Day: January 20, 2022

Good nutrition is important to help us maintain vibrancy and resilience. Without it, our health, work, sleep, personal relationships and enjoyment of life may suffer. But with rising food prices, is it possible to maintain a nutritious diet? This is where budget-friendly recipes and tips can help.

Food prices reached a 10-year high in 2021 and it looks like relief won’t be on the horizon in 2022. The pandemic, recent environmental disasters, the labour market, broken supply chains and inflation are just some of the reasons why you may be feeling sticker shock right now.

Food Insecurity and Budget-Friendly Recipes

Food insecurity is on the rise alongside food prices. The recent global circumstances have exposed many truths about food insecurity and food accessibility that have existed for decades, and have only worsened in the last two years.

The ability to choose budget-friendly whole foods such as fruits, vegetables, and beans is a privilege and one that is not available to many people around the world. There are vast populations that not only cannot afford basic staples but also don’t even have access to them based on where they live. For more about this, we have a detailed post about food insecurity and the people who are making a difference.

Budget-Friendly Tips

Aside from budget-friendly recipes, these are some things you can do in your kitchen to help save money and make the most of the food you buy.

Eat More Plants

Most plant-based foods are less expensive than animal products, so incorporate plenty of vegetables into your menu plans, along with beans, legumes and gluten-free grains. If you’re going to eat animals, buy high-quality products and use them sparingly – make veggies the star of the plate, with meat as the side dish.

Focus on Budget-Friendly Foods

Some foods are simply less expensive than others – and the good news is many of the inexpensive options are true superfoods that are easy to find at most grocery stores. For a detailed list of budget-friendly foods, check out these resources

• Healthiest Budget Friendly Foods: Get More Bang for Your Buck and Bite
• Podcast: How to Eat Healthy on a Budget

Buy Local and Seasonal Food

Food costs less when it’s in season because it’s plentiful in nature. When you purchase from local farmers, the food doesn’t travel as far to get to you, cutting down on travel costs (and the impact of carbon emissions on the environment). Plus you can help support the local economy.

Try Growing Food

Whether you’re working with a yard, balcony, windowsill or community garden, this guide to growing food shares optimal tips to help you grow your own veggies, fruits and herbs. And don’t forget about things like sprouting, which you can easily do indoors.

Reduce Your Food Waste

There is a lot of food that ends up in the landfill. Store your food well to make it last, and try use up your fresh ingredients or pantry items before making a trip to the grocery store. Many of our students like to ‘shop’ their fridges, freezers and pantries to figure out creative ways to mix and match the ingredients for delicious meals.

Grocery stores and businesses are now embracing ‘ugly’ produce – these are the fruits and veggies that are still tasty and fresh to eat but have flaws in shape or colour, or have bruises. Give these veggies some love and as a bonus, they’re often discounted!

Start Menu Planning

Creating a weekly menu plan helps you reduce food waste, cut down on pre-made meals or takeout, and lowers dinnertime stress. Learn how to start menu planning with these resources:

• Healthy Batch Cooking 101
• 5 Essential Meal Plan and Meal Prep Tips
• Choose Your Own Adventure Family Meal Ideas
• Podcast: How to Solve Dinnertime Stress and Revive Mealtimes

Cook From Scratch

You knew this one was coming. If you want to save some cash, cooking from scratch is the way to go. Think about how much you spend on buying restaurant meals, takeout, pre-made items and drinks at the local coffee shop – if you do this regularly, it’s probably a lot. Cooking at home using fresh ingredients is not only better for our health, but will help you pad your wallet too.

And so, if you’re looking to get started with some budget-friendly meal inspiration, check out our favourite budget-friendly recipes.

best budget-friendly recipes for 2022

3-Ingredient Vegan Pancakes

3-Ingredient Vegan Pancakes by Green Evi

All you need are oats, a banana and nut or seed milk to make these pancakes a reality. Doesn’t get much easier, or inexpensive, than this!

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Creamy Red Lentil and Kale Soup

Creamy Red Lentil and Kale Soup by The Healthy Family and Home

A beautiful vegan meal packed with protein and fibre – and it’s ready in 30 minutes!

