Two Kinds of French Cuisine

There are two kinds of French cuisine. There’s the haute cuisine that is considered the fancy, “dining-out” fare and the provencal cuisine that is simpler and more like what families would serve on a daily basis.

If you are going to study French cooking, it is important to understand the difference. However, it is often hard to learn about the differences unless you spend time in France and talk to some of the people and try a variety of different foods.

However, if you are already familiar with French culture, you are probably well aware of the differences. All you need to do is find some of your favourite recipes to test out. No matter what you do, keep in mind that even the fancier French cooking seems to have its roots in the cooking of the people. The flavours are just reinvented slightly.

Mastering the Sauces in French Cuisine

You can’t learn how to cook French food without learning how to make a proper sauce. There are several different kinds of sauces and the French have perfected and refined the technique over the centuries, as far back as the Medieval Era. And, there are hundreds of different varieties, even after you learn the French techniques.

There are, however, five different sauces. Once you master the technique for each of the five, you can begin to experiment with the flavours. Bechamel sauce is made from flour and milk, Espagnole has beef stock as its base, Hollandaise is made from egg and some other ingredients, tomato sauce, and a veloute sauce which has light broth such as chicken broth as its base.

Remember, master the techniques first and you will find that experimenting with flavours to develop your own signature is very important.

Learn About French Herbs

Most of us have probably heard of the Herbes du Provence blends. These usually contain herbs native to the Provence region of France and are used in a variety of situations. However, there is more to French herbs than that.

If you are going to learn about French cooking, you need to know what kinds of herbs are used in French cuisine. Not only that, but you need to know under which situations the herbs are typically used.

The French are fond of herbs such as thyme, basil, rosemary, lavender, tarragon, and winter savory. This has a lot to do with the fact that these herbs thrive in the French climate very well.

In addition to learning how to use them, you may also want to plant some of these herbs to use them. You can plant them outside in the warmer months or you can have an indoor garden year round.

Learn French Cooking from a Master

Since French cooking is considered one of the greatest and most sophisticated out there, it is important to learn how to cook it properly if it’s your goal to cook French cuisine. Unfortunately, you can’t always get a comprehensive education by reading a book and hoping for the best.

That is why if you take learning how to cook French food seriously that you should learn how to cook it from a Master Chef. And the good news is, you don’t need to enrol in culinary school to be able to learn under the best of teachers. There are plenty of masters around who may be willing to give you one on one instruction. Or if you are lucky, you may be able to find a class at your community centre that a master is teaching. This is the best way to learn the proper technique.