The Casserole Builder
Starch, vegetables, binder, cheese, the four layers that make up every casserole, individually selectable.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cook/bake time
- 40 min
- Total
- 1 hr 5 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
Starch, vegetables, binder, cheese, the four layers that make up every casserole, individually selectable. A casserole is not a recipe, but a construction principle: something that absorbs liquid, something that brings flavor, something that holds everything together, and a blanket that browns. Once you have the principle, you will never need a casserole recipe again.
Why this works
Every casserole solves the same physical problem: vegetables release water in the oven, and this water has to go somewhere, otherwise it pools at the bottom of the dish. The starch layer is the sponge that absorbs it, which is why pasta and rice are deliberately put into the dish *under*cooked, they finish cooking in the vegetable water. The binder is the second part of the answer: starch from the roux or protein from the egg milk turns the liquid into something sliceable. And the cheese layer only browns if it is dry enough, which is why it is only put on top when it is no longer sitting in the steam, otherwise it becomes tough instead of crispy.
