The expert gave advice on choosing dishes for cooking New Year's dishes.

For many, the New Year is a real gastronomic event: jelly, roast, fragrant pastries, mulled wine. And although the ingredients are familiar, the final taste often depends not only on the recipe, but also on the dishes in which they are cooked. Olga Pastushenko, Röndell's leading brand manager, told Izvestia on December 18 how to choose the right utensils for each dish.

Jelly is a dish that requires a long and gentle boil. ​​It is important to avoid sudden temperature changes and ensure stable, calm longing. The expert recommends using a stainless steel pan with a thick bottom. Such dishes keep the heat evenly, provide a gentle long-lasting languor and prevent clouding of the broth. Volume plays an important role: a large saucepan allows you to put food freely, as a result of which the dish turns out to be more saturated.

"Mistakes when cooking jelly can significantly affect the taste and appearance of the dish. A saucepan with a thin bottom quickly overheats, which causes the broth to lose its transparency. A strong fire also spoils the dish: boiling violently destroys the proteins and gives a characteristic unpleasant smell. And frequent opening of the lid disrupts the stable heating, releases flavor and significantly increases cooking time," explained Pastushenko.

When cooking a roast, a combination of a ruddy crust and a juicy texture is important. Thick-walled cookware is best suited for this task, as it provides uniform heating. If there is little time and there are many guests, a slow cooker will help out, which allows you to fry the food and then continue cooking in the desired mode. Setting the time and temperature helps you perform the recipe more accurately and not constantly monitor the process. This is especially important for dishes that require long-term stewing. In such conditions, the meat retains its softness better and cooks more evenly.

According to the expert, mistakes are also typical here: thin dishes set fire to the bottom and leave the middle moist, excess liquid prevents the formation of a crust, and frequent stirring destroys the structure of the meat.

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Pies and cupcakes are classics of the festive tea party. To make the pastry rosy and baked, the choice of shape is important. Non-stick coated metal heats up quickly and gives a beautiful color, while silicone provides easy extraction and does not require oil or parchment. Pastushenko recommends paying attention to the technique, especially if an aerogrill is used: automatic programs help maintain a stable temperature, and the viewing window allows you to control the process without disturbing the thermal regime.

Also, the specialist does not recommend using too thin a mold, it quickly overheats: the bottom begins to burn, and the top remains unfinished. Another common mistake is to cover the surface of the dish with foil for a long time. In this case, the resulting steam prevents the crust from browning, and the pastry loses its desired texture.

"Mulled wine likes to be gently and gradually heated so that the spices open completely and the alcohol does not evaporate too quickly. Therefore, it is better to choose stainless steel with a dense bottom — it evenly distributes heat and maintains the desired temperature regime. But aluminum tableware in combination with wine acids can add a metallic taste," the expert said.

She added that the uniformity of heating determines the quality of any dish. Good cookware does not interfere with the process, but supports it by preserving texture, flavor, and moisture. If you take into account the properties of materials and the capabilities of modern technology, you can prepare a New Year's table without too much effort, and the usual recipes will get a new sound.

Analysts at the online retailer Samokat and the fintech company Humopeu conducted a study on December 11 and told Izvestia that cooking olivier salad remains a time-consuming process for Russians - almost half of the respondents (48%) spend from 30 to 60 minutes on it, another 16% spend from one to two hours in the kitchen. Traditional recipes with sausage and beef are still dominant: 70% and 14% of Russians cook according to them, respectively. However, there is a noticeable interest in adaptations: 10% of buyers prefer chicken or turkey, and 3% choose plant-based alternatives.

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