{"id":1207,"date":"2011-09-28T17:22:32","date_gmt":"2011-09-28T17:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/?p=1207"},"modified":"2017-11-08T15:36:53","modified_gmt":"2017-11-08T15:36:53","slug":"how-to-bread-fish-meat-and-vegetables","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookhappylivehealthy.org\/blog\/how-to-bread-fish-meat-and-vegetables\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Bread Fish, Meat and Vegetables"},"content":{"rendered":"

One building block cooking technique, dozens of dishes<\/span><\/h2>\n

Here at EveryDay Good Eating, we like to take the mystery out of cooking.\u00a0 We believe everyone can make–and deserves to enjoy–deliciously healthful food, everyday.\u00a0 That’s why we teach basic, building block cooking techniques that can be mixed and matched to create a wide range of dishes.\u00a0 Breading is a perfect example.\u00a0 It’s an easy and inexpensive technique that can be applied to lots of different foods to create dozens of different dishes.<\/p>\n

\"Breaded<\/a>
Breading eggplant adds fast elegance to this somewhat bland vegetable, creating a perfect palette for a fresh tomato topping<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Why We Love Breading<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 Who doesn’t end up with bread crusts that no one wants?\u00a0 Turn them into breadcrumbs and they won’t end up creating environmental havoc in a landfill.*\u00a0 Meanwhile, you’ll save grocery dollars and end up with a form of kitchen gold.\u00a0 Coat an ordinary food with breadcrumbs and suddenly it gets a welcome flavor boost and becomes something special, especially beneficial for blander foods like eggplant and zucchini.\u00a0 Breading also helps retain moisture for delicate foods like fish and chicken breasts that dry out\u00a0 easily when cooked.<\/p>\n

Basic Breading Technique\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n
    \"Dipping<\/a>
    Step 1: Dip the food in a "wash," here a mixture of olive oil, milk, mayonnaise and fresh herbs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Dip a food in some kind of “wash,” like egg or milk<\/li>\n

  2. Coat it with breadcrumbs<\/li>\n
  3. Fry or bake until the breading browns and crisp.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Those are the basic elements of breading, although you’ll see dozens of variations in recipes.\u00a0 Sometimes, sturdier and moister foods (like chicken breasts) aren’t dipped in a wash at all, or foods are dipped in flour before the wash.\u00a0 The liquids used for a wash can vary from recipe to recipe.\u00a0 Finally, delightful variety can be achieved by including herbs, spices and other flavors with the breadcrumbs or by swapping the crumbs for different flours, cornmeal, crushed corn flakes or cracker crumbs.<\/p>\n

    \"Dipping
    Step 2: Coat the slices in finely ground breadcrumbs. Here we used whole grain, gluten free crrumbs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    Making It Healthy<\/span><\/strong>\u00a0 Breaded foods are often equated to unhealthy foods.\u00a0 Think chicken nuggets, fish n’ chips and eggplant parmigiana style.\u00a0 These\u00a0 foods are coated thickly with white breadcrumbs then thrown in a deep frier where they absorb ungodly amounts of bad fats.\u00a0\u00a0 Don’t let these examples dissuade you from experimenting with this easy and delicious technique.<\/p>\n