Glazing

Glazing is a culinary technique of applying to the surface of a dish a thin layer of a shiny coating — a glaze — which gives it an appetising gloss, a rich colour, additional flavour, and an attractive look. This technique is widely used both in confectionery and in the making of hot dishes.

In sweet cookery, glazing is the coating of cakes, pastries, gingerbread, and doughnuts with a sugar, chocolate, or mirror glaze (glaçage miroir), which sets into a shiny shell. In savoury cookery, glazing has a different form: here a dish (meat, poultry, vegetables, fish) is brushed or drizzled during or at the end of cooking with an aromatic sweetish-sticky liquid — honey, soy sauce, reduced juice, balsamic vinegar — which, caramelising from the heat, forms a shiny, appetising, glossy crust. Classic examples are glazed ham, duck, and honey-glazed carrot or turnip. The effect of glazing is twofold: it not only makes the dish beautiful and shiny but also adds a new layer of flavour — sweet, spicy, or sour. It is a technique that works at the boundary of flavour and aesthetics, making the final touch of a dish complete.