COOKING METHODS

The Overview

(Just click on any colored term to go to its description)

 

There are two basic methods of cooking:  Dry Heat and Moist Heat.  There are Combinations of the previous two and, lastly, we also need an Other category. 

Dry Heat methods include direct or indirect heat applied.

The Dry Heat Cooking Without Fats or Oils include: Roasting, Poeleing (butter roasting), Baking, Grilling, Pan-Broiling, Broiling, Barbecuing, Cooking in Ashes, Double Boiler.  It should be noted here that in these cooking processes, it may be associated with marinades, brining, mops, basting, liquid sprays and/or steam.
Dry heat Cooking With Fats or Oils include:  (with smallest amount of oil) Browning, Blackening, Bronzing, Sautéing, Searing - See: Browning, Stir Frying, to (more oil) Pan-Frying, then to (most oil) Confit and Deep Frying.   

Moist Heat methods using water, other liquids, or a combination range from Blanching & Parboiling, to Steaming, en Papillote, to Shallow Poaching, Poaching,  Simmering to Boiling.   

 

Combination methods include: Braising,  Daube, and Stewing which uses a combination of both dry and moist heat cooking methods.   

Other methods may not be considered “cooking” in the strictest sense, but does provide for a processed form of food to an edible stage.  Preserving methods such as Smoking (hot & cold), Drying, Salt Curing,  Acid Cooking (marinating meats in citrus juices, vinegar to let the acid 'cook' it); Seasoning Meats and Vegetables (making them more palatable) such as Crudités, Carpaccio, Sushi, etc. fall into this category; Flambéing.
 

COOKING METHODS

The Definitions

(The detailed pages of these terms are being created)

 

In Dry Heat Cooking Without Fats or Oils the food is cooked by direct or indirect heat (in a closed environment).  No liquid is added to the food or cooking vessel during the actual cooking time.  This produces a highly flavored exterior and moist interior.  Outside of the strictest sense of dry heat cooking - - Marinades previous to cooking or bastes, oils, mops, steam, liquid sprays are sometimes added during cooking to add flavor or change texture of the foods being cooked.  (Example: Water sprayed on baked breads will crisp the crust of the finished product.)
Roasting  A large piece of meat (serves more than one person) or vegetables that is cooked by radiant (indirect) dry heat.  Roasting may be done in a closed (oven) or open (spit roasting) environment.
Poeleing (Butter-Roasting)  Meats (usually white meats & game birds) are cooked in their own juices in a covered vessel on a bed of aromatic vegetables (a matignon).
Baking  Cooking food with radiant (indirect) heat just as in roasting.  This term is usually associated with Bakery goods (breads, cookies, pastries, etc.).
Grilling See also: Barbecuing below, grilling-char -  Generally, grilling is cooking relatively tender foods over direct, relatively high temperatures (the heat source, usually located below the food).  ● The heat source may be over (broiler or salamander), under (charcoal, wood, or gas "outside grills", broilers, "inside" stovetop grills, etc.), or directly in contact with: 1. under ("inside" stovetop grills), 2. over & under ( Panini style toasted sandwich makers, or gridiron as in the George Foreman style grill).
Broiling Cooking food with the direct heat source located above the food.
Pan-Broiling For some reason this method cooks food in a heavy cast iron or warp resistant pan on the stovetop over high heat with the heat source being the stove burner (heat source located below the food as in grilling but called Pan-Broiling).  Accumulated fat is either poured off as it accumulated or specialty pans have ridges that hold the food away from collecting fats and/or juices (also giving the grill marks as in grilling).
Barbecuing See: grilling-char - A confusing term.  Definition 1:  Slow cooking meat in a covered vessel (grill, pit, etc.) with the low heat source being charcoal and/or wood.  This food is usually basted (mop) repeatedly to retain moisture.  Definition 2:  The actual piece of outdoor cooking equipment (the Barbecue grill).  Definition 3: Cooked (usually roasted & sliced) food that has been simmered in a barbecue sauce (or sauce just poured over it).  Definition 4:  Some people call it barbecuing if they are just grilling food on the ‘barbecue grill’.  And I say, if they think that is barbecuing - - go for it, what’s the harm.

