Finish It All Off With Breadcrumbs
Often added before cooking as a binder (for meatballs) or a coating (for chicken cutlets), breadcrumbs can be mistaken for something to cook. But the breadcrumbs are already cooked. They are bread. They are tasty, crunchy and deserve your attention. Not only as a cooking ingredient, but also as a finishing ingredient.
Serving breadcrumbs with food creates a wonderful effect. Think of it like adding croutons to a salad, but very small. (And you don’t have to make a salad.) It can help reinforce the crust of already breaded ingredients that may have lost some texture, or give the desired crispiness to something you never thought you needed a crispy crust on. One of the best ways I’ve experienced them has been in a meal of Braised Steak Strips and Brazilian Farofa . (Farofa is “breadcrumbs” made from cassava , more on that later.) I don’t usually imagine a steak cooked this way—heavily marinated and soaked in sauce—can have a crispy outer layer. However, after trying a piece garnished with farofa sauce, I was sold.
The most practical way to apply breadcrumbs to something is to sprinkle them with a spoon on top (such as fragrant fairy dust) or simply use them as a sauce: scatter the crumbs on a plate or dip your forks of food directly into the crumbs. . I prefer to use the dipping method for meat because it gives excellent coverage; dip everything that has a little bit of moisture, and the crumbs will stick perfectly.
Steamed or pan-fried vegetables, rice, grilled chicken, or tofu: If you have them on your plate, it’s best to coat them in breadcrumbs. This lovely meatball tastes great, but have you eaten it as a crispy breaded meatball? Soak it! An added benefit is that if, for some inscrutable reason, you don’t prefer it, you can set aside the breaded dish and continue with your sad, uncracked monotexture meal.
As noted, this post-breading technique can be used with many types of crumbs, including other types of starches such as cassava root farofa , panko, or crushed crackers . Make your own crumble sauce by tossing your favorite ranch-flavored croutons into a food processor, adding seasoning or fried onions, or simply use the can of Italian-style breadcrumbs that sits in the back of the cabinet.
Finishing with crumbs can take an already delicious meal to the next level, as well as being called on as a Hail Mary to rescue frustratingly wet food from delivery and make it edible again. Like that chicken sandwich that was described as “crispy” but was obviously soggy when you opened the package. (I’m talking to you, Popeye.)