写作方法2021slate.com
为什么食谱作者要谎报焦糖化洋葱的时间？
Why do recipe writers lie about how long it takes to caramelize onions? (2012)
导读
食谱作者为什么总把焦糖洋葱的耗时写成"几分钟"？这篇 Slate 文章指出：为了让菜谱显得简单，作者常常虚报时间，而真正焦糖化洋葱其实要近一小时。写作者值得一读，因为它讨论的其实是"如何诚实地描述过程"：时间、火候、可观察的判断标准，都是说明性写作的基本功。
可以直接用的写作要点
- 01
写步骤时拆分工序（如"先焖透再上色"），每个阶段各自给判断标准，别笼统写一句"炒至焦糖色"。
- 02
用读者能直接观察的信号（局部泛金、体积缩小、质地变软）代替模糊的形容词和虚报的时间。
- 03
别为了显得简单而美化耗时；如实写出时间，并解释"为什么值得等"，比虚报更可信。
- 04
术语要精确区分（焦糖化不等于软化），并交代自己的前提：用什么锅、多大火、怎么计量，读者才能复现。
HN 评论精选
把"煮透"和"上色"拆成两步，时间应服务于口感，而不只是颜色。
我真正弄明白，是看 Jean-Pierre 主厨讲这个的视频时。他用词不太妥当，把我们说的"上色"叫成"焦糖化"，但除此之外，他教给我的烹饪知识比任何 YouTube 主厨都多。焦糖化洋葱其实分两步：煮熟和上色。煮熟，也就是让洋葱软到能吃，最花时间。多数菜里用洋葱，都是先上色，再和整道菜一起完成烹煮。但单独做焦糖洋葱时，如果不花时间彻底煮透，风味即便接近，口感也不对；而口感承载风味，所以只上色的洋葱和真正焦糖化的味道就是不同。于是 Jean-Pierre 把过程拆成两步：先把洋葱盖紧放在极小火上焖，让它在自身水分里炖，至少 45 分钟；因为火极小，几乎像低温慢煮，想煮多久都行。最后再下煎锅上色到想要的程度。
vinceguidry查看英文原文
The Aha moment for me came when I was watching Chef Jean-Pierre's video on the topic. His terminology is unfortunate, he uses 'caramelizing' to refer to what we call 'browning', but otherwise he's taught me more about cooking than any other YouTube chef. There are two steps to caramelizing onions. Cooking, and browning. Cooking, that is, making them soft enough to eat, is what takes the most time. Most of the time when you use onions in a dish, they're browned first, then they finish cooking with the rest of the dish. But when you make caramelized onions by themselves, if you don't spend the time to cook them properly, they won't have the right texture, even if the flavor is close. Since texture carries flavor, browned onions just don't taste the same as caramelized ones. So Jean-Pierre separates the process of making caramelized onions into two steps. Cook the onions by leaving them tightly covered in a pot on very low heat, they poach in their own liquid. Leave them at least 45 minutes but since the heat is so low it's almost like sous vide where you can cook them as long as you need. Finally, you brown them in a skillet to desired color. Video for the interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5o-u7zjlShQ
食谱里的"上色"多为主观描述；读者应优先选交代方法与前提的作者，并用熟悉的菜来校验。
读了很多食谱、也看了同一作者配的图片和视频之后，我发现"上色"的描述非常依赖作者的主观。真正需要洋葱整体完全上色的食谱很少，真要如此，作者一定会特别说明。完全上色的洋葱甜香极浓，除了少数围绕它设计的菜（如著名的法式洋葱汤、各种焦糖洋葱蘸酱），多数菜里并不受欢迎。绝大多数食谱其实只要求洋葱局部或表面泛一点金黄——这已足够增味，加液体后味道会散开。经验告诉我，多数烹饪书作者是认真试做过食谱的；但我常被卡住，后来才发现是作者觉得不值一提而漏掉的技术细节，或者食材、计量方法的差异。我现在偏爱那种交代自己操作方法的书（怎么计量、需要高汤时怎么熬）。我也会先在书里找一道自己熟悉的菜，看它跟我的经验是否吻合，以及照那段描述我能不能做出来。
lmilcin查看英文原文
After reading a lot of recipes and watching pictures/videos from same authors I learned that the description of browning is very subjective to the author. Very few recipes actually required onions browned through (as in entire volume) and if they actually do, the author will for sure mention it. Onions that are completely browned have very overpowering sweet aroma that is undesirable in most recipes except the ones that are built around it (like, famously, french onion soup or various caramelized onion dips). Vast majority of recipes actually require the onion to just get little hints of being gold in places or some gold just on the surface of it. That is enough to add flavor that will distribute once you add some liquid to it. From my experience most cooking book authors seem to be testing their recipes. Many times I have been frustrated by being unable to get the desired effect only to find some missing technique that the author very likely did not think important enough to mention or maybe difference in ingredients or measuring methodology. I have learned to prefer books that describe the methodology used by the author (for example how they measure things, how they make broth if they use one in recipe, etc.) I have also learned to search the book for a recipe that I already know and figure out if it agrees with my experience and if I would be able to make the recipe from that description. Another important point is that usually you need to understand particular cuisine from which the recipe comes to be able to make it faithfully. Every cuisine is a little small system of thinking about how to choose, process and combine ingredients. Recipes tend to be silent on a lot of stuff that is completely trivial to natives of particular cuisine. For example, I have been practicing Italian, Indian and Thai cuisines for the past 20 years. I can make Italian, Indian or Thai dish on a pinch from whatever I can find in my fridge and pantry but I still can't make convincing Creole dish even if I tried. (edit) If you are asking for best books for beginners, I suggest to skip books and rather research the recipe on Youtube. Watch couple of people doing the same thing -- this is going to provide much more valuable information than you could ever read in a book. This mostly because having visual reference of how it actually looked when the person was cooking it will give you immediate feedback when you are getting something wrong. It is still my preferred way of learning new kinds of dishes.
术语要分清："焦糖化"和"软化"是两道不同工序，不同场景要不同处理。
我不认为食谱在撒谎，我认为多数人分不清"焦糖化"和"软化"。焦糖化适合以洋葱为主角的菜，比如法式洋葱汤，能带来浓郁风味；但日常做类似 mirepoix 的底味时，10 分钟就够炒掉水分、减弱硫味、把洋葱软化。加点高汤浓缩汁就能提升风味，不必等一小时。对多数人来说软化就够了，而食谱也开始改用"软化"而不是"焦糖化"这个词。
dexwiz查看英文原文
I don't think recipes lie, I think most people don't understand what caramelizing is versus softening. Caramelizing is great for onion focused recipes like French Onion Soup and creates a rich flavor profile. But for everyday recipes using Mirepoix-like flavor base, 10 minutes is enough to cook out the water, lessen the Sulfur flavors, and soften the onions. A stock concentrate can help boost the flavor profile without needing an hour. Softening is enough for most people, and recipes are starting to use that term over Caramelizing.
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