METHODS OF COOKING

COOKING METHODS

Cooking methods are classified as:-

 “Moist Heat”- Moist-heat methods are those in which the heat is conducted to the food
product by water (liquid) or steam.
 Braising
 Stewing
 Steaming
 a) Direct Steaming
 b) Indirect Steaming
 Boiling
 Poaching
 ”Dry Heat”- Dry-heat methods are those in which the heat is conducted without
moisture, that is, by hot air, hot metal or radiation.
 Baking
 Broiling
 “Medium of Fat” – Cooking with the help of fats.
 Roasting
 a) Spit Roasting
 b) Tandoor
 c) Pot
 d) Oven
 Grilling
 a) Open Fire Grilling
 b) Salamander
 Frying
 a) Deep Frying
 b) Shallow Frying

MOIST HEAT METHODS

POACH, SIMMER & BOIL

To poach, simmer and boil all means to cook a food in water or a seasoned liquid like
stock or even milk. The temperature of the liquid determines the method.

1)BOILING- Boiling is cooking by immersing the food in a pan of liquid which must be
kept boiling all the time i.e. quite a number of bubbles should be seen on the surface .
Boiling is generally reserved for vegetables and certain starch products. The high
temperature would cause protein foods to toughen (meats and fish) and the rapid
bubbling would break up delicate products.

“To boil means to cook in a liquid that is bubbling rapidly at 100 C and is
greatly agitated.”

Basic Rules :
1. The food items should be completely immersed throughout the process if
excess evaporation takes place the liquid must be replenished.
2. The flavor of the meat and poultry should be enhanced by the addition of
herbs and vegetables to the cooking liquor.
3. Scum should be discarded from time to time, or it will discolor or spoil the
taste.
4. The liquid in which the food items are boiled is known as pot liquor. As it
contains some nourishment and flavor, it should not be thrown away but
used for gravies and sauces.
5. Fast boiling should be done for green vegetables, to help them preserve their
color vitamins and texture.
6. Root vegetables must be placed in cold water to boil.
7. Always poach the fish never boil or the fish will break up.

Note:
Simmering: To simmer means to cook in a liquid that is bubbling very gently.
Temperatures are generally (85-96 C)

Blanching: - Place food items in cold water and bring to boil, remove. It seals
the juices and flavours. Blanching is done by two ways:-

1. Put the item in cold water and simmer for a few seconds and then plunge into
cold water.

2. Place the item in rapidly boiling water, bring the water back to a boil, remove
the item and cool rapidly.

2 POACHING:- Poaching is cooking gently in water which is just below boiling

point i.e (71-82 C). To poach means to cook in a liquid, usually a small amount
that is hot, but not actually bubbling.

Poaching is used to cook delicate foods such as fish and eggs. It is also used to
partially cook variety meats to get rid of odors and undesirable flavors which can
be eliminated by poaching and which will firm up the product before the actual
cooking
Basic rules:
1. Food items should be completely immersed in the liquid and left in
throughout the cooking process.
2. As soon as the liquid with the food item begins to boil, lower the temperature
to allow poaching.
3. Salt and vinegar should be added while poaching fish and eggs, as it helps in
quicker coagulation and prevents disintegration.

STEAMING: - To steam means to cook foods by exposing them directly to

steam i.e. Direct, Steam or indirect steam. Indirect steaming is done when
the food is placed in a closed pan, which is surrounded by plenty of steam
from fast boiling water or in a steamer.
Direct steaming is by placing the food item in a perforated container or on a
covered plate over a saucepan of water.

Basic rules
1. Steaming is widely used for vegetables. It cooks them rapidly without
agitation and minimizes the nutrient, color and flavor loss normally
associated with boiling.
2. Only small suitable food items should be steamed, as it is cooked slowly.

3. BRAISING:- It is a combined method of roasting and stewing. In a pan

with a tight-fitting lid or casserole, braising is done to prevent evaporation so
that the food retains its own juices together with the article added for
flavouring eg. Ham, bacon, vegetables and herbs.

To braise means to cook covered in a small amount of liquid, usually after

preliminary browning. Then cooking could be done on a bed of vegetables
and most often, the liquid used for the cooking is served with the foodstuff
as a sauce.

