What’s Cooking is a series in which I answer questions and share advice about food and cooking that you have but may be too shy to ask.
I know at times it may seem tedious or fussy when a recipe suggests that you crush rather than chop or puree instead of pound. In the larger scheme of things it may not seem important but if you are seeking a certain result in flavour, texture, taste, and appearance, then it matters. Specific treatments are about the releasing of essential oils and the exposure of surface area; both elements lend themselves directly to flavouring and spicing a dish – intensely or subtly. There are times when things are to be left whole or be cut into large pieces; this determination affects the texture as well as the cooking times, temperature, and overall taste of a finished dish.
Bruise, bash, chop, crack, crush, grind, pound, smash – are among the many applications we make to ingredients when cooking.