For cooking, you can use various methods or techniques for preparing different foods. For example, steak and hamburgers are best if grilled, French fries are fried, muffins or cookies are baked and soup is boiled. You need to have a basic idea of which cooking method is right, for which kind of food Item. You cannot prepare cookies by boiling or frying. Neither can you grill French fries.
There are two categories of techniques for cooking.
1. Moist heat methods
2. Dry heat methods.
Moist Heat Methods:
In moist heat method, a liquid is used as a medium to conduct heat. Generally, water is used, but you can also use water based liquid such as stock or milk. These methods are specifically appropriate for preparing pasta, rice, pulses and vegetables.
Boiling means cooking the food in boiling water or water based liquid such as milk or stock. Most of the time the liquid used is water based and the boiling point of water is 1000 Celsius. Boiling is most relevant to the vegetables.
In boiling, the food is completely immersed in the liquid throughout the whole cooking time.
In boiling, You can see several bubbles on the surface of the cooking utensil. Generally, vegetable soups are prepared by boiling. 1b. Simmering:
Simmering is very much similar to boiling method. If we cook the food in liquid just below the boiling point, that is around 850-950 Then it is called simmering. That means, temperature is kept just below the boiling point, but it is never allowed to boil. High protein food like meat or poultry is much better when simmered.
1c. Poaching:
In this cooking method the temperature is kept between 700 to 850 Celsius. try to keep the temperature constant so that neither it simmers nor start boiling. For example, eggs may be poached.
1d. Steaming:
As the name suggests it is cooking by steam under varying degrees of pressure.
For instance, low pressure steaming and high pressure steaming.
1. Low pressure steaming:
Steam is used under normal conditions without any extra pressure. The temperature will range from 1000 to 1050 Celsius, which is just above the boiling point. Low pressure steaming could be two groups such as direct steaming and indirect steaming.
Direct Low Pressure steaming:
Here, the food is in direct contact with the steam heat. For example, you can prepare rice cake, Idly, Dumpling, momo by this direct steam. Indirect Low Pressure Steam: If the food is placed in a closed pot, pan, or aluminum foil paper or banana leaves which is surrounded by plenty of steam from the boiling water, and the food is protected from direct contact with steam to avoid water getting into the food. Chocolate pudding is usually prepared this week.
2. High Pressure Steaming:
in this method, equipment which we will use to cook food that doesn't allow the steam to escape by the equipment. For example, pressure cooker.
Sous vide:
One more popular and modern method of steaming is that is Sous vide. It is a French term that means under vacuum. In this method, spices are added before cooking. Food is vacuum sealed or packed in a plastic pouch or glass jar. Later, the food is sealed; bag is cooked in a water bath. Water is hot but never boils. Temperature is usually kept 550-600 Celsius for red meat, 60-700 Celsius for poultry and 800-850 Celsius for vegetables. Food is cooked at a lower temperature. It is a slow process of cooking which may take from 1-7 hours to cook food. In some cases it may even take up to 72 hours or more, depending on the type of food and its thickness. Steam is trapped inside the plastic bag or glass jar, which evenly cook the food and retain its moisture and nutrition.
1e. Stewing: Stewing is a slow and long method of cooking in which food is cut into small pieces and cooked in a minimum amount of liquid. The food is served with liquid is called stew, for example, chicken stew, vegetable stew etc.
1f. Braising:
Another method similar to strewing is braising. It is also a long, gentle and slow cooking process. Large cut of meat is first sautéed or seared in a very small fat to brown its surface and enhance its flavor.
After sautéing add a certain amount of liquid then cover them using lid and then place in the oven. Finish with small amount of liquid. This method uses two techniques of cooking method sautéed (dry heat) and moist heat.
Dry Heat Methods:
In this method, heat is transferred through hot air and fat or oil. The methods are suitable for foods that are rich in proteins like meat, fish, and seafood. The dry heat methods are further categorized into two groups such as hot air based dry heat method and fat or oil based dry heat method.
Hot air based dry heat method:
In this method, hot air, hot metal rod or plate for radiation is used to cook the food, for instance.
Baking Grilling Roasting Baking In this cooking method food is cooked by dry heat. Temperature normally varies between 1200- 2500 Celsius. Here, little amount of fat is required to cook food. Some examples of baked items are cake, pastries, bread, muffins, etc..
Grilling: In this method food is cooked quickly and by high radiant heat or direct heat, which could be from above, below or from the side. Pork chops, seafood, beef steak, hamburgers, hot dogs and other thin cuts of meat are the best for grilling. Temperature normally varies between 2600- 2900 Celsius. Since the intensity of fire is high, the food is put on a grill or grill pan based on the direction of heat. The direction of heat for the food may be overheat, under heat(salamander, broiling method) and in between heat(bread toaster).
Barbequing: This method is similar to grilling. But its temperature is usually low at 1100 and slow process of cooking. Barbecuing is done with indirect heat as compared to direct heat in grilling. Charcoal, woods are commonly used for barbecue. So, grilling is cooking over high heat while barbecuing is slow cooking process with low heat and over indirect heat.
Roasting: This cooking method refers to cook food with dry radiation heat source such as open fire or spit. There are 4 types of roasting such as oven roasting (convection), spit roasting (rotisserie), pot roasting, tan-door. Very small amount of liquid may be use or not use.
Fat or Oil Based Dry Heat Method
The second category of dry heat method using fat for oil. Frying is an art of cooking where the food is either partially or fully submerged in fat or oil until the food gets golden brown in color, along with crispness and moist interior. The various category of frying are Sautéing Pan Frying Shallow Frying Deep Frying Stir Fry. Sautéing This is a method of cooking that uses a relatively small amount of oil or fat in a pan over relatively high heat. Pan frying: Pan-frying is a dry heat method of cooking, by relying on oil or fat as the heat transfer medium. Shallow Frying and deep frying: In shallow frying, the oil must cover about 1/3 of the height of the food and not cover it, while in deep frying the food is immersed in the oil. Stir frying: It is a Chinese cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok.
En- papiollote: One more traditional method similar is en papillae, which is also a French term. That means enveloped in paper. In this method, food is put into a folded parchment paper, aluminum foil, and then baked. This method is more popular for cooking fish. After cooking, this parcel may be opened directly before the guest on the table. Herbs, seasoning, spices are added before baking. Now, I hope the concept of steaming it's clear to you.
