Cookery - Desserts

• Measuring equipment


  • Individual measuring cup for dry ingredients
  • Glass measuring cup for liquid
  • Measuring spoon for ingredients used in small quantity
• Mixing bowl

  Used for mixing ingredients, comes in different sizes (small, medium, large)
• Can opener


  Used to open food containers
• Cutting board


  Wooden or plastic board where fruits and vegetables are cut
• Double boiler

  Used when temperatures must be kept below boiling, such as for egg sauces, puddings, and to keep foods warm without overcooking
• Funnels


  Used to fill jars, made of various sizes of stainless steel, aluminum, or of plastic
• Graters


  Used to grate, shred, slice and separate foods such as carrots, cabbage and cheese
• Kitchen knives


  • Cook's or chef's knife (used for peeling and slicing fruits and vegetables)
  • Fruit and salad knife (used to prepare salad greens, vegetables, and fruits)
  • Spatula (used to level off ingredients when measuring and to spread frostings)
  • Citrus knife (used to section citrus fruits, blade has a two-sided, serrated edge)
  • Paring knife (used to core, peel, and section fruits and vegetables, blades are short, concave with hollow ground)
• Kitchen shears


  Practical for opening food packages, cutting tape or string to package foods or simply to remove labels or tags from items
• Scraper tools


  • Rubber or silicone tools to blend or scrape the food from the bowl
  • Metal, silicone or plastic egg turners or flippers
• Spoons


  • Solid, slotted, or perforated, made of stainless steel or plastic, used to spoon liquids over foods and to lift foods, including the liquid out of the pot
• Temperature scales


  Used to measure heat intensity, different thermometers are used for different purposes in food preparation – for meat, candy or deep-fat frying
• Vegetable peeler

  Used to scrape vegetables, such as carrots and potatoes and to peel fruits, best ones are made of stainless steel with sharp double blade that swivels
• Whisks


  Used for whipping eggs or batter, and for blending gravies, sauces, and soups, the beaters are made of looped steel piano wires which are twisted together to form the handle
• Wooden spoons


  Kitchen essentials, useful for creaming, stirring, and mixing, should be made of hard wood
• Baking pan


  Necessary for baking, includes loaf pans, cake pans, pie plates, baking sheets
• Kitchen equipment

  • Refrigerators/Freezers
  • Range
  • Mixers
  • Blenders
• Dessert balances out a meal and gives "closure" to the meal
• Eating dessert is an opportunity to experience different flavors and textures that you cannot get in other foods like vegetables, meats, and fruits
• Dessert can be an opportunity to be creative, you can make interesting mixtures that you otherwise may not have thought of
• Types of desserts


  • Fruits
  • Cheese
  • Gelatin desserts
  • Custards
  • Puddings
  • Fruit cobblers
  • Frozen desserts
• Characteristics of good fruit desserts

  • Appetizing aroma
  • Simple
  • Slightly chilled
• Types of cheese based on consistency

  • Soft (unripened, ripened by bacteria)
  • Semi-hard (ripened by mold, ripened by bacteria)
  • Hard (with gas holes, without gas holes)
• Characteristics of baked custard

  • Firmness of shape
  • Smooth, tender texture
  • Rich and creamy consistency
  • Excellent flavor
• Characteristics of soft custard

  • Velvety smooth texture
  • Rich flavor
  • Has pouring consistency of heavy cream
• Types of puddings

  • Cornstarch pudding
  • Rice pudding
  • Bread pudding
• Characteristics of puddings


  • Attractive appearance
  • Excellent consistency
  • Well-blended flavor
  • Firmness of shape
  • An accompanying sauce to add interest
• Fruit cobblers


  Not fruit pies, have a depth of two or three inches and are topped with biscuit dough rather than being made with pie crust, may be served either hot or cold
• Types of frozen desserts

  • Ice cream
  • Sherbet and ices
  • Frozen soufflés and frozen mousses
• Ice cream


  Smooth frozen mixture of milk, cream, sugar, flavorings and sometimes eggs
• Sherbet and ices

  Made from fruit juices, water and sugar, American sherbet contains milk and cream and sometimes egg white
• Frozen soufflés and frozen mousses

  Made like chilled mousses and Bavarians, whipped cream, beaten egg whites or both are folded to give lightness and allow to be still frozen in an ordinary freezer
• Ingredients needed in preparing desserts and sweet sauces

  • Sugar
  • Gelatine
  • Egg yolks
  • Egg whites
  • Fruit
  • Cream
  • Batters
  • Nuts
  • Chocolate
• Quality points to look for when selecting dessert ingredients

  • Sugar (granulated, castor, confectioner's, brown)
  • Gelatine (plain or flavoured and coloured)
  • Egg yolks (at room temperature)
  • Egg whites (fresh and grade A quality)
  • Cream (pasteurised, pay attention to use-by dates)
  • Batters (made from fresh ingredients, rested at room temperature)
  • Nuts (natural or blanched, stored properly to prevent rancidity)
  • Chocolate (various types available)
• Sweet sauce


  A flavored liquid blend of ingredients that adds flavor and enhances the appearance of the food
• Types of sweet sauces

  • Rich sauce
  • Light sauce
  • Hot fudge
  • Hot sauces (made just before use)
  • Cold sauces (cooked ahead of time, chilled)
• Thickening agents for sauces

  • Starch
  • Cream
  • Eggs
  • Rice flour
  • Grains
  • Cornstarch
• Categories of dessert sauces

  • Custard sauces
  • Fruit purees
  • Syrups
• Storage of sauces


  Kept in airtight containers in a cool dry place, away from moisture, oxygen, light and pests, sauces with dairy products should be kept refrigerated and not left at room temperature too long
• Accompaniments, garnishes and decorations for desserts

  • Dessert syrup
  • Cream Anglaise
  • Pastry cream
  • Custards