cooking methods

cooking methods

1. Cooking is the process for preparing food for eating, yet there are a variety of ways to get the job done.

   • To be a good chef you must know the best way to prepare different foods.
     • When cooking meats, coose moist methods for touch cuts and dry methods for tender cuts.
       • Fat provides moisture, tenderness, and flavor to meats.

2. 2 main methods of cooking: dry and moist heat

   • Dry heat cooking methods can cook food using direct or in-direct heat.
     • foods can lose moisture so you want to make sure they are tender before cooking, or add moisture
       • Barding: Wrapping an item with strips of fat. This is usually done with lean meats. Think bacon wrapped chicken breast.
         • Larding: Inserting long strips of fat into a naturally lean piece of meat with a special needle
           • Marinating: Soaking an item in wet and dry ingredients to provide flavor and moisture
             • ways you can dry heat cook: Broiling Grilling Roasting Baking, Sauteing Pan- Frying Stir-Frying Deep-Frying
   • Moist heat cooking methods result in food that is delicately flavored and moist. They also provide a healthier alternative to some dry-eat methods like frying.
     • methods of cooking with moist heat: Boiling Simmering Poaching Blanching Steaming
       • Simmering requires that food be completely submerged in a liquid (water, broth, etc.) that is a constant, moderate temperature.
         • Simmering and boiling are often confused, but simmering differs in that the bubbles rise gently and just begin to break the surface.
           • boiling is only good for a few foods such as pasta and corn. Boiling occurs when liquid reaches boiling temperature in the form of LARGE bubbles. 212 F for water
             • Use a Saucepan or pot large enough to hold the food and boiling liquid. The boil should continue as the food cooks unless stated in the recipe.
               • boiling has the highest nutrient loss compared to any other cooking method.
                 • When poaching, cook food between 160*F and 180*F. The liquid should show some motion, but no air bubbles should break the surface. Chicken, seafood, and eggs are the most commonly poached foods.
                   • Blanching is a variation of boiling. Simply put, blanching on partially cooks food referred to as par-cooking. This allows food to be completely cooked later and is a common method used to prep vegetables.
                     • Steaming cooks food by surrounding it with steam in a confined area like a steam basket or cabinet. Steam cooks the food through direct contact. Vegetables steam well and are some of the most commonly steamed foods.