category: kitchen preparation

breading, to bread, coating, to coat, to crumb, de.: panieren fr.: panure, chapelure

To bread or crumb are terms for coating (prepared) food (i.e.: meat, giblets, variety meats, vegetables or fish) with different ingredients.

Food can be coated with:

• breadcrumbs or chapelure (fr.)
• white breadcrumbs (fr.: mie de pain)
• rusk crumbs (fr.: chapelure de biscottes)
• grated coconut (see also: coconut) mixed with breadcrumbs
• grated parmesan cheese or other extra-hard cheese varieties mixed with breadcrumbs
• sesame seeds mixed with breadcrumbs

The coating seals the food and prevents the juices from flowing out during cooking. This means that the aroma of the dish is conserved and therefore the taste is much better.

Foods (for example: Schnitzel or pork chops) should be seasoned before they are breaded. Salt used for the seasoning attracts water. Therefore food should be breaded only shortly before it is cooked. Otherwise the coating will soften and dissolve during cooking.

Breading is not to be confused with panada. While the French terms are similar (panure and panade) and sometimes mixed up, the meaning is totally different. While panada is a mixture to bind and thicken dishes, breading or panure is a coating.