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Mexican Fried Brown Rice

Mexican Fried Brown Rice by Eat Healthy Eat Happy

A cheap and cheerful gluten-free meal that includes ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Easy!

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Vegan Korean Mung Bean Pancakes

Vegan Kimchi Bin Dae Tteok (Korean Mung Bean Pancakes) by Culturally Ambiguous Things

A flexible budget-friendly recipe that you can customize with your favourite vegetables and includes a fermented food for extra digestive measure.

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Avocado Tuna Cakes

Avocado Tuna Cakes by Well Plated

Protein-packed tuna cakes that you can enjoy on a burger bun, or pair with a salad or roasted veggies.

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Curried Chickpeas and Rice

Curried Chickpeas and Rice by Meghan Telpner  (*ACN Founder and Director)

A hearty, low-maintenance meal that yields a large serving – and is even kid-friendly.

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Grillable Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Burgers

Grillable Vegan Black Bean Quinoa Burgers by Jessica in the Kitchen

If you have a hankering for a simple veggie burger, this gluten-free and vegan recipe is just the ticket. Flourish with your favourite toppings and condiments and you’ve got yourself a meal.

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Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs

Pan Roasted Chicken Thighs by Life Tastes Good

Everyone always heads for the chicken breasts first, but the thighs and legs are much more affordable and ultra delicious, too. This 5-ingredient recipe pairs perfectly with your favourite gluten-free grains, roasted veggies, or a simple salad.

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Charred Romaine Salad with Tahini Dressing

Charred Romaine Salad with Tahini Dressing  by The Pancake Princess

Ever grilled a romaine heart? It’s life-changing! This recipe doesn’t need a BBQ, just a hot pan – and incorporates a simple and quick tahini dressing.

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Hearty Vegetarian Chili

Hearty Vegetarian Chili by All The Healthy Things

Nothing says budget cooking quite like a plant-based chili! Beans, rice, tomatoes, a bit of veg and spices. It’s an easy, cheap and no-fuss meal.

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5-Ingredient Pea and Mint Soup

5-Ingredient Pea and Mint Soup by Lauren Caris Cooks

With only five inexpensive ingredients, this vegan soup is a bowl of bright green goodness.

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Cauliflower Chickpea Masala

Cauliflower Chickpea Masala by Budget Bytes

This recipe clocks in at less than $2 per serving, and makes for a protein-rich and delicious meal. All of the recipes on this site offer an ingredient cost breakdown so it’s a good resource to use if you’re working with a tight budget.

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Hummus Without Tahini

Hummus Without Tahini by Munaty Cooking

Chickpea hummus is already budget-friendly, but you can make it even cheaper with this recipe that eliminates the tahini but doesn’t compromise the flavour.

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Simple Vegetable Soup

Simple Vegetable Soup by Lealou Cooks (*Culinary Nutrition Expert)

This clean-out-your-fridge soup recipe ensures nothing goes to waste. We love budget-friendly recipes like this one!

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Twice Baked Breakfast Sweet Potatoes

Twice Baked Breakfast Sweet Potatoes by What Great Grandma Ate

A very satiating and easy breakfast meal to fuel you for the day. To make this even more budget-friendly, swap in beans for the chorizo.

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Pumpkin Seed Zucchini Crackers

Pumpkin Seed Zucchini Crackers by Sondi Bruner (*ACN Head Program Coach)

Making your own gluten-free and grain-free crackers is much less expensive! This recipe is packed with budget-friendly seeds and zucchini, and is the perfect complement to salsa or dips.

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Almond Butter and Jelly Green Smoothie

Almond Butter and Jelly Green Smoothie by Simple Green Smoothies

This antioxidant-rich dairy-free smoothie will remind you of your favourite peanut butter and jelly sandwich, minus the peanuts. It’s appealing to the kiddos, too, so give it a try!

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Hungarian Goulash

Hungarian Goulash by Jan’s Sushi Bar

When using budget-friendly cuts of meat, hearty stews (or slow cooking) can yield a tender and flavourful result. Try this Hungarian goulash recipe stuffed with plenty of extra vegetables.

