Culinary term

Question

This is for my info, I love to cook and would like to know how you translate to "bloom" spices. This is when you add them to oil (and maybe other things already sauteed) to get the aroma and flavor to come alive.

Thanks all.

Answer 1

I think the term you are looking for is just aromatizar.

Aromatizar es la acción de agregar especias, hierbas o esencias con el fin de dar aroma a una preparación.

Las hierbas aromáticas son quizás las más utilizadas para dar un toque original a las distintas comidas, anís, la menta, el comino, el romero, etc. También las esencias para aromatizar el café, el te o algún postre; con el fin de conseguir sabores singulares, los más habituales son la vainilla o la canela (ambas en esencia o en rama). En repostería para la preparación de postres, bocaditos o dulces se puede agregar licores para aromatizar los distintos preparados o bien para conseguir cremas de relleno con un toque borrachín.

Las especias también sirven para aromatizar los distintos platos, la más famosa y reconocida por su especial aroma es la pimienta.

Se debe tener cuidado en la utilización de los aromatizantes, pues en exceso pueden inhibir el sabor de los platos o resultar un poco fuertes

from reading the definition, that's not exactly it. This sounds more like the aroma only and blooming involves aroma and flavor. Maybe there's no word for it. - bellamora08, Dec 19, 2010

Answer 2

In English, blooming spices is different than using aromatic herbs. Blooming refers to briefly cooking spices at high heat in order to change the flavor of the natural oils they contain. Some types of cooking do this in oil, while others use dry roasting. I have no idea if there is a specific word in Spanish used to describe this.

Answer 3

Then, according to Lorenzo´s description...

bloom ==> saltear hierbas arómaticas

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Saltear es cocer vivamente alguna cosa en una sartén, con o sin líquido alguno, haciéndola dar saltitos por medio de movimientos dados al mango para que no se pegue o no se tueste (la cosa).

ok, saltear sounds better, although you have to stir it so it doesn't burn and not just swirl it; but this does come close! Do we have any chef's on this forum? Thanks! - bellamora08, Dec 19, 2010

well, it´s not to stir it. You make them jump on the pan to avoid burning them. you mean you swirl them in oil? then it´s like ´macerar hierbas´ - mediterrunio, Dec 19, 2010

I think saltear is a direct translation of sauté, which is something different. - lorenzo9, Dec 21, 2010

Answer 4

A pretty common use of "blooming" in a cooking context involves sprinking powdered gelatin into a liquid and letting it set for 3-5 minutes. When the mixture is heated, the gelatin will dissolve evenly, ensuring a smooth texture of the finished product.

However, I have no help for you with using spices to create or cause "blooming." Since "blooming" is usually related to flowering and related consequences, perhaps the word has been or is being extended to mean an improvement in taste or smell, but, if so, the use has apparenly not yet been recognized by an established dictionary.

I've never heard of the gelatin deal... - bellamora08, Dec 19, 2010

Answer 5

I'm a total disaster when it comes to cooking, so I'm not knowledgeable at all when it comes to its terminology. The word that describes the process of leaving something inside a liquid in order to soften it, or to extract its flavor at room temperature is 'macerar'.

Unfortunately I have no idea about the word used for this process at high temperature.. I would just call it 'macerar en caliente', although I'm sure there's got to be a specific word for it.

Macerar is more like soakig, which is a slow process. Blooming usually takes less than a minute to avoid burning. - lorenzo9, Dec 19, 2010