible yeast, herb, bark, bud, root, leaf or similar plant material, meat, seafood, poultry, eggs, dairy products, or fermentation products thereof, whose significant function in food is flavoring rather than nutritional.

The essence of flavors comes down to three primary goals[7]

Flavoring Smell: the smells and odors from extracts that resemble the flavor profile

Flavoring Tastes: flavor enhancers from amino acids that are infused into salts

Flavoring Colors: natural and chemical derivatives that retain color and flavor

The essentials of food chemistry are an essential part of understanding food. Not only do we enjoy food for its taste and elegant presentation, we also enjoy it for how heat, cold, and chemical reactions all work together to help us cook.

Tailgate to Table does not go into the newer trends of molecular gastronomy. There are several excellent books and blogs to address the recipes and the science involved. Readers are indeed encouraged to explore some of the more esoteric techniques offered by the molecular folks. The novelty and the taste are interesting expressions of many of the classics.

Prepared Foods

Most of the foods that can be purchased in our grocery stores or restaurants would be classified as prepared foods. The degree of processing is what matters most. For example, picking a tomato from one’s garden to use in a salad is minimally processed.

The degree of processing matters[8]. The following three levels of food processing are examples of how many interventions are made into the food chain. What we may thing of us a raw or unfinished product, has often been processed (if not washed) to some degree.

Group 1: Unprocessed or minimally processed foods: These are foods where there is no processing, or mostly physical processes used to make single whole foods more durable, accessible, convenient, palatable, or safe. An example would be frozen vegetables as found in most grocery stores.

Group 2: Processed culinary or food industry ingredients: Prepared through extraction and purification of components of single whole foods, resulting in producing ingredients used in the preparation and cooking of dishes and meals made up from Group 1 foods in homes or traditional restaurants, or else in the formulation by manufacturers of Group 3 foods. An example would be processed butter.

Group 3: Ultra-processed food products: These are prepared by processing of a mix of Group 2 ingredients and Group 1 foodstuffs in order to create durable, accessible, convenient, and palatable ready-to-eat or to-heat food products liable to be consumed as snacks or desserts or to replace home-prepared dishes. An example would include bread and biscuits.

It is interesting that the latest trends in food freshness such as organic sourcing, farm-to-table, or a variety of trends that keep all of us as close to the source as possible still involve processed foods. We cannot escape canned goods, dehydrated packages, or food items that have some chemical additive to preserve freshness or extend shelf life.

The degree of processing, before a product is purchased is one thing. When we start our own processing at home, we take processing to a whole new level. The classic first step in this journey is often how we prepare and cook the product.

Applying Heat to Food

One of the absolute fundamentals of cooking is to apply heat to food to do the actual cooking. Depending on the product being cooked, different techniques for applying heat become relevant[9]. As one explores more and more recipes and dishes, the subtle differences become apparent. Here are the techniques one should know.

Barbeque (BBQ) is when the heat comes from an open flame or heat source on the bottom of the product. Also known as grilling, some use a grill pan on a stovetop, to apply heat without the struggle of building a fire.

Blanching is similar to boiling, except the food is par-cooked and then submerged immediately in an ice-bath to stop the cooking process.

Boiling foods are completely submerged into boiling water until they are cooked until tender or their color changes such as cooking raw shrimp until they turn pink and firm.

Broiling is similar to grilling, except the heat source comes from the top. Broiling is done in an oven at high heat thus one must keep an eye on the process.

Braising is a combination cooking method that first involves sautéing or searing an item, then simmering it in liquid for a long cooking period until tender. The recommend process used by chefs include 1) Sear the meat to release some juices. 2). Sauté a mirepoix and aim for ‘brown’ color, 3). Deglaze with the braising liquid of choice (broth, cider, water, wine), and 4). Braise the meat

Deep-Frying as the name implies, food is submerged into hot oil to achieve a crispy, golden-brown finished exterior and cooked interior

Pan-Frying is a type of frying is accomplished by using enough oil to build a solid base for heat transfer with allowing the food to stick to the pan. In this method food is cooked until golden brown and often flipped to cook the other side uniformly.