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Super Iron Supper

Super Iron Supper by Stone Soup

This quick and easy iron-rich meal will give you a plateful of energy-boosting power. For the vegans and vegetarians, there is also a meat-free version.

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Lazy Man Paleo Apple Pie

Lazy Man Paleo Apple Pie by Paleo on a Budget

Got apples in the fridge? Then you basically have what you need to make this gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free and Paleo faux ‘apple pie’.

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Gluten-Free Fudge

Gluten-Free Fudge from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring

A Paleo-friendly gluten-free fudge recipe that will satisfy your sweet tooth without breaking the bank.

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Cozy Winter Lentil Stew

Cozy Winter Lentil Stew by Cindy Spratt (*Culinary Nutrition Expert)

This hearty stew feeds a small crowd and is very easy to stash in the freezer for later.

Share your favourite budget-friendly recipes in the comments below!

The post 22 Best Budget-Friendly Recipes for 2022 appeared first on Academy of Culinary Nutrition.

Most people have enjoyed a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs at some point during their life, and many can’t help but come back for more again and again.

This comforting pasta dish may seem quintessentially Italian, but it did not get its start in Italy. In fact, many restaurants in Italy today don’t even serve spaghetti and meatballs.

So where did this popular meal come from, and who should be credited with its creation? Let’s find out more about the history of spaghetti and meatballs.

History of Meatballs

The star of this pasta dish are the tender and flavorful meatballs. Meatballs can be found in, but are not exclusive to, Italian cuisine. In fact, a lot of countries and cultures have their own version of meatballs. For example, Sweden has köttbullar, China has lion’s head, and Greece has keftedes.

Many sources say the first meatball was made in ancient Persia, but this is debated by food scholars. Nevertheless, these meatballs, called kofta, caught on and inspired new recipes as the Persians traded with neighboring countries and exchanged goods and knowledge. Meatballs were probably introduced to regions throughout the Middle East before making their way to Italy centuries ago.

Traditional Italian Meatballs

In Italy, meatballs are most often a stand-alone dish. Called polpettes, Italian meatballs are often served sauceless and are much smaller than the meatballs you’re probably used to.

Traditional Italian meatballs typically contain equal portions of meat and soaked bread, and other additions such as egg and vegetables. They may be made with beef, lamb, turkey, or even fish, depending on what meat is available. Regions of Italy use their local ingredients, and polpettes can look very different from one region to another.

If you want to explore new meatball preparations at home, you can take an online cooking class through Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Home Gourmet, in partnership with America’s Test Kitchen, to learn how to make Meatballs Around the World or Italian-Style Turkey Meatballs.

Traditional Italian polpettes

Bringing Spaghetti and Meatballs to America

Italian American cuisine is responsible for creating the spaghetti and meatball preparation we all know and love today.

Italian immigrants brought the concept of meatballs with them to America, but adapted this recipe to meet their budgets. This dish was probably invented by Italians that came to America between 1880 and 1920, when millions of Italians left Italy in search of freedom and land.

They desired diets rich in meat, after discovering that meat in America was relatively inexpensive. They made meatballs using affordable ground beef and indulged in larger portion sizes than they had had back home.

To bulk up their meals further, they added a generous helping of pasta topped with a sauce made of canned tomatoes. These ingredients, canned tomatoes and dried pasta, were cheap to purchase and easy to cook with. The dish we call spaghetti and meatballs was born of a combination of inventiveness and resourcefulness!

Today, people in America still love spaghetti. According to a news release by the International Pasta Organization on pasta trends in 2019, the average American eats almost 20 pounds of pasta every year, with long noodles like spaghetti being the preferred pasta shape.

Variations of This Classic Dish

Though spaghetti and meatballs is a simple dish, different riffs on it can be found throughout the U.S. Many of these differences can be attributed to which region of Italy immigrants came from.

Italian immigrants came to America from Abruzzi, Sicily, Calabria, and many other regions, bringing with them the Italian recipes they knew. Meatballs prepared by Abruzzese Italian Americans, for example, would be more likely to contain lamb, as this ingredient is an important part of Abruzzo cuisine. Meatballs prepared by immigrants from Sicily may contain pine nuts, which are native to the region.

