__NOTOC__ A cartouche is a piece of parchment paper cut into a disk that is used to cover food during

cooking Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or Food safety, safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from ...

. The paper traps

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

while allowing some to escape out the sides and center. When using

cookware Cookware and bakeware is food preparation equipment, such as cooking pots, pans, baking sheets etc. used in kitchens. Cookware is used on a stove or range cooktop, while bakeware is used in an oven. Some utensils are considered both cookwar ...

lid A lid or cover is part of a container, and serves as the closure (container), closure or Seal (mechanical), seal, usually one that completely closes the object. Lids can be placed on small containers such as Tub (container), tubs as well as large ...

s can be placed on, off, or ajar. By covering with a lid, steam within a pot or pan cooks food, preventing reduction and browning. Compared to such a method, using a cartouche reduces cooking time and produces a more evenly cooked final product. This is because lids more easily absorb energy than parchment paper, producing

condensation Condensation is the change of the state of matter from the gas phase into the liquid phase, and is the reverse of vaporization. The word most often refers to the water cycle. It can also be defined as the change in the state of water vapor ...

on the lid and reducing the amount of steam that is cooking the food. The condensation's uneven distribution also creates cool areas, reducing consistency. Leaving a lid ajar can create some similar effects and requires less effort, although it can be difficult to establish how open it should be to release a desired amount of steam, and the steam is released unevenly. When used to cover a

sauce In cooking, a sauce is a liquid, cream, or semi- solid food, served on or used in preparing other foods. Most sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavour, texture, and visual appeal to a dish. ''Sauce'' is a French wor ...

, a cartouche prevents a skin from forming. They may be used to braise or poach foods. Preparing a cartouche requires a square of parchment paper larger than the cooking vessel. It is folded in half twice, creating a smaller square, then folded diagonally repeatedly to form an elongated triangle. Holding the triangle's most acute point at the center of the cookware, the side is trimmed to allow the parchment to fit snugly, and the triangle's tip is cut off. Unfolding the paper reveals a disk with a small vent at the center. In some applications are directly buttered before being used. Cartouches are single-use for hygiene purposes.

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