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Earthenware: Traditional Clay Cookware
Earthenware refers to a range of ceramic containers used in cooking, serving, or storage, crafted from low-fired, slightly porous clays often finished with a glaze. While these vessels do not excel at heat conduction, they hold warmth effectively once heated, making them ideal for slow cooking and heat retention.
Éclair (ay-klair): Classic French Pastry
An éclair is a slender, oblong-shaped pastry originating from France, crafted with choux dough. It’s traditionally filled with a luscious pastry cream and adorned with a glossy glaze or icing.
Egg: Nutritional Powerhouse in a Shell
The egg, an oval-shaped reproductive product of birds, consists mainly of a yolk and egg white (albumen). Apart from being an excellent source of protein, it delivers significant amounts of iron, sulfur, and vitamins A, B, D, and E. Despite its benefits, one should be mindful of its relatively high cholesterol content.
Quail Egg
Smaller than the typical chicken egg, quail eggs possess a distinctive speckled brown shell and a richer taste, popular in gourmet dishes.
Egg Custard
A creamy dessert combining eggs, sugar, and vanilla, baked typically in individual ramekins or cups to achieve a silky texture.
Eggnog
This indulgent holiday beverage blends eggs, cream or milk, sugar, warm spices, and spirits like rum or brandy for a festive treat enjoyed worldwide.
Eggplant: The Versatile Nightshade Vegetable
Belonging to the nightshade family, eggplant is valued for its dense, khaki flesh that offers a mild, occasionally bitter flavor. Its porous nature allows it to soak up seasonings during cooking. Also referred to as guinea squash, it is a staple in Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and Asian cuisines.
Egg Roll and Wrappers
Egg rolls are popular deep-fried Chinese appetizers made from a thin flour-and-water dough wrapped around savory fillings of vegetables and sometimes meat. The egg roll skins, wafer-thin dough sheets crafted from flour, eggs, and salt, come in square or circular shapes and are widely used across Asian gastronomy to encase diverse fillings.
Essential Egg Tools in the Kitchen
Egg Separator
This handy gadget features a cup with a slit that allows egg whites to slip through while retaining the yolk, simplifying separation.
Egg Slicer
A kitchen tool with a hinged wire grid that slices a whole boiled egg into even sections at once, perfect for salads and garnishes.
Egg Substitute
Typically formulated from egg whites and other ingredients such as food starch and skim milk powder, this cholesterol-free alternative mimics eggs’ culinary functions.
Egg Wash
A beaten mixture of whole egg, yolks, or whites combined with water or milk, brushed onto dough prior to baking to create a glossy, golden finish.
Popular Egg-Based Dishes and Ingredients
Eggs Benedict
A classic brunch selection featuring a toasted English muffin topped with ham or Canadian bacon, a delicately poached egg, and rich hollandaise sauce.
Elastin: The Tough Protein in Meat
Elastin is a resilient protein located in connective tissues like tendons and ligaments. Resistant to breakdown during cooking, it often appears as silver or white silverskin on meat cuts.
Uncommon Ingredients and Culinary Terms
Elephant Garlic
Large, mild-flavored cloves from a leek-family plant, characterized by a white outer skin and a pinkish interior, imparting a gentle garlic essence.
Empanadas (ehm-pah-NAH-dah)
These are stuffed, deep-fried pastries of various sizes filled with meats, vegetables, or sweet fillings, prevalent in both South and Central American culinary traditions.
Culinary Science: Emulsions and Sauces
Emulsification
The technique that blends two immiscible liquids (like oil and water) into a stable mixture, fundamental in many dressings and sauces.
Emulsion
1. A temporarily uniform mixture of two liquids that usually separate.
2. Flavorful citrus oils dispersed in water through emulsifiers to enhance taste and aroma.
Iconic Regional Dishes
Enchiladas (en-chuh-LAH-dah)
A staple Mexican dish featuring soft corn tortillas wrapped around meats, seafood, poultry, or cheese, then topped with tomato-based salsa, cheese, guacamole, or sour cream. Variations include stacked enchiladas topped with fried eggs.
Endive (ehn-deeve)
Known for its curly, dark green leaves and slightly bitter flavor, this plant is sometimes confused with chicory but is cherished for salads and garnishing.
Gaining Insight: Grain Components and More
Endosperm
This is the main part of a cereal grain, rich in proteins and starch, primarily utilized in processed grain products.
English Cucumber
A slender, nearly seedless cucumber with smooth, dark green skin and a mild taste, often grown in greenhouses and preferred for salads.
English Muffin
This small, yeast-leavened bread is cooked on a griddle, sliced in half, toasted, and served with butter or toppings.
Refining Sauces and Main Courses
Enrich
An act of thickening or enhancing sauces or soups by incorporating ingredients such as butter, cream, or egg yolks immediately before serving, boosting flavor and texture.
Entrée (ahng-tray)
In the U.S., it typically refers to the principal dish comprised of protein and accompaniments, whereas in many European countries, it denotes the appetizer course.
Celebrities and Classic Components of French Cuisine
Escargot (ays-skahr-go)
The French delicacy of edible land snails, often cooked with garlic and parsley butter.
Auguste Escoffier
Legendary French chef who revolutionized culinary art in the late 1800s. He managed premier hotel kitchens in Europe and authored foundational culinary texts such as Le Guide Culinaire (1903) and Ma Cuisine (1934).
Espagnole Sauce (ess-spah-noyl)
A robust brown sauce made from brown stock, aromatic vegetables, tomatoes, and thickened with dark roux. It’s foundational in French cuisine, often serving as the base for demi-glace.
Coffee Culture and Culinary Enhancements
Espresso (ess-PRESS-o)
A concentrated Italian coffee brewed by forcing hot water at high pressure through finely ground dark roast coffee to produce a strong, velvety, and smooth shot, distinctively free from bitterness.
Espresso Powder
Ground, roasted espresso beans processed into a powdered form used in baking and confections to impart deep coffee flavor and aroma.
Aromatics and Flavor Foundations
Essential Oils
Volatile aromatic compounds extracted from plants’ flowers, leaves, seeds, or roots, valued both for fragrance and culinary flavoring in dishes and beverages.
Ethnic Cuisine
The distinct culinary traditions tied to a specific cultural group defined by shared heritage rather than geographic or political boundaries.