The dish served in Italy that most closely resembles spaghetti and meatballs is probably beef ragù, two classic versions of which originated in Naples and Bologna. Ragù Napoletano and Bolognese Ragù have been served in Italy since the Renaissance of the 14th and 15th centuries.

This is a tomato-based sauce served over pasta, usually containing meat, spices and vegetables, red wine, and aged Italian cheese such as Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino Romano. The sauce is simmered for anywhere from an hour to eight hours, to allow the meat to soften and deep flavors to develop. The meat used, usually a combination of beef or veal and pork, may be ground or cut into large chunks and shredded. Often, a long noodle wider than spaghetti, like pappardelle, is chosen for this dish.

Controversy and Cultural Significance

Spaghetti and meatballs is a dish with both opponents and admirers. Some Italians find spaghetti and meatballs so outrageous that it’s insulting, while others, such as Italian Americans, regard it as an important part of their culture.

If you ever travel to Italy, avoid ordering spaghetti and meatballs unless you see it on the menu. But if you visit an Italian restaurant in America, ordering spaghetti and meatballs will likely mean you get a house specialty!

You can learn about the cultural significance of your favorite dishes and how to prepare them in our online cooking classes.

Or pursue your passion for the culinary arts with a culinary degree or diploma from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

If you enjoyed this post, you’ll like these too!

• Who Are the Disciples & Les Dames of Escoffier?
• An Introduction to the 5 French Mother Sauces
• A Short Bio of Auguste Escoffier

This article was originally published on December 10, 2013, and has been updated.

The post A History Of Spaghetti And Meatballs appeared first on Escoffier Online.

One of the five mother sauces, bechamel is a staple of French cuisine. This decadent white sauce forms the base of many other sauces and dishes.

Bechamel is simple to make, with or without a recipe. With enough practice, many culinary students, professional chefs, and even dedicated home cooks can recreate this traditional sauce in mere minutes.

You may be surprised to learn just how versatile a classic sauce like bechamel can be. Here’s everything you’ve ever wondered about bechamel, including where it came from and how to make it.

Origins of Bechamel

The famous chef Auguste Escoffier is often credited with developing the five mother sauces of French cuisine in the 1900s, building on the ideas of Marie-Antoine Carême before him. When Escoffier published Le Guide Culinaire in 1903, he introduced the five mother sauces as we know them today, and explained how to prepare and use them.

These sauces are referred to as mother sauces because they are basic sauces that “give birth” to, or form the basis of, more complex derivative sauces. These may be called daughter, small, or secondary sauces, and these tend to be culturally influenced and more complex in both flavor and preparation.

The mother sauces are tomato, veloute, hollandaise, espagnole, and bechamel sauce. Bechamel gives rise to mostly cream-based secondary sauces.

You don’t have to be a professional chef to have an appreciation for sauces and French cuisine. Through online cooking classes offered by Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts Home Gourmet in partnership with America’s Test Kitchen, you can learn about sauces, classic French foods like baguettes, and so much more.

What Is a Bechamel Sauce?

A bechamel sauce is a white sauce made by combining a roux and whole milk. This roux, a white roux, contains equal parts butter and flour.

Bechamel is made using a few simple ingredients: butter, flour, and milk. Salt and pepper are also important, but other seasonings are optional. Many people use bay leaves, nutmeg, or even lemon to bring depth of flavor to a bechamel.

Uses for Bechamel

Bechamel is often used as a sauce on its own, but it can also be used as the base of another sauce such as a mornay, a cheesy version of bechamel, or a soubise, a bechamel sauce enriched with cooked onions.

In traditional French and Italian recipes, you will see bechamel both standing alone and supporting other sauces or gravies.

By itself, bechamel may adorn a plate of pasta, a serving of cooked vegetables, or a filet of meat or fish. In more complex dishes like au gratins, a layer of bechamel can be used to bind ingredients such as potatoes and cheese together for more richness and texture.