Cooking in Ashes Cooking food wrapped (like potatoes) or unwrapped (like Steak Eisenhower) in the ashes of a fire. 

Double Boiler Like a bain-marie, a double broiler is a very gentle method of cooking without using direct heat. It usually consists of two saucepans that fit together. A single lid fits both pans.  The bottom sauce pan is filled with water and the top one with the mixture (custard, chocolate, etc.). The saucepans can be made from stainless steel, aluminum, and glass.  The double boiler is used to warm or cook heat-sensitive food such as chocolate, custards, and delicate sauces. Another double boiler method - used many times in making curds, Hollandaise style sauces, etc. - To use a rounded metal bowl as the top part of the double boiler.  It allows the whisk to thoroughly get to all areas.  To cook, or warm using the double boiler: Add about 1 inch of water to the bottom pan and bring the water to a simmer (then lower heat) and place the top pan (or bowl) on the bottom one.  This setup allows the ingredients in the top pan to be warmed or cooked.  Usually constant or frequent whisking or stirring is required to prevent curdling or breaking of the food.

 

Dry Heat Cooking With Fats or Oils This is considered a Dry Heat method because no liquids (water, etc.) is used.  The fats function differently than liquids (water, etc.).
Blackening  A chef named Paul Prudhomme put this technique on the map.  Meat slathered with oil (usually but optional) and coated with a Cajun spice mix is cooked in an iron skillet that has been heated to almost red hot. This could be considered dry heat cooking without fats or oils as the oil on the item goes up in smoke when the item hits the hot pan.

Bronzing  Chef Prudhommes technique similar to blackening without the heavy smoke (good for the home)
Browning  Also in member encyclopedia: searing - Customarily considered the first step of the combination cooking methods of braising & stewing.  Browning is to cook, usually meat, in a skillet or pan over high heat (in a small amount of oil) turning occasionally until the item is browned all over.  That is, in order to get that good brown crust (via the Maillard reaction) as well as at least begin to cook the meat.  If there is a difference between searing & browning, It seems that seared foods (to scorch the surface) are not cooked quite as long as browned foods.  Searing is done on foods that contain sugars, carbohydrates and/or amino acids - - that is to say meats, vegetables, etc..    
Sautéing  Cooking naturally tender food (usually single portions) in a small amount of fat over relatively high heat.  Usually the fond (browned bits in the bottom of the pan & released juices of the food during cooking form the base for the sauce served with the sautéed item.

Searing - See above: Browning
Stir-Frying  is very similar to sautéing - - food cooked quickly over high heat in a small amount of fat or oil.  I feel the difference is twofold:  1. Stir-fried items are cut into small pieces allowing for the foods to be not as tender as the individual portion sautéed foods.  2. Sautéed foods concentrate on cooking one item (sometimes more items are added to complement the sauce).  Stir-frying is more of a “bite-size, meat-aromatics-vegetables-etc.” one dish complete meal.
Pan-Frying is like sautéing but: 1. with more oil; 2. usually battered or breaded food items; cooked over less intense heat.  The item is cooked more by the heat from the fat rather than the heat from the pan.
Confit A cooking & preserving method for usually pork goose or duck.  The meats are salted, slowly cooked in their own fat, packed in a crock pot and covered with their fat (to seal & preserve the meat).

Deep Frying Foods are cooked by submerging them in hot fat.  They are:  almost always breaded or battered; are naturally tender; are usually cut into pieces that allow them to cook quickly without becoming tough or dry. 

 

In Moist Heat Cooking the foods are cooked in a liquid bath of some form.  The gentle cooking, and the developing flavors in the liquid (from the meats, aromatics, vegetables, etc.) are what makes this cooking process appetizing.

