Cooking Methods
Heat is applied to food to make it:
Easier to digest
Safer to eat
Taste better
The main ways of cooking are:
With Moisture Moist heat
Without Moisture Dry heat
With Moisture
Boiling
Steaming
Stewing
Pot-roasting
Braising
Poaching
Pressure-cooking
Microwave cooking
Without Moisture
Baking
Roasting
Rotisserie cooking
Grilling & Barbecuing
FryingSautéingShallow-fryingdeep
Boiling
Food is placed in a saucepan. Food grown below
ground put into a pot of cold water & bought to the boil.
Food grown above grown put into boiling water
Steaming
Food is placed in a steamer with a perforated base
Steaming
Food is placed in a greased bowl & covered & then placed in boiling water
Steaming
Food is placed on a greased plate over a saucepan half-full of boiling water.
Boiling
www.tvnzondemand.co.nz
Kiwi Kitchen Episode 4, 26 Jan 2008
Braising
A combination of stewing & pot-roasting.
Pot-Roasting
Food is browned in a small amount of hot fat & cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid
Stewing
A slow gentle way of cooking small portions of food in liquid. A stew if cooked in
a saucepan on the stovetop (elements)
A casserole if cooked in the oven
Poaching
Tender food is cooked for a short time in simmering water
Pressure-Cooking
Uses an airtight pressure cooking.
Saves time (& money) as food cooks quickly because it is under pressure.
Microwave
A microwave oven changes electrical energy (electricity) to microwave (radio waves) energy.
Baking
Food is cooked in an oven by radiated heat.
Roasting
Food is cooked in an oven in a little hot fat in an uncovered dish (as for baking)
Rotisserie Cooking
Food is put on a rotisserie (spit) and revolved.
Grilling & Barbecuing
A quick method of cooking for small tender pieces of food. Grill – heat comes
form above BBQ – heat comes
from below
Frying
Food is cooked in hot fat or oil
Shallow-Frying
Food is cooked in oil / fat that comes partly up the side of the food.
Deep-Frying
Food is totally immersed in hot fat.
Hot fat is dangerous!
Reminders
Choose fresh fat or oil with a high smoke point
Heat to the required temperature, but avoid overheating
Fry a small quantity at once to avoid reducing the temperature
Reminders When golden brown, remove from the
fat and drain on crumpled absorbent paper to absorb excess fat.
Reheat the fat before adding a second load.
After use, allow the fat to cool. Strain it into a clean container and store it covered in the refrigerator. Clarify as needed.
What is the Bread test?
The time taken for a 3cm cube of one-day-old bread to become golden brown.
Recommended Temperature for Frying
Food Temperature Bread Test
Uncooked foods e.g. fish, fritters
177° - 190°C
(350° - 375°F)60 seconds
Precooked foods e.g. croquettes
190° - 196°C
(375° - 385°F)40 seconds
Wet foods e.g. potato chips
196° - 201°C
(385° - 395°F)20 seconds
Cooking Techniques
How to do it
Bake Blind
Bake a pastry case without filling
Chop
Food is make smaller by various equipment Knife Kitchen scissors Food processor Blender
Creaming
Soften butter & sugar is beaten until white light & fluffy
Dice
Food is cut into small cubes
Fold
Aerated food (e.g. egg whites) are combined with other ingredients.
A metal spoon of rubber scraper are used NOT a wooden spoon
Knead
Dough is worked until it is smooth & elastic
Rub-in
To combine butter & flour until it looks like breadcrumbs / sand
Separate an Egg
The egg whites & yolks are separated.
No yolk can get into the egg white.
How to separatean egg
Flute
Thumbs / fingers or the back of a knife are used to decorate the edge of a pie.