Browning Meat

When browning meat, make sure the meat is dry. Why? If it is wet it will steam rather than brown. Also if you crowd the pan it will create steam. Don’t crowd the pan if you want to brown the meat.

Freshness of Mushrooms

Regarding the freshness of mushrooms, if the cap is closed/connected to the stem it is really fresh. If the cap is open and still remains semi-curled under, it is still fresh. But if the cap starts to fray out, then it is getting old.

Butter

Butter in the pan, is it hot enough? You can tell how hot the butter is by looking at the butter foam. Once the foam subsides, the butter is hot and you can begin sautéing, etc. Why is this important? If the butter isn’t hot enough, it just isn’t going to brown.

Be patient and wait if you want success. – Julia Child

Lessons from Julia is a weekly series where I post what I am learning from watching episodes of The French Chef with Julia Child starting at season 1, episode 1.