1. Braised meats are normally browned first using a dry heat method such as
pan frying or searing. This gives a desirable appearance and color and flavor
to the product and to the sauce.
2. Braising also refers to cooking some vegetables such as cabbage and
leeks, without the preliminary browning.
3. Food being braised is not completely covered with liquid during the
 cooking process. The top of the product is normally cooked by steaming.
4. Braising is done on the range top or could even be done in the oven. Oven
braising has two advantages: 1. Uniform cooking, as the heat penetrates the
food from all sides and not just the bottom. 2. Less attention is required. In
the oven the foods will cook slowly and gently without having to be checked
frequently.
5. In the braising of meats, usually large joints or whole birds (like chicken,
duck) are cooked in this method.

4. STEWING

To stew means to cook pieces of meat or fish or vegetables using fairly large
amounts of liquids.

1. The food items are normally cut into small cubes. Tougher cuts of meat
and harder vegetables are cooked by this method.
2. The liquid is normally at simmering point and is enough to just cover the
entire foodstuff.
3. In stewing, a lot of the nutrients, flavor and taste of the food item is
transferred to the liquid.

Stewing is almost the same as simmering and the principles are the same.
Simmering refers to a preliminary method of cooking whereas stewing refers
to the making of a dish.

DRY HEAT METHODS

BAKING

To bake means to cook foods by surrounding them with hot dry air, usually in the oven.
Baking is cooking of food by the action of dry heat in an oven. Baking applies to bread, pastries
and cakes & cookies. Fish could also be baked.

Basic rules:

1. Item should be placed in the right position in the oven.

2. The oven should have correct temperature according to the baked items e.g. rich cake
should have a lower temperature than pastries, which should have a higher
 temperature.

own juices and fat. It also allows hot air to circulate around the meat. A rack of roughly
cut vegetables could also be used.
3. When roasting in a conventional oven, the cook should allow for uneven temperatures
in the different parts of the oven by occasionally shifting the position of the product.
Usually the back of the oven is hotter as heat is lost near the door.

BROILING

To broil means to cook by radiant heat from above, broiling is cooking by dry heat and
is used synonymously with grilling. It could be done by source of heat above or below.
It is dry cooking method.

Basic rules:
1. Tawa or pan or grill may be oiled slightly to prevent sticking.
2. Dry cooking should take place.

3. A low intensity broiler is called a salamander and is used for browning the top of
dishes and provides some melting before the service.

Medium of fat:

1. Frying: Food is fried when it is placed or immersed in oil or fat at a sufficiently high
temperature, used to brown the surface atleast or partilally or completely cook the
interior of the food.

There are two types of frying:

1. Deep Frying-It is a cook and a popular method for Indian cuisine. As the food is
immersed in hot fat, it is essential that the fat is of a good quality, having a high
smoking point. The frying pan should have sufficient depth. The size and shape of
the food to be fried should be uniform. Some of the fried foods are: Cutlets,
Croquettes, Fritters, Pakodas, Pooris etc

Shallow frying: The cooking of food in a small amount of fat or oil in a shallow pre-heated pan,
or on a metal surface, at a high temperature.
Shallow frying is a skilful process that requires constant care and attention, the resulting
product should be crispy and lightly browned with little evidence of fat.

Purpose:

a) to improve the taste of prime foods

b) to add different texture to food through browning

c) to cook food quickly, usually for immediate consumption

2. GRILLING

Grilling is done on an open grid over a heat source, which may be charcoal, an
electric element or gas heated. Moving the food items from hotter to cooler places
on the grill regulates cooking temperatures. Grilled items must be turned over once
during the cooking process to ensure even cooking.

Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat and fat, with temperatures of at least
150 °C (~300 °F) from an open flame, oven, or other heat source..[1] Meats and
most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted. Any piece of meat, especially red meat,
that has been cooked in this way is called a roast. A roast joint of meat can take one,
two, even three hours to cook—the resulting meat is tender. Also, meats and vegetables
prepared in this way are described as "roasted", e.g., roasted chicken.

Spit Roasting: Cook (a piece of meat) on a spit

Pot roasting is roasting in a pot. E.g. Braised beef