Tasting Menu

Definition

A multi-course meal where the chef decides what you eat, how much you eat, and how much you pay -- which is always a lot. It's the culinary equivalent of a trust fall that lasts three hours and costs more than your car payment.

Example Usage

"We did the 12-course tasting menu. By course 8, I couldn't tell if I was full, emotional, or having a spiritual experience. All three, probably."

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glutamate

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tournant

A swing cook who can work any station in the kitchen, filling in wherever needed. They're the utility players of the culinary world, skilled at everything but master of being flexible.

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tempering

Gradually equalizing temperatures between ingredients to prevent curdling, seizing, or thermal shock. The delicate dance of slowly introducing cold eggs to hot liquid without making scrambled egg soup.

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rondeau

A wide, shallow, round pan with two loop handles that's basically a sauté pan's bigger, more capable sibling. Essential for braising, shallow poaching, and proving you know your equipment names in French.

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render

The process of cooking fat out of meat at low temperature until it liquefies, leaving behind crispy bits and liquid gold. Patience is required; high heat will burn instead of beautify.

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push it

An urgent command to send a completed dish to the dining room immediately, usually because timing is critical or the server has been waiting too long. No dawdling allowed.

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