Cooking Methods

Cooking Methods

1. Dry Heat

   • Can cook food using direct or indirect heat.
   • The food being prepared should be naturally tender or have added moisture because some food loses moisture and becomes dry when a dry heat cooking method is used.
   • How to add moisture:
     • Barding: Wrapping an item with strips of fat. This is usually done with lean meats.
     • 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
   • Types of methods:
     • With fat and oil:
       • Sauteing: Cooks food quickly using a small amount of fat over moderately high heat.
       • Deep Fry: Requires that food be battered and completely submerged in hot oil until it is done.
       • Stir-Fry: uses high heat with a small amount of fat (oil).
       • Pan-Fry: Uses a small amount of fat (in this case oil), but uses a less intense heat than sauteing or stir-frying.
     • Without fat:
       • Broiling: Uses high heat from a source located above the food to cook it rapidly.
       • Grilling: Food is cooked on a grill grate or rack above the heat source .
       • Roasting/Baking: Cooks food with hot, dry heat in the oven.

2. Moist Heat

   • Results in food that is delicately flavored and moist. They also provide a healthier alternative to some dry-eat methods like frying.
   • Types of Methods:
     • Simmering:Requires that food be completely submerged in a liquid that is a constant, moderate temperature.
     • Boiling:When a liquid reaches boiling temperature in the form of LARGE bubbles. (212 F )
     • Poaching:When poaching, cook food between 160F and 180F.
       • The liquid should show some motion, but no air bubbles should break the surface.
     • Blanching: A variation of boiling. 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.