Many of us are vowing to cook more, eat better, and get more homemade dinners on the table. We start digging into healthy recipes, load up on some good whole food ingredients, and set those resolutions. But it is more important to learn cooking techniques than to learn to follow recipes, as knowing a certain technique can improve a recipe or rescue one that has gone wrong. A recipe is a list of ingredients with step by step directions, while a cooking technique focuses on how to prepare one of the items in the list of ingredients for the recipe. We are covering few methods of cooking which you must know.
1. Broil
Broiling works by transferring extremely high heat onto food, usually directed from a radiant located above the food which cooks on one side at a time. It is usually done in an oven by adjusting the setting to broil. Broiling happens very quickly and it’s best to watch the food carefully when broiling so it does not burn.
2. Grill
When grilling food, the heat source comes from the bottom. Grilling usually involves an open flame, but can also be done with a grill pan on a stovetop. Foods are cooked by heating the grill grates, which gives ingredients the charred, grilled lines. Tender cuts of meat and poultry and various kinds of fish and shellfish are very well suited to grilling, as are vegetables and even fruits.
3. Roast
Roasting is performed inside an oven and uses indirect heat that cooks from all sides for even browning. Roasting is common to do in the oven and items are cooked until golden brown and tender. This method of cooking works more slowly, coaxing flavours out of meats and vegetables.
4. Bake
Baking is similar to roasting, but refers more to breads, pastries, and other sweet items. Most items are baked in the oven until cooked through. Baking and roasting both use indirect heat to surround foods and cook from all sides. Technically, these cooking methods are the same, but baking is usually performed at lower temperatures than roasting.
5. Sauté
Sautéed foods are cooked in a thin layer of fat over medium-high heat, usually in a frying pan on the stovetop. The definition of sauté literally means “to jump” in French, which alludes to the fact that with this technique the food is tossed around in the skillet quite a bit. Foods are just cooked until tender. A variety of fats can be used from butter to various oils, or a combination, depending on the food you are sautéing.
6. Stir-fry
This method is usually referred to in various Asian cuisines. In a classic stir-fry, the food is always cut into similarly sized bite-sized pieces so that it cooks evenly. The heat beneath the pan must be very high; a small amount of oil is usually used. Ingredients are usually added starting with the ones that take the longest to cook, and finishing with the shortest cooking ingredients, so everything reaches just-doneness at the same moment.
7. Pan Fry
Pan-frying is done by adding enough fat to a hot pan so that the fat comes up about half an inch up the side of the pan. Food is partially submerged in the fat and then flipped over so the other side can cook.
8. Deep-Fry
Deep-frying is when food is completely submerged in a hot fat. The result is a crispy, golden brown exterior and a fully cooked interior.
9. Steam
To cook an ingredient with steam, food is usually placed in a separate steamer over hot liquid. The food is cooked by the steam from the liquid and does not come in contact with the liquid.
10. Braise
Braising is a combination cooking method that first involves sautéing or searing an item, then simmering it in liquid for a long cooking period until tender. Foods that are braised are often larger proteins like pot roasts and poultry legs.
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