(cuisson) à l’étuvée

English translation: quick-braising

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

French term or phrase:	(cuisson) à l’étuvée
English translation:	quick-braising
Entered by:	Sheila Wilson

05:43 Sep 7, 2007

French to English translations [PRO]
Cooking / Culinary / Cooking method

French term or phrase: (cuisson) à l’étuvée

The context is a food encyclopedia, the introduction to the vegetable section, and it is describing various cooking techniques: boiling, steaming, pressure cooking, baking/barbecuing, frying, stir-frying and microwave, PLUS two methods that would both I think be described as "braising" in English, but which are listed separately here as "braisage" and "cuisson à l'étuvée".

The description of the cooking "a l'étuvée" is "cooking vegetables in their own juice after sauteeing in a small amount of fat or oil. A small amount of liquid (water, wine, tomato sauce, etc.) can be added if desired at the beginning to start the process. Cover and cook over a low heat to blend flavors well and obtain a creamy tenderness. [La cuisson à l’étuvée] is especially recommended for squash, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions and shallots."

"Braisage", on the other hand is described as: "cooking foods slowly, covered, over a low heat, after sauteeing in fat or oil. Cook vegetables whole or in pieces. Braise vegetables by themselves or with a piece of meat to create tasty combinations. Braising especially suits harder vegetables (fennel, cardoon, artichoke, cabbage, celery, etc.)."

I would be grateful for any suggestions of how to render "cuisson à l'étuvée" in a way that maintains its difference from "braisage". I am thinking of translating "cuisson à l'étuvée" as "braising" and translating "braisage" as "slow/long braising" or "stewing" - thoughts?

Thanking you in advance.

Melissa McMahon KudoZ activity Questions: 78 (none open) (17 closed without grading) Answers: 515 Australia
Local time: 23:47

cooking in their own juices

Explanation:
It's not as good as the French, but there IS a difference: this is for quick-cooking soft veg, rather than braising hard veg for maybe hours. Often you don't add any liquid at all, whereas braised veg have to have some added.

As far as I know, we simply don't have a neat expression - isn't that why we use so many French expressions in cooking?

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Note added at 2 hrs (2007-09-07 08:04:40 GMT)
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How about 'quick-braising' and 'slow-braising'? Found these links for quick braising which seem to do the trick:

cookthink » Blog Archive » The DNA of a quick braise
- [ Traduire cette page ]
Quick braising is one of my go-to techniques for weeknight vegetables because it’s fast, forgiving and highlights a vegetable’s inner beauty, whether it’s ...
cookthink.com/blog/?p=136

Narrow Bridge Farm arugula
- [ Traduire cette page ]
Its delicate leaves wilt in seconds, so it’s best for quick braising, stir-frying, or to add at the very end of cooking. ...
narrowbridgefarm.tripod.com/recipe_info_arugula.html

Quick-Braising Vegetables - Fine Cooking Article
- [ Traduire cette page ]
Quick-Braising Vegetables. For long-cooked flavor in a flash, try this easy technique for delicious asparagus, green beans, and carrots. by Susie Middleton ...
www.taunton.com/finecooking/articles/quick-braising-vegetab...

Selected response from:

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 14:47

Grading comment

I used "'quick' braise" as the heading, and focused on the idea of cooking in own juices in the explanation.
Thanks to all - I was grateful for everyone's thoughts.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

cooking in their own juices

Sheila Wilson

braising

David Hollywood

stewing

MoiraB

2 +1

sweating / braising

Tony M

Discussion entries: 12

Answers

5 mins confidence:

braising

Explanation:
the descriptions 'à l'étuvée', 'à l'étouffée' (braised) and 'préparés dans leur jus' (prepared in own juice) solely for preserves comprising mushrooms and ...
eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:31989H0012:EN:NOT - 24k - Cached - Similar pages

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Note added at 20 mins (2007-09-07 06:04:17 GMT)
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vs: "stewing"

Stewing: A cooking method nearly identical to braising but generally involving smaller pieces of meat, and hence a shorter cooking time. Also, the dish prepared by using this method of preparation.
www.newitalianrecipes.com/cooking-terms.html

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Note added at 23 mins (2007-09-07 06:07:19 GMT)
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Braising: A method of cooking that involves browning meat or vegetables in oil or butter first, then slowly cooking the food in a small amount of liquid.
www.world-recipes.info/glossary/

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Note added at 37 mins (2007-09-07 06:21:31 GMT)
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Definitions of braisage on the Web in French:

Cuisson à feu doux en récipient couvert.
perso.wanadoo.fr/cuisinez/acceuil_termes.htm

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Note added at 40 mins (2007-09-07 06:24:41 GMT)
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maybe "slow braising" as you suggest ...