Poaching is like boiling, the length of time the food is immersed in the liquid is relatively short. An example would be poached eggs that only require the yoke to tighten and the whites to solidify

Roasting and Baking requires cooking meats or vegetables in an oven to produce a uniform heat. Although baking is the same technique, baking typically refers to breads and pastries or pies. In either case, the product is cooked completely through.

Sautéing is a subtle way to cook foods in oils or butter until the product is warmed, but left tender unlike frying which is a deep form of cooking.

Simmering is a low heat process of cooking food in a liquid to slowly combine the ingredients into a heated product

Smoking is a very slow cooking process in which the product is left in a wood-burning smoker with heats in the low 200º F.

Sous Vide Cooking is a process involves vacuum sealing foods to contain the ingredient then immersing them in a temperature controlled water bath to cook until done. Depending on the product, different temperatures and timing are required.

Steaming utilizes the vapors from boiling water to penetrate the food. The technique involves a steaming basket or vessel placed above a boiling water source to cook until the proper tenderness is achieved.

The secret to knowing when the product is cooked is to know what is the internal temperature is reading on a thermometer[10]. Keep in mind, some of the thicker meats such as beef continue to cook as it cools. This residual heat is cause by the hotter, exterior seeking the cooler interior to equilibrate.

It is often recommended to ensure uniform cooling that all products are brought to room temperature prior to cooking. This ensures an even starting point, but is only a rule of thumb. Again, it is the internal temperature, and perhaps the color and smell that lets us know when ‘we’re done’. Some of the additional aspects of cooking include the following.

Al Dente is a term meaning to the bite which is used to describe the correct degree of doneness for pasta and vegetables. This is not exactly a procedure, but a sensory evaluation for deciding when the food is finished cooking.

Bain-Marie is simply a water bath. It consists of placing a container of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water, which surrounds the food with gentle heat. The food may be cooked in this manner either in an oven or on top of a range.

Barding is the practice of wrapping lean cuts of meat with thin slices of back fat to keep the meat moist during cooking

Gratin are dishes cooked in the oven which form a crust on the surface. This is expedited by placing the dish under the broiler. Bread crumbs and cheese are often sprinkled on top of these dishes to help form the crust.

Larding is a technique by which thin strips of back fat, or vegetables, are inserted into a piece of meat. These strips help the meat to remain juicy during cooking.

Chaud-Froid an old technique allows meat or fish that has been poached or roasted, chilled and served cold, masked with a thick sauce and glazed with aspic.

Spiedini is Italian for skewers of meat or fish grilled over a flame or under a broiler.

Just as applying heat will change the temperature of a product, we can also envision how to change the texture. Texture is more that hard or soft, there is degrees of texture change that can be performed in many of the contemporary recipes.

Changing Textures

One of the fundamental aspects of cooking is to change the texture of a product. The texture of foods is critically important for their presentation and consumption. After all, nobody likes something that is mushy when it should be crunchy – right?

There are numerous technique for changing the texture of food[11]. Many of the techniques are used to prepare a raw product into a finished product, while others convert or transform a product to meet a specific need. Here is a partial listing of textural techniques that Foodies can appreciate both as process and vocabulary.

Brewing or Infusion allows a solid to be blended into a warm liquid; this is very much like soaking a tea bag to allow the tea to flavor or infuse hot water

Caramelize or Browning is the act of allowing slow heat to release the surface sugars or gently char the exterior of meat; a prime example is caramelizing onions to release their inherent sweetness

Churning is a mixing action that facilitates the separation of butter from cream

Concentration or Evaporation allows a liquid to be reduced in volume thus amplifying the flavor of the dissolved solids; also thought of as a reduction

Crystallization is the process of removing all liquids from a suspension to leave only the crystals remaining

Curing is an aging process that uses salts or sugars to speed moisture removal and allow enzymes and other natural reactions to proceed

Distillation is a process of capturing the gaseous emission from