Matching the appropriate methods for different ingredients will allow you to:
- Bring the best flavors and goodness out of the ingredients
- Preserve the maximum nutrients in the ingredients
- Save time and effort
- Reduce waste and maximize usage of all your ingredients
- Save money and stretch your budget.
Types of cooking methods
- Dry-heat Cooking Method
Utilize air or fat.
Broiling, roasting, grilling, baking, sautéing, pan-frying & deep-fat frying.
- Moist-heat Cooking Method
Uses water or steam.
Poaching, boiling, steaming & simmering.
- Combination Cooking Method
incorporate both dry- and moist- heat cooking.
Braising and stewing.
Dry-heat Cooking Method
Roast
Roasting involves cooking food in an uncovered roasting pan in the oven until golden brown and tender. It is generally the same as baking, but refers more to proteins and vegetables. Dry, hot air surrounds the food, cooking it evenly on all sides. Depending on the food, you can roast at low, moderate, or high temperatures. Choose lower oven temperatures for larger cuts of meat and higher oven temperatures for smaller cuts. The most common item that’s roasted is a turkey on Thanksgiving.
Bake
Baking is a way of cooking items in the dry heat of an oven. It is similar to roasting, but refers more to breads, pastries, and other sweet items. The key to proper baking really comes down to the proper ratio between the oven temperature and the baking time, which can be determined by the size or weight of the dish. In brief, the larger and more dense the item, the longer it will take to cook, and the smaller and less dense, the less time.
Grill
When grilling food, the heat source comes from the bottom. Think cooking a steak on a grill — the heat only comes from the coals underneath the grate. Grilling usually involves an open flame, but can also be done with a grill pan on a stove-top. Foods are cooked by heating the grill grates, which gives ingredients the charred, grilled lines.
Sauté
Sautéed foods are cooked in a thin layer of fat over medium-high heat, usually in a frying pan on the stovetop. Foods are just cooked until tender. Less oil is needed because the high heat prevents moisture from escaping. The browning achieved by sautéing lends richness to meats and produce. Three most important things about sautéing:
- Heat the pan (and then the fat) adequately before adding food.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan.
- Stir frequently but not constantly.
Pan-Fry
Pan-frying is done by adding enough fat to an uncovered hot pan so that the fat comes up about half an inch up the side of the pan. Food is partially submerged in the fat and then flipped over so the other side can cook. Pan-fried foods embody appealing qualities – crisp coatings, browned surfaces, and tender interiors. Think of the satisfying texture and taste of breaded chicken cutlets! This technique involves less oil than deep-frying.
Deep-Fry
Deep-frying is when food is completely submerged in a hot fat. The result is a crispy, golden brown exterior and a fully cooked succulent interior. The oil or fat used for deep-frying should have a high smoke point (the point to which it can be heated without smoking). For that reason, butter and margarine are not good candidates for frying; shortening, lard and most oils are. An average fat temperature for deep-frying is 375°F.
Moist-heat Cooking Method
Poaching
Cooking in liquid with a temperature ranging from 140°F to 180°F is called poaching and is typically reserved for cooking very delicate items like eggs and fish. The water should show slight movement and no bubbles. The food item remains in the liquid until fully cooked through and tender.
Boil
To heat liquid until bubbles break to the surface, or to cook in boiling water ,typically at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Foods are completely submerged in the boiling liquid and cooked until tender, then drained.
Steaming
To cook an ingredient with steam, food is usually placed in a separate steamer over hot liquid. The food is cooked by the steam released once water reaches past 100C (212F) from the liquid and does not come in contact with the liquid. Steaming is common method due to its fast cooking times, high heat and moist-heat cooking nature.
Simmer
When simmering food, it is usually cooked with a liquid in a pot on the stovetop. It is done over low heat, defined at 85C – 96C (185F – 205F) and tiny bubbles should appear on the surface. It is great for promoting flavor release in stews, meats and soups. Simmering is a more gentle cooking method than boiling and is often used for long and slow cooking processes because there is less evaporation than with boiling.
Blanch
Blanching is a cooking process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water to halt the cooking process. It is a must for almost all vegetables to be frozen. It stops enzyme actions which can cause loss of flavor, color and texture.
Combination Cooking Method
Braise
Braising is a combination cooking method that first involves sautéing or searing an item, then simmering it in liquid for a long cooking period until tender. Foods that are braised are often larger proteins like pot roasts and poultry legs. Keeping the braising dish covered traps moisture within and helps intensify the flavors.
Stew
Stewing is similar to braising because the ingredient is first seared and then cooked in liquid, but it uses smaller ingredients like diced meats and vegetables. If you were to cover the meat entirely, you would then be Stewing the meat. This produces a soup-like consistency and, obviously, is the preferred method for creating stews.
