John Myers
Gratinating is the gratinating of food to create a brown crust. For savory dishes like gratins or casseroles, cheese is typically used, sometimes mixed with breadcrumbs or breadcrumbs. In the case of sweet dishes such as crème brûlée, this can also mean gratinating or rather caramelizing with sugar.
The French “gratiner” derives from the verb “gratter”, which can be translated as “to scratch”: Because the crust sticks to the edge of the mold, it has to be scraped off there. It also makes a scratching noise when you cut open the crispy crust.
Meals are best au gratin if they are cooked in a dish that is as flat and heat-resistant as possible in a hot oven with top heat or under the grill. Since they are only baked for a short time but at high temperatures, the ingredients should either be cut very small, pre-cooked, or eaten raw. Otherwise, the cheese crust may already be burnt even though the other ingredients aren’t done cooking yet.
If the ingredients are rather dry, such as potatoes or pasta, they should always be mixed with a little liquid, for example, a tomato, cheese, or béchamel sauce. This way the cheese doesn’t dry out and a proper crust can develop.
Probably the most famous gratin dish is the potato gratin. Very thin slices of potato are flavored with a little cream and milk and garlic and baked with cheese. Other typical dishes that are gratinated are, for example, lasagne, moussaka, or cheese spaetzle as well as any casserole.
