Basic Cooking Methods and Techniques
Basic Cooking Methods and Techniques tests heat transfer, moist, dry and combination methods, and the changes that make food safe and palatable.
Core rules
- Heat transfer: conduction through the pan, convection in water or oven air, radiation from a grill.
- Moist methods: boiling at about 100°C, simmering at 85–95°C, poaching at 70–80°C, steaming, stewing.
- Dry methods: baking, roasting, grilling, shallow-frying and deep-frying. Control temperature; overcrowding lowers oil temperature.
- Combination: braising and stewing use both moist and dry heat.
- Changes: starch gelatinises and thickens; proteins coagulate and set; Maillard browning needs dry heat and amino sugars; caramelisation browns sugar; acids firm vegetable texture and can slow softening.
- Doneness: test with a skewer, taste, and use a thermometer for safety where needed.
Worked example
Why does deep-fried food turn greasy? Reasoning: if the oil is too cool, steam does not push oil away from the surface and the food absorbs oil. Heat oil to about 175–180°C, fry in small batches, and drain on a rack.
Traps
Boiling everything hard; adding food to smoking oil; overcrowding the fryer; stirring rice constantly; adding acid to pulses too early; judging doneness only by the clock.