Methods of Cooking

Dry Fry:

In these health-conscious times, dry-frying has become a popular way of cooking fish and meat, especially bacon rashers. First heat a frying pan with a heavy bottom on a high flame until it is hot. Meanwhile, prepare the meat or fish. If it has little fat of its own, drizzle a small amount of oil over the surface and rub it in. However, if the meat has natural fat or the fish is oily, simply season with freshly ground black pepper. When the pan is hot, add the meat or fish and then leave it. Do not be tempted to move the food around in the pan until a crust has formed. You will then be able to slide an egg slice or palette knife underneath and turn to cook on the other side. Dry-frying is also used to extract and bring out the flavour of whole spices, seeds or nuts. Fry them without fat in a heavy-bottomed pan over a high heat, shaking the pan from time to time. Continue cooking, watching carefully to avoid burning, until they give off a distinct aroma, and then tip them onto a cold plate.

Shallow Fry:

Shallow frying is the cooking of food in a small quantity of pre-heated fat or oil in a shallow pan or on a flat surface (griddle plate).

There are three methods of frying using a shallow amount of fat or oil.

• Shallow Fry: cooking of food in a small amount of fat or oil in a frying pan or sauté pan. The presentation side of the food should be fried first as this side will have the better appearance because the fat is clean, then turned so that both sides are cooked and coloured.
• Sauté: cooking tender cuts of meat and poultry in a sauté or frying pan. After cooking, the fat is discarded and the pan is deglazed with stock or wine. This forms an important part of the finished sauce. Only tender foods can be used. Also used when cooking, for example, potatoes or onions when they are cut into slices or pieces and tossed in hot shallow fat or oil in a frying pan till golden brown.
• Griddle: e.g. hamburgers, sausages, sliced onions, are placed on a lightly oiled, pre-heated griddle (solid metal plate), and turned frequently during cooking.

Advantages

• Quick method of cooking
• No loss of soluble nutrients
• Good colour

Disadvantages

• Only suitable for expensive cuts of meat
• Not easily digested
• Requires to be supervised

Roasting:

Roasting is a cooking method that utilizes dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavour enhancement. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted. Any piece of meat, especially red meat, that has been cooked in this fashion is called a roast. Also, meats and vegetables prepared in this way are described as "roast", e.g., roast chicken or roast squash. Some foods such as coffee and chocolate are always roasted.

Microwaving:

Microwaving is employing microwave radiation primarily to cook or heat food. Microwaving is an extremely rapid method of cooking meat. The use of lower power (30% power) is recommended for more uniform cooking especially for larger meat cuts. Microwave cooking is not recommended for cuts which are less tender as microwave cooking does not tenderize meats as slower cooking methods do. Meats which are suitable for microwave cooking include:

• precooked items
• some boneless fresh meat cuts

Stewing:

In cooking, stewing means preparing vegetables or meat by simmering in liquid. Unlike braising, the ingredients are generally diced. A stew may be either simmered in a pot on the stove top or cooked in a covered casserole in the oven. Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry. Stews may be thickened by reduction, but are more often thickened with flour, either by coating pieces of meat with flour before searing, or by using a roux or beurre manié, a dough consisting of equal parts of butter and flour.

Poaching:

Poaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally water, stock or wine. Poaching is particularly suitable for fragile food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out. For this reason, it is important to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a bare minimum, which will also preserve the flavour of the food. The poaching liquid is called court bouillon and a classical court bouillon consists of: an acid (wine, lemon juice), aromatic (bouquet garni), poaching liquid, and mirepoix. The liquid should be around 160-185°F (70-85°C), and always remember that to serve chicken safely it has to have reached a temperature of 165°F (74°C) in the core. Poached eggs are generally cooked in water, fish in white wine, poultry in stock and fruit in red wine.