Cooking techniques

• Cooking techniques


  Heating of the food, and heat is transferred to the food through different processes. In the process of cooking, specific changes occur, depending on the length of the cooking time, the temperature, and the cooking technique used.
• Cooking Techniques


  • Dry Heat
  • Moist Heat
  • Combination of Dry Heat and Moist Heat
• Dry Heat Cooking Techniques

  • The food is exposed to a high source of heat coming from below or above
• Dry Heat Cooking Techniques

  • Baking
  • Roasting
  • Broiling
  • Grilling
  • Griddling
  • Panbroiling

  
• Baking


  Dry heat by cooking in a closed environment such as an oven. The food is cooked by surrounding it with hot, dry air. Baking is considered the slowest cooking method. A convection oven may be used to cook the food faster because there is a fan that helps in circulating the hot, dry air inside the oven.
• Roasting


  The same as baking, but it requires a high temperature before cooking to reach a crispy brown surface. The food is placed in a rack to allow the hot, dry air to circulate and cook the food evenly.

  
• Broiling


  The food is cooked with the radiant heat from above instead of below. The food is cooked directly under a primary heat source. This technique is commonly used for tender meats, such as fish and poultry, as the food cooks quickly because it is exposed to very high heat in a short time.

  
• Things to Remember when Broiling


  • The heat should be turned on in full. The cooking temperature can be controlled by adjusting the rack nearer or farther from the heat source
  • Broiler should be preheated
  • Dipping in oil will avoid the food from drying and sticking. However, putting oil for high-fat foods is not necessary. Be careful about the amount of fat; too much oil on a hot broiler may cause a fire
  • To cook both sides of the food, it can be turned over only once to avoid unnecessary handling
• Salamander


  A low-intensity broiler that is used for browning or melting the top of food items before being served
• Grilling


  Cooking food over a heat source (may be charcoal, an electric element, or a gas-heated element) with an open grid. Cooking temperature is regulated by moving the items to hotter or colder places on the grill. Grilled meats should be turned to achieve the desired grill marks, just as in broiling.

  
• Griddling


  Cooking on a solid metal surface called a griddle with a gas or an electric heat source. A small amount of fat is added, depending on the type of food you cook, to prevent food from sticking. The temperature is adjustable and much lower (around 177°C/350°F) than on a grill.

  
• Grooved Griddle


  Has raised ridges, which are designed to create a similar effect of a grill on the food. However, it does not have the charcoal-grilled flavor imparted by smoke from burning fats.

  
• Pan Broiling


  Like griddling, except it is done in a sauté pan or skillet instead of on a griddle. Fat must be poured off as it accumulates, or the process becomes pan frying. No liquid is added, and the pan is not covered, or else the item would steam.
• Dry Heat Using Fat Cooking Techniques

  • Searing
  • Sautéing
  • Stir-Frying
  • Pan Frying
  • Deep Frying
• Searing


  A quick process of cooking using extreme heat that creates a brown crispy crust from the outside and locks in the moisture in the inside. Searing is a great way of cooking different types of meat and seafood because it enhances flavors and adds colors. Searing can be done using a range top or an oven.

  
• Things to Remember when Searing

  • Searing food on a range top
  • Searing food in an oven
• Sautéing


  Quickly cook food in a shallow pan using a small amount of fat or oil. It came from a French word sauter, which means "to jump." To jump refers to tossing small pieces of food while cooking. Hence, food with a larger portion cannot be tossed in a pan.
• Stir-frying


  Applies dry heat cooking techniques using fat. This process of cooking is similar to sautéing; thus, it uses a wok. A wok is a large pan with sloping sides. Stir-frying has lesser cooking time compared to sautéing. The size and shape of the wok require the food to be stirred continuously. Vegetables, tenders, and boneless meats are often stir-fried.

  
• Pan Frying


  A dry heat cooking technique that requires a moderate amount of fat or oil that would cover one-half or three-quarters of the food and cooking over medium heat. The method is used for larger pieces of food, such as chops and chicken pieces. Most foods must be turned at least once for even cooking.

  
• Deep Frying


  A dry heat cooking technique that cooks food by submerging it completely in heated fat or oil with a temperature of 177°C–191°C (350°F–375°F).
• Moist Heat Cooking Techniques


  The process of heating food using liquid other than oil.
• Wok


  The size and shape of the wok require the food to be stirred continuously. Vegetables, tenders, and boneless meats are often stir-fried.
• Pan frying


  Some larger foods may be removed from the pan and be finished in the oven to prevent excessive surface browning. This method of finishing in the oven is also used to simplify production when large quantities of foods must be panfried.