How to Make the Perfect Bechamel

Before you begin cooking, gather your ingredients. The practice of preparing your ingredients and tools before cooking is referred to in French cooking as “mise en place.” This will allow you to control the speed of your cooking to prevent your bechamel from thickening too much or worse, breaking.

The quality of your ingredients is also important, as is often the case in French cuisine. Choose a minimally processed butter with a high fat content for an indulgent, creamy bechamel; European-style butter is often best. Organic milk or milk from grass-fed cows is not necessary, but you may find that you prefer the flavor. And of course, season with your favorite salt.

Try this foolproof recipe to make a bechamel.

Bechamel Sauce: Steps and Ingredients

You will need:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1 cup milk (room temperature or warm)
• Salt and pepper to taste

To combine, follow these steps:

1. Add butter to a medium-sized saucepan and place over medium heat. Allow to melt.
2. Sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly, scraping the bottom to prevent burning. Allow butter and flour paste, a white roux, to cook until butter is fragrant, and the smell of flour has dissipated. It should be lightly golden in color.
3. Add milk slowly to the roux, whisking constantly until there are no lumps. Let simmer to allow sauce to thicken to almost desired consistency—sauce will thicken as it cools, so don’t simmer too long. Remove from heat.
4. Optional: Strain sauce through a chinois or mesh strainer to remove any clumps.
5. Season to taste. If sauce is too thick, add warmed milk and whisk. If too thin, simmer longer.
6. Serve cooled or hot depending on recipe and preference.

Mastering Sauces and More

As a home chef, being able to create a rich and smooth bechamel for any dish can make you feel triumphant. And if you’re serious about cooking, the French Mother sauces are a great place to start.

As you get more comfortable in the kitchen and explore classic and traditional recipes, you may want to think about making cooking more than a hobby. A culinary degree or diploma from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts can help lay the foundation for a career as a culinarian.

To learn more about French cuisine and fine dining, read these articles next:

• What Spices Are Used in French Cooking?
• How To Make Velouté
• How To Make Espagnole Sauce

This article was originally published on December 10, 2014, and has been updated.

The post How To Make Bechamel Sauce appeared first on Escoffier Online.

As a passionate home cook looking to enhance your skills in the kitchen, there are three techniques you must learn: poaching, simmering, and boiling.

These techniques fall under the moist heat method of cooking, which involves cooking ingredients in liquids on the stove. Each of these three methods have the same concept of using heated liquid to prepare an ingredient, but they are also very different, especially concerning the liquid’s temperature.

In this article, we’re going to explore each technique, how they’re different from each other, and how you can incorporate them into your own cooking.

Poaching

Poaching is a very delicate French cooking technique used to cook ingredients such as eggs, fish, chicken, vegetables, and fruits.

Some popular dishes you may be familiar with that use poaching are eggs benedict, poached salmon, and poached pears.

The technique involves submerging an ingredient in a low-temperature liquid, usually between 160 and 180 degrees Fahrenheit. Many health-conscious cooks enjoy poaching because it uses little to no fat, but still creates delicious meals.

Here are just a few of the liquids you can use to poach an ingredient:

• Water
• Butter
• Stock
• Vinegar
• Milk
• Broth
• Red or white wine

It’s important to note that these liquids may be flavored with spices and herbs to enhance the taste of the meal.

There are two primary methods of poaching you can use when preparing a meal:

Submersion or Deep Poaching

Submersion poaching or deep poaching is often seen as the traditional method of poaching. The ingredient is fully submerged in the heated liquid and may be covered with cheesecloth or parchment paper. This poaching method is typically used with large cuts of meat or poultry to ensure that it is cooked evenly.

Shallow Poaching

With shallow poaching, only enough liquid is added to partially submerge the ingredient. Add your aromatics, salt, oil, or butter to the pot or pan followed by the poaching liquid. It’s best to use a pan that is wide enough for the ingredient to lay comfortably on the surface. Make sure to place a lid on top of the pot to allow the hot steam to thoroughly cook the ingredient. Poached salmon is an excellent dish to try out this method of poaching.

