Key Points
French cooking is great because its simple core techniques help turn basic ingredients into rich, flavorful dishes.Mastering methods like emulsifying, deglazing, and sautéing builds deeper flavor and balance in everyday meals.Slow, careful techniques such as confit, roux-making, and blanching add tenderness, structure, and bright texture to home cooking.
French cooking is known for its elegance and precision, but it’s built on simple, foundational techniques that any home cook can learn. These techniques—whether sautéing vegetables, whisking a vinaigrette, or creating a sauce from the browned bits in a pan—aren’t just for restaurant kitchens.
Everyday French cooking methods give your favorite dishes flavor, depth, and balance. “French cooking is rooted in foundational techniques that allow simple ingredients to transform into deeply layered dishes,” says Samuel Diaz, chef at the Constellation Culinary Group. Ahead, we share expert insight from chefs on the essential French cooking techniques every home cook should learn, from confit to blanching. These timeless skills will take your home cooking to the next level.
Emulsification
If you make homemade salad dressings, you’re likely already using the emulsification method in your kitchen. Emulsification is the process of combining fat with a liquid to create a smooth, unified mixture. Think of your favorite vinaigrette, hollandaise sauce for eggs Benedict, or mayonnaise. The key to a proper emulsification is mixing the fat and liquid so they don’t separate, creating the ideal body and balance, says Diaz.
Deglazing
Diaz explains the process of deglazing—adding a liquid, often wine, stock, or water to a hot pan to release the caramelized bits of food, called fond, from the bottom. “Those concentrated flavors form the backbone of a sauce or broth,” he says. The browning at the bottom of the pan holds valuable flavor for the dish.
Deglazing is an essential step for a variety of dishes, such as braised meat, gravies for roasts, beef bourguignon, and French onion soup. When deglazing, the pan must be hot, but the heat should be controlled so it’s not so high that the liquid burns off immediately.
Confit
If you really want to impress your guests at your next dinner party, confit the meat. Confit is a traditional method in which the meat is submerged in fat and slowly cooked until tender and flavorful. You can use almost any meat with this technique. It’s simple but requires some planning and time.
To confit meat, Heloïse Fischbach, executive chef at La Mercerie, explains the process: Start by seasoning the meat with rock salt, spices, and herbs, and let it sit overnight—or five to six hours for smaller pieces. Then submerge the meat in fat—vegetable oil works as well—and cook it at a low temperature of about 210 to 220 degrees Fahrenheit for six to 12 hours.
Sautéing
Sautéing vegetables to pair with protein and a starch for an easy weeknight meal is a simple French cooking method you’re likely already familiar with. Sautéing cooks ingredients quickly and requires only a small amount of fat, such as oil or butter, to create browning and fond that enhance flavor. As you sauté, the food will begin to stick to the pan and brown. Many home cooks think this is a bad sign, but it actually develops the best flavor, says Fischbach.
Making a Roux
Creating a roux is a foundational technique that gives many French dishes their signature richness. To make a roux, mix a fat, such as butter, with flour. This combination creates structure and adds creamy depth to the rest of the recipe. It serves as the base for dishes such as gratins, soufflés, bisques, and stews, and classic sauces like béchamel.
Fischbach explains how she prepares one of her favorite French dishes that relies on a roux—potato au gratin. First, slice the potatoes into pieces about 3 millimeters thick, then cook them slowly in milk, cream, and herbs for flavor. After cooking, layer the potatoes with the cooking liquid and a small amount of cheese. The roux is what creates the thick, creamy structure the gratin needs.
After baking, Fischbach always lets the gratin rest for about two hours before serving to allow the potatoes to fully absorb the cream and tenderize. “When you have a beautiful gratin, everybody is happy,” she says.
Blanching and Glazing Vegetables
Knowing how to blanch green vegetables will make them tastier and streamline your food prep. To blanch vegetables, boil them in salted water, then shock them in ice water. This process preserves their bright color, while the cold water stops the cooking at the right time. The salted water also seasons the vegetables, says Fischbach.
After blanching, you can add a glaze to your vegetables. Using the emulsifier method, add butter and water together to create a glossy, seasoned coating. Fischback notes that you should gently swirl the pan to help the butter and water emulsify properly, creating a smooth glaze that coats the vegetables.
Dining and Cooking