Blanching Plunging food (usually fruit or vegetables) into rapidly boiling water for 30 seconds to @ 2 minutes, then 'shocking' (plunging) them into cold or ice water to A. firm the product or B. loosen the skins for easy peeling (like peaches or tomatoes) C. heighten, set color & flavor (like vegetables before freezing) D. partially cook the food (like carrots) so that when they are added to other quicker cooking ingredients, all will be finished cooking at the same time (this is usually called Parboiling).
Steaming Cooks the food by surrounding it in a vapor bath (steam).
En Papillote To encase and seal the meat in a parchment (or other type) then cooking it in a hot oven.  The meat rests on a bed of herbs, vegetables, sauce, or a combination of these.  As the meat and additions are heated in the oven, the meats juices, etc. turns into steam which cooks all and puffs up the Papillote.
Shallow Poaching Using single portions or smaller this method uses a combination of cooking, covered, in a simmering liquid and developed steam.  For the purpose of capturing flavor into the liquid, the food item is only partially submerged in the liquid.  This finished liquid, significantly flavored, is used as a base for creating a sauce for the item.

Poaching   See also: court bouillon for much more poaching information  The cooking of food submerged in a well flavored liquid (such as a court bouillon) at a low temperature (180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit) in which the liquid is just shivering without any air bubbles breaking the surface. ● The gentle moist heat of the poaching method is an excellent cooking method for a number of high protein foods that tend to dry out (poaching is all about cooking the food while leaving it moist) and overcook such as: eggs, chicken, tender cuts of pork, fish and seafood.  ● Poaching is also used in fruits such as pears and stone fruits in a light syrup.
Simmering  Similar to poaching except that the liquid temperature is just off the boil.  At 185 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit, the liquid has slightly more action with some air bubbles breaking the surface - - not boiling. 

Boiling To cook in a liquid which has reached the boiling point (212 degrees Fahrenheit at sea level).  The bubbles are rapidly breaking the surface of the liquid.  A full rolling boil is one that cannot be dissipated by stirring.  NOTE: Meats like “boiled” beef are actually simmered as boiling would cause most meats to become tough and stringy. 

 

Combination Methods uses a combination of both dry and moist heat cooking.
Braising Using dry heat cooking the food (usually large cuts) is seared to a nice brown in a small amount of fat, a small amount of liquid is then added, then cooked tightly covered over low heat, simmering & steaming until done.
Daube A French type of braised dish usually made from red meat and includes red wine.

Stewing Similar to braising except:  1. The meat is cut into smaller, bite-size pieces; 2. The amount of liquid varies from a small amount to the food being covered with the liquid. 

 

Other Methods I have included this section for the foods that are not necessarily thought of as cooked but are processed to an edible form and does not fall into the above categories.
Drying One of the oldest forms of preservation, food is dried: 1. to be eaten in the dried form at a later date (Ex. dried fruits, jerky);  2. for preservation to be cooked at a later date (Ex. rice, dried beans); and 3. a combination of the above (Ex. dried beef or jerky that may be eaten as is or reconstituted and cooked as in a beef stew).
Salt Curing To treat food in various ways with salt for preservation of the food.  The food may be 1. eaten as is like gravlax or 2. processed further like salt cod.

Smoking (hot & cold) The process of curing , cooking, or seasoning food by exposing it for long periods of time to the smoke from a wood fire.  ● "Hot smoking" is a several-hours-long process that can be used to fully cook raw meats, fish, vegetables, etc. The hot smoked method fully cooks the item and the food is cured in a smoke environment at temperatures between 100-190 degrees Fahrenheit.  ● "Cold smoking" is a hours- or days-long process that is generally used to preserve and/or flavor foods.  The cold-smoked method cures but does not cook the food in a smoke environment at temperatures between 70-90 degrees Fahrenheit.  ●Generally, hardwoods are used to make the smoke, while other ingredients are sometimes used (uncooked rice, sugar, tea, etc,).  ● Historically, farms in the western world included a small building termed the smokehouse where meats could be smoked and stored. This was generally well-separated from other buildings both because of the fire danger and because of the smoke emanations. 
Acid Cooking The food is “cooked” by the addition of an acid.  (Ex. Citrus acids as in seviche, or vinegar like pickles).
Seasoning Meats and Vegetables These are the raw foods that are flavored with other items for increased enjoyment.  (Ex. consider Sushi with seasoned rice-soy sauce-wasabi, etc. or vegetable crudités with their dipping sauces, or carpaccio which is seasoned raw meat).
Flambéing  Primarily a method of presentation, although the residual of the flambéed liquid does add some flavor to the finished dish.  This method consists of igniting a warmed alcoholic liquid for the food item.