Vocabulary Lessons from Top Chef

Instead of weekly reviews which clearly I have failed to produce, I have decided to start working on my own "Top Chef" dictionary. Please read carefully. You will be tested on this material.

1. Brunoise: A brunoise is one of the most basic knife skills. Basically you are cutting your food into approximately 1/8th inch cubes. To preform a brunoise one mush first julienne the food, turn it 90 degrees and dice it again to make perfect little squares. Typical items that are brunoised are carrots or parsnips. On Top Chef the contestants brunoised apples. Some of them even started to brunoise their fingers. But not even the threat of stitches would stop them. The power of Tom Colicchio compels you!!

2. Amuse Bouche: This little delight is not an appetizer. In fact, it is not even ordered but rather brought to the table at no charge. One other difference that sets an amuse bouche apart from typical hors d'oeuvre is that it is usually only one bite. According to the Wikipeidia entry it is "literally translated to 'mouth amuser.'" And of course, they are not without a touch of fancy so the chef can showcase his creativity and skills. However, if that is the literal translation then I guess that means that to me, things like Cheetos and chocolate-covered pretzels are also "amuse bouches."

3. Robot Coupe: I added this one only because I always hear them talking about "the robot coupe" ("robot" pronounced "row-bow"). Every time they would say it I had no idea what they were talking about and all I could think of was "Robo Cop." I then couldn't help but wonder if there was some kind of secret kitchen robot that they used who couldn't be seen by the public or something. Turns out it is just a food processor. Lame.