Glossary of food and drink textures Part 2

In this glossary, you’ll find definitions and useful explanations of the food and drink textures that enrich our diets. In this glossary, you’ll find definitions and useful explanations of the food and drink textures that enrich our diets.

Getting the right texture for your fresh cheese

Whey: when you add an acid to milk, you get two phases: the solid curds and the liquid whey.

Curds: the substance that forms when the proteins in milk coagulate, which can be achieved by adding an acid (rennet, lemon juice, etc.). Curds have a solid, soft texture.

Rennet: a liquid that comes from the gut of young ruminant animals. It contains high quantities of enzymes that are used to coagulate the proteins in milk and produce curds.

Typicity: the degree to which a product demonstrates the specific sensory qualities (taste, smell, flavour and texture) associated with its origin and production method.

Textural impact: a change in texture caused by the different processes used in food production.

How to achieve a fluffy loaf

Fluffy: in the context of bread-making, this term describes an aerated crumb, and means the opposite of dense.

Supple texture: a texture that feels smooth on the palate, with no lumps or bits.

Elastic texture: a crumb has an elastic texture when it can be stretched without breaking.

Porosity: if air is introduced into bread dough, it creates little bubbles in the crumb. The porosity depends on the bread-making technique that is used.

Vienna bread: a type of bread made with butter, egg, sugar and water. It is similar to brioche and Danish pastries.

Open/tight crumb: the crumb can be open or tight depending on its density, which is related to porosity. An open crumb contains lots of pores, while a tight crumb is denser.

Enzymes: proteins with catalytic properties that can accelerate chemical reactions. The most commonly used enzymes in bread-making are amylases and lipases.

Ferments: micro-organisms (yeasts or bacteria) that cause fermentation. This process alters the product in terms of its nutritional profile and texture. Fermentation causes the dough to rise. Under the influence of yeast and a hot environment, alcoholic fermentation takes place. The CO2 bubbles produced in the process are what alter the texture of the dough.

Hard wheat: characterised by a high protein content, hard wheat is used to improve the baking strength of bread dough. The term refers to the ability of a mixture of water and flour to produce a stretchy but strong gluten dough.

Kneading: a crucial step in bread-making that makes the dough elastic and supple. When force is applied to the dough, gluten proteins create an elastic network that traps air bubbles, resulting in an airy texture.

Straight dough method: a bread dough technique that consists in reducing the fermentation time to 3 to 4 hours, instead of the 10 to 72 hours required for other techniques.

Direct fermentation: another technique in which yeast is used directly (1 to 3% of the total weight of the flour). The bread is kneaded, moulded, fermented and baked. The fermentation time is reduced to 3 to 4 hours, instead of the 10 to 72 hours required for other techniques. Direct fermentation gives bread a tight crumb.

Bread-making: a method for making flour-based products such as bread and bread products (rusks, Danish pastries and pasta).

Maillard reaction: a chemical reaction involving the caramelisation of sugars and proteins. This reaction allows the colour, the flavour and the smell of the bread to develop. During baking, some of the amino acids that make up proteins interact with sugars, and this interaction changes their properties. As the temperature inside the oven rises, a large part of the moisture evaporates from the crumb. As the crust dries out, its temperature increases, causing it to change colour and texture and resulting in that distinctive fresh-bread smell.

Fermentation activity: the rate of fermentation. The more intense the activity, the more carbon dioxide (CO2) the product gives off.

How to get the perfect ice cream texture

Potassium nitrate: a food additive from the preservatives family, referred to as E252 on food labels. It can be used in the production of cheese, cured meats and ice cream.

Sorbet: a frozen dessert made with water, sugar and sometimes fruit.

Fruit sorbet: a sorbet that must contain at least 45 g of fruit per 100 g of product, or 20% fruit if made with acidic fruit.

Ice cream: a frozen dessert that may contain whole or skimmed milk, cream or butter, sugar, vegetable oil, egg products, fruit, cocoa or coffee (source: Codex Alimentarius).

Soft-serve ice cream: a type of ice cream that’s made lighter by introducing air while making the cream, during the overrun stage.

Overrun/churning:  the cream or milk is mixed with sugar and sometimes egg until it has smooth texture. This is also the point at which different flavours can be added. During the various stages of production, air is introduced into the ice cream; this is what we call overrun. Overrun is influenced, for example, by the type of fat used, the quality of the egg yolk, or the balance of the recipe. Ice cream that hasn’t incorporated enough air will be heavy, while ice cream with too much overrun won’t have the desired taste.

Fat emulsion: a fat phase dispersed in an aqueous phase.

Creaminess: the smooth sensation left in the mouth by a soft substance.