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I want to ask you something, I am teaching some vocabulary about menus in restaurants, and I don �t know what is the meaning of these words, I am really confused now:
Topped would mean a sauce of some kind poured on top of whatever. (or it could also mean that something has been place on top - like cherries, or chocolate pieces... ) Smothered means it has lots of sauce, way more than topped... Tossed is used mostly for salads and it just means the salad is literal mixed with the dressing Bathed is similar to smothered...
Well, Zora �s & LibertyBelle �s explanations are very good!
I would also add that if �bathed � is used on a menu it would mean more sauce (or whatever else you use) than you would give for �topped �. ´Smothered´ would be more than ´bathed´ and is usually a richer and/or thicker sauce or condiment.
Most chefs (myself included) that I know would probably use �bathed � when refering to a a dish that has been �basted �, �poached � or �braised � and is then served with the liquid used when cooking (i.e. the liquid used when �basting �, �poaching � or �braising �). If we use that term with a dessert it will usually mean less than smothered but more than topped - think �creme caramel � or self saucing pudding.
Smothered means a large amount of sauce or condiment. For example, you might describe a pavlova as being a �meringue �smothered � with cream and topped with fresh strawberries & kiwi fruit �
With �tossed � it would mean a lightly & quickly mixed dish or group of ingredients. If it is a salad it doesn �t necessarily have to have the dressing included. You could describe an Asian style stir fry as �x + y lightly tossed through a sesame & soy sauce �, for example.
You may find the culinary use of many words (particularly on menus) is not to be taken literally but more as a way to entice a diner into trying a dish. It has often been said that eating is as much to do with perception & psychology as it is about the actual ingredients of a dish.
Here �s something smothered with whip cream but topped with chocolate sauce. (close your eyes Freddie!) See LOTS of whip cream, compared to the chocolate sauce...
An example pf "bathed" - it is bathed in chocolate sauce:
Just think: bathed comes from "bathe or bath" or it is sort of "swimming" in sauce.
Smothered means "to be choked or strangled" - so the dessert will have A LOT of sauce or whatever... it will almost be too much..
And "topped" - is self explanatory... it is what is on top, but normally not in a huge quantity...