Find delicious pork recipes, like slow-braised pork with black grapes and balsamic, and other American recipes at Epicurious.com.
www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/232876 - 148k - Cached - Similar pages

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Note added at 42 mins (2007-09-07 06:25:55 GMT)
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Because the leg meat is so tender and juicy it is ideal for dry heat cooking or roasting, but also stays moist and delicious after long, slow braising. ...
www.californialamb.com/f_cooking.php - 20k - Cached - Similar pages

David Hollywood
Local time: 10:47
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8

Notes to answerer

Asker: Yes, it is usually translated as braising, but how would I then translate "le braisage"?

1 hr confidence:

stewing

Explanation:
I suggest you turn them round and use stewing and braising, as braising is by definition slow (see below). Came across a couple of sites that translate à l'étuvée as stewed e.g. http://fooddownunder.com/cgi-bin/recipe.cgi?r=115166

Search for definitions of stewing and braising (define: + term):

Braising
is a cooking method by which food is browned with fat, then cooked slowly in covered pot with little moisture at low heat for a lengthy period of time. This process breaks down the fiber of the food, enhancing the flavor and tenderizing the meat. A well-covered pot is very important to prevent water from evaporating.
www.cooking.com/advice/adgloss.asp

Braising, not to be confused with Brazing, is cooking with "moist heat", typically in a covered pot with a small amount of liquid. From the French "braiser".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Braising

Unfortunately the definitions for stewing tend to be very similar :-( but this wikipedia article suggests dicing is the difference:
In cooking, stewing means preparing vegetables or meat by simmering in liquid. Unlike braising, the ingredients are generally diced.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stewing

This refers mainly to meat of course, but you can also stew fruit - cooked in its own juice or with the addition of a little liquid, though of course it's not usually sauteed first.

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-09-07 07:05:19 GMT)
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Lots of recipes for stewed onions (www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,stewed_onions,FF.html), stewed squash (www.cooks.com/rec/search/0,1-0,stewed_squash,FF.html), stewed shallots (www.astray.com/recipes/?show=Stewed shallots and parsnips), etc.!

MoiraB
France
Local time: 15:47
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 40

Notes to answerer

Asker: My understanding of 'stewing' is that it definitely involves addition more liquid AND is often slow... more like "mijoter"?

56 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

sweating / braising

Explanation:
Well, your first description sounds like the cooking process I know as 'sweating' — although this is more often used to describe one stage in the cooking than the whole process — I've never heard of 'sweated leeks'!

That said, the optional addition of some extra liquid in you first one , 'à l'étuvée', makes it sound more like true braising (though I must say I usually do that in the oven!), whereas the second method you describe (no added liquid) sounds more like sweating.

So maybe you could use 'braising' for 'étuvée' and 'sweating' for 'braisage'.

Note that the tinned peas in my cupboard claim that they are 'cuit à l'étuvée', though when opened, there is nothing about them that suggests they are braised...

I think these two cooking methods are not so common in EN cuisine, which is possibly why we don't have specific terms that exactly parallel the FR ones.

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Note added at 1 hr (2007-09-07 07:13:45 GMT)
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I can't help thinking that the real problem here is that the definitnions given in Asker's FR context don't actually correspond to normal usage, even in FR!

Tony M
France
Local time: 15:47
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 410

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

cooking in their own juices

Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 14:47
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 56

Grading comment

I used "'quick' braise" as the heading, and focused on the idea of cooking in own juices in the explanation.
Thanks to all - I was grateful for everyone's thoughts.

Notes to answerer

Asker: Yes, I am leaning myself towards 'quick braise' - your suggestion of 'in their own juices' is also good (despite the annoying addition of other juices in the description!)

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

agree

Tony M: I totally agree, except that what you say is exactly contrary to the FR definitions given by Asker (étuvée = juices + added liquid, braisage = no added liquid) / I would have thought so, but...

10 mins

-> Thanks Tony - that's not the way I read it - I'm sure liquid is implied in the 'braisage' description as it's for meat and hard veg, rather than the soft veg cooked 'à l'étuvée'

agree

Melzie: I agree with you on this, I'm not so sure about the original's 'sautée-ing' at the beginning. Perhaps adding 'in a closed pan' or 'with the lid on' would make things even clearer. // I've added a link above that I just found

1 hr

-> Thanks Melzie - I agree with the additions but it's getting awfully long for a name of a process

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