Simmering

Simmering is a moist heat method that falls right between poaching and boiling. It requires more attention and heat regulation to keep a constant temperature that isn’t too cool or too hot. This method is often used to cook grains, fish, shellfish, vegetables, legumes, meat, and stock.

When simmering an ingredient, the liquid must stay between 185 and 200 degrees Fahrenheit. You will notice small bubbles forming at the bottom of your pot or pan that may rise to the top. Wisps of steam will also rise from the surface.

The ingredient should be fully submerged in the liquid and even have room to expand as it cooks. Usually, meals that involve simmering will be left to sit on the stove for a bit to allow the flavors to mix.

Popular dishes that involve simmering include chicken soup, beef stew, and rice pilaf.

There are three different types of simmering you can use to cook your ingredients on the stove.

Fine Simmer

A fine simmer can be identified by scarce bubbles rising to the surface every two to three seconds.

Simmer

A regular simmer involves a constant rise of small bubbles to the surface of the pot.

Vigorous Simmer

A vigorous simmer will have a constant stream of small bubbles coming to the top along with wisps of steam floating off the surface. This is not a boil, though!

Boiling

Boiling is probably the most well-known method of cooking with liquid. You can identify a boiling pot when bubbles start rolling at the surface. For this to happen, the liquid’s temperature must be at least 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

When cooking by boiling, wait until the liquid is fully boiling before adding the ingredient. You can also season the liquid with salt or bouillon to add extra flavor.

The most common ingredients cooked by boiling include rice, pasta, grains, vegetables, and eggs. This technique is often used to cook tougher ingredients like dried pasta and potatoes.

Some popular dishes that require boiling include any type of pasta, mashed potatoes, and deviled eggs.

So, boiling is the highest level of moist heat cooking when talking about poaching, simmering, and boiling. With each method, the temperature of the water increases.

Master These Techniques and More with Online Cooking Classes

Want to know more traditional and essential cooking techniques to use in your own kitchen? Sign up for online cooking classes and get mentorship from professional Chef Instructors to improve your cooking skills.

Or consider an online diploma or degree program in the culinary or pastry arts from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

If you enjoyed this article, read these next:

• 5 Spices to Use Instead of Salt
• An Introduction to the 5 French Mother Sauces
• What Spices Are Used in French Cooking?

This article was originally published on August 17, 2015, and has been updated.

The post The Difference Between Poaching, Simmering, and Boiling appeared first on Escoffier Online.

It’s nearly impossible to be part of the culinary world, particularly its French-inspired niches, without hearing the term “haute cuisine.” But for many, this term is often associated with a certain elusive ambience, rather than having a concrete definition.

Let’s talk through what the haute cuisine movement is, where it originated, and what it looks like on today’s culinary landscape.

Characteristics of Haute Cuisine

Haute cuisine is a French term that literally translates as “high cooking.” When you picture fine dining in high-end restaurants today, chances are you’re thinking of some of the key elements of haute cuisine.

When it comes to ingredients used in a haute cuisine establishment, you’re probably going to see only premium meats, dairy, vegetables, and herbs — all sourced from high-quality suppliers. And the preparation of those ingredients? Chefs trained in haute cuisine will employ complex culinary techniques, like advanced knifework and multi-layer assembly.

Then there’s the taste to consider. Haute cuisine features pleasurable and harmonious flavors, with balanced seasonings and rich sauces. There’s typically nothing wildly spicy or overly sweet involved in haute cuisine as the focus tends to be on symmetry and equilibrium, making the meal a smooth and agreeable experience.

Finally, there’s the presentation factor; haute cuisine is nothing if not elegant and artistic, with meticulous arrangements and small to moderate portion sizes.

Haute Cuisine’s Complex History

This discipline has a fascinating backstory. It’s undergone many iterations with various historical influences, evolving over the ages to become what we now know as modern day haute cuisine.

Early Haute Cuisine

Initially, haute cuisine was enjoyed only by French monarchs and the bourgeoisie in the 1600’s. Prior to the movement, portion sizes tended to be grandiose, but that changed around the time that French Chef François Pierre de la Varenne was working for Marquis d’Uxelles, a French general and Foreign Minister. La Varenne prepared dishes in smaller portion sizes than were previously presented, using higher-quality ingredients.