  
• Boiling


  A moist heat cooking technique that cooks food in a liquid, such as water or stocks, that is bubbling rapidly and greatly agitated. The boiling point of water is 100°C (212°F) at sea level. The food can be added and cooked when the liquid reaches its boiling point.
• Simmering


  A moist heat cooking technique that involves cooking food in a liquid that is heated at 85°C to 93°C (185°F to 200°F). With a lower temperature, simmering makes a gentler process of cooking compared to boiling. The food is cooked slower, creating better control of evaporation and breaking up of delicate foods. This cooking technique is used to lessen the volume of liquid.
• Poaching


  A moist heat cooking technique that involves cooking food in a small amount of liquid, enough to cover the food between 66°C (150°F) and 85°C (185°F). This process is gentler than simmering. Poaching is used to cook delicate food, such as egg and fish, or to cook a variety of meat to remove undesirable flavors and firm the product before final cooking.

  
• Blanching


  A moist heat cooking technique where food is partially and briefly immersed into boiling water or oil. This is the fastest way to change the flavor and enhance the color of the food. Blanching is also used to preserve the nutritional value of the food and remove blood, salt, or impurities from meats and bones. It also helps loosen the skin of vegetables and fruits that simplifies peeling.
• Blanching


  Immerse the food in boiling water and return the pot to a boil to partially cook. 2. Remove the blanched food from the liquid and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking process. This method is called shocking.
• Things to remember when blanching: Do not leave the food items in the ice bath for an extended period to prevent the food from looking sloppy. Make sure to drain the food items after shocking them.
• Parboiling


  A moist heat cooking technique that is similar to blanching where food is partially cooked by immersing it into boiling water. However, it requires a longer cooking time than blanching. Parboiling does not cool the food using cold water or ice after removing it from the boiling water. Poisonous and bad-tasting substances from foods can be removed through parboiling. It is also used to soften vegetables before grilling and roasting them.
• Steaming


  A moist heat cooking technique where food is cooked by directly exposing it into hot steam. In steaming, food is cooked using an enclosed pot and a steamer basket. The food is put inside a covered steamer basket and is placed over the pot filled with a small amount of water. The water from the pot is heated until it reaches the boiling point. From a closed environment, it will create hot steam that serves as heat to the food. There is no agitation involve in steaming, and it does not require the food to be submerged in the liquid that makes the technique gentler on delicate food. Steaming does not require any fat when cooking and preserves up to 50 percent more of the food nutrients.

  
• Combination of dry heat and moist heat cooking techniques

  • Braising
  • Stewing
• Braising


  A cooking technique that uses both dry heat and moist heat. It is used to tenderize tough cuts of meat, such as shank, shoulder, and round. It is a long and slow cooking process that helps break down the connective tissue in the meat, making it tender and combined with a flavorful sauce. The meat is first seared at a high temperature to brown it. The flavor is intensified during the browning due to Maillard reaction. After the browning of meat, it will be removed from the pot, then the onion, leeks, garlic, and other aromatics are added into the pot. Then, liquid, such as stocks, sauce, or water, is added to help deglaze the bottom of the pot. After deglazing, the browned meat will be placed back in, but the liquid should not rise over the meat. The whole mixture will bring into a boil when large bubbles break through the surface of the liquid rapidly. Lower the heat to turn down the temperature and cook slowly for an extended amount of time.

  
• Maillard reaction


  The Maillard reaction or browning requires heat to form a chemical reaction between an amino acid and a reducing sugar. It is a form of nonenzymatic browning similar to caramelization. Amino groups do not neutralize in the process that accelerates in an alkaline environment. The type of amino acid ascertains the resulting flavor and becomes the basis of flavoring.
• Stewing


  The cooking time for stewing is much shorter than braising because the food item in stewing is cut into smaller portions. The cooking process for stewing is the same as braising, wherein meat is first seared at a high temperature. Tender cuts of meats are not stewed to avoid the toughening of meat. After the searing of meat, it will be removed from the pot; the onion, leeks, garlic, and other aromatics are added into the pot. Then, liquid, such as stocks, sauce, or water, is added to help deglaze the bottom of the pot. Once deglazed, the browned meat will be placed back into the pot, and all ingredients will be submerged in liquid.

  
• Baking involves using dry heat from the walls of an enclosed space (an oven) to cook food.
• Roasting is cooking food by exposing it to dry heat, usually in an oven or over an open flame.
• Broiling uses direct radiant heat from above to brown and crisp the surface of foods.
• Grilling is a method of cooking food using an appliance called a grill, which is often fueled by charcoal, wood pellets, ethanol, or propane. Grills may be free-standing outdoor barbecue grills, built-in features, or appliances that fry or griddle food while exposed to an open flame or sometimes an electrical heating element.
• Broiling is a method of cooking where food is exposed directly to intense radiant heat from above.