Casserole – waist seal and girdle manufacturer – finger splint

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Casserole (food)

Gastronomy

Casseroles usually consist of pieces of meat (such as chicken) or fish (such as tuna), a variety of chopped vegetables, a starchy binder such as flour, potato or pasta, and, often, a crunchy topping. Liquids are released from the meat and vegetables throughout cooking, and further liquid in the form of stock, wine (for example coq au vin), beer (for example lapin la Gueuze), gin, cider, or vegetable juice might be added when the dish is assembled. Casseroles are cooked slowly in the oven, often uncovered. They might be served as a primary course or a side dish, and might be served in the vessel in which they were cooked.

Types of casserole include ragout, hotpot, cassoulet and carbonnade. A distinction can be made between casseroles and stews: stewing is a cooking process whereby heat is applied to the bottom of the cooking vessel (normally over a fire or on a hob), whereas casseroling is done in an oven to bake where heat circulates all around the cooking vessel. Braising is similar to casseroling except that in braising the pieces of meat or vegetable are larger, and cooked in a smaller quantity of liquid, which is not thickened. Casseroles may possibly be cooked covered or uncovered, whilst braises are generally covered to stop evaporation.

History

The casseroles we know right now are a relatively modern invention. Early 18th century casserole recipes consisted of rice that was pounded, pressed, and filled with a savoury mixture of meats such as chicken or sweetbreads. Some time around the 1870s this sense of casserole seems to have slipped into its present sense. Cooking in earthenware containers has usually been widespread in most nations, but the notion of casserole cooking as a one-dish meal became well-known in America in the twentieth century, particularly in the 1950s when new forms of lightweight metal and glassware appeared on the market. By the 1970s casseroles took on a less-than sophisticated image.

Use of term in the US and Canada

A characteristic technique of preparing casserole in the United States and Canada is to use condensed soup, specially cream of mushroom soup. Examples for casseroles that can be prepared in this manner are tuna casserole (with canned tuna, cooked pasta, occasionally peas, and cream-of-mushroom soup) and green bean casserole (green beans with cream of mushroom soup, topped with french fried onions). A comparable staple food, macaroni and cheese, can also be prepared as a casserole.

Casseroles are a staple at potlucks and family gatherings.

In Minnesota and the Dakotas, where they are 1 of the quintessential foods of the region, casseroles are referred to as hotdish. The potato casserole Janssons frestelse is a legacy of the Scandinavian immigrants of the region.