Varenne’s popularity gave rise to French cuisine’s new focuses on taste, premium ingredients sourced out of season and from other countries, and more extravagant methods of cooking and assembly. There was also a heavier emphasis on the use of rich, flavorful sauces.

Other chefs like Antonin Carême influenced the movement as well. In fact, he and Varenne published cookbooks, like the famed L’art De La Cuisine Française Au Dix-Neuvième Siècle and Le Cuisinier François, documenting many of the recipes and culinary practices that many chefs still use to this day.

Escoffier and His Cuisine Classique

At the turn of the 20th century, Auguste Escoffier had an immense influence on shaping haute cuisine as we know it today. The entire purpose of Escoffier’s brigade de cuisine, or the highly trained hierarchy of kitchen staff, was to successfully prepare the fine dishes and elaborate presentation that was defining this type of cuisine.

During Escoffier’s time, haute cuisine was still a hallmark of the wealthy, and inaccessible to most everyone else. After all, it was the monarchs and upper crust of French society who could afford to staff a kitchen, provide the tools and equipment necessary for preparing the exorbitant dishes, and obtain the ingredients used for this type of lavish dining.

Escoffier’s specialized line of staff and practice of service à la russe (serving dishes in courses rather than all at once) became known as cuisine classique.

Haute Cuisine vs. Nouvelle Cuisine

In the 1960’s, a generation of chefs revolted against many of the facets of haute cuisine, forming a movement that came to be known as nouvelle cuisine. This newer type of cooking focused on the freshest ingredients — including those both local and in-season — in more minimalistic dishes with fewer seasonings and sauces, plus reduced cooking times.

Over the past several decades, modern day haute cuisine has become a hybrid of these two variations, maintaining its emphasis on palatable flavors and expert technique, while also prioritizing fresh ingredients found in-season.

Modern Day: Carrying the Torch

Today, many culinarians dedicate their careers to preserving haute cuisine and expanding its reach. The Disciples Escoffier International are a group focused exclusively on discussing French haute cuisine and uniting culinarians — from professionals to students — through organized events.

As far as foodservice establishments themselves, the entire Michelin Star grading system for restaurants is predicated on the successful execution of haute cuisine. This prestigious designation is earned when a restaurant uses the highest-quality ingredients, incorporates specialized cooking techniques, and presents food that is deemed to be of superior taste.

Hospitality establishments serving haute cuisine are thriving. For instance, high-end hotel chains like The Ritz Carlton offer guests one-of-a-kind dining experiences in world-class restaurants, as well as hosting the globe’s top chefs for culinary events centered around haute cuisine. Omni Hotels & Resorts has many sites where executive chefs are growing their own herbs in onsite gardens, curing their own meats for charcuterie, and even tending beehives that produce the honey they use in restaurant dishes.

And many restaurants utilize the central tenets of haute cuisine — some without even acknowledging it. For example, using fresh, high-quality ingredients is a principal practice in the farm-to-table movement. And most fine food service establishments heavily focus on presentation of the dish — another characteristic of haute cuisine.

Haute Cuisine’s Future

While some feel strongly about sticking closely to the early foundations of haute cuisine, like Michelin Star restaurants and high-end hotel groups, many have woven the movement’s influences into other types of cuisine or restaurant concepts.

In fact, there’s never been a better time to learn the foundations of haute cuisine, as many restaurants and other hospitality establishments are looking to stay competitive and draw in business with high-quality food service.

You can start exploring your favorite dishes and their histories with Escoffier’s online cooking classes. Ready to pursue your passion even further? Look into your culinary degree or diploma options from Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts.

Want to read more about the origins of your favorite foods? Try these articles next:

• A History Of Spaghetti And Meatballs
• How To Make Petit Fours: A Brief History & Recipes
• What Spices Are Used in French Cooking?

This article was originally published on October 20, 2014, and has since been updated.

The post What is Haute Cuisine? appeared first on Escoffier Online.