The verb gratinate has its etymological origin in the French word gratiner . The action of gratinating consists of toasting the surface layer of a food , usually in the oven.
The act and result of gratin is known as gratin , as is this technique . To gratin a food, it must be placed under a high-intensity heat source, so that its top part is toasted.
The goal of gratin is for the top layer to brown and become crispy . In this way, a new texture is created and the interior of the food is protected, managing to maintain the aromas and juices.
So that this crunchy layer is generated when gratin, the preparation is often covered with white sauce or bechamel, grated cheese or bread crumbs. The heat , in this way, directly impacts this aggregate.
Bechamel sauce is considered one of the easiest to prepare. The ingredients needed are flour, butter, milk, nutmeg and white pepper. The first step is to melt the butter. Next, we must add the flour and fry the mixture . Little by little, we must add the milk (it is important that it is cold) and dissolve everything with a whisk. When it boils, it's time to add a little nutmeg and white pepper.
At home, to gratin a meal, it is placed in the lower part of the kitchen , causing the fire to reach above it. Professional chefs, for their part, usually have a torch to apply the flame directly to the dish manually.
Pastas are among the foods that are usually gratinated. Gratin lasagna , for example, is very popular. You can also gratin noodles with bechamel or cream sauce, previously sprinkling grated cheese.
It is even possible to gratin desserts and sweet preparations. The crumble is prepared by covering fresh fruit with a mixture of lard (butter), sugar and flour that is grated so that the heat hardens the coating and softens the fruit .
Returning to salty food, we must point out that for people who love cheese in all its varieties, gratin is a technique that they cannot miss, since it gives an exceptional finish to the dishes, both in its appearance and in the texture and consistency. Whether we are preparing a pizza, cannelloni or lasagna, grilling cheese is a ticket to success when it comes to bringing them to the table .
As mentioned in a previous paragraph, at home the oven is used as the main tool to gratin dishes, although this does not mean that it is an easy task. Most models offer us the option of activating only the upper fire , or even boosting it more than the lower one, although this depends on the brand. This can be very useful if we have already cooked the food and decide to add a gratin layer at the last minute, since we can simply apply heat on top to prevent the base from burning.
One of the secrets of good food is that the same ingredient can acquire different apparent flavors, depending on the way in which it is cooked. Let's take the example of the potato : boiling it is not the same as baking it in slices or frying it in sticks, and these are just three of the many possibilities that this wonderful vegetable offers us, which can also be used to prepare mashed potatoes or sliced potatoes. Well, gratin also alters the flavor of the products, opening a new world of possibilities, such as using them in more than one state simultaneously.