COOKING METHODS

Foods can be cooked in air, fat, water or steam. These are collectively known as cooking media. There are two general types of cooking methods: dry heat and moist heat.

• Dry-heat cooking methods are those using air or fat. They are broiling, grilling, roasting and baking, sauteing, pan-frying and deep-frying, Foods cooked using dry-heat cooking methods have a rich flavor caused by browning.
• Moist-heat cooking methods are those using water or steam. They are poaching, simmering, boiling and steaming. Moist-heat cooking methods are used to emphasize the natural flavors of food.

• Other cooking methods employ a combination of dry- and moist-heat cook­ing methods. The two most significant of these combination cooking meth­ods are braising and stewing.
• Dry-heat cooking methods
• Cooking by dry heat is the process of applying heat either directly, by sub­jecting the food to the heat of a flame, or indirectly, by surrounding the food with heated air or heated fat
• Broiling
• Broiling uses radiant heat from an overhead source to foods. The tem­perature at the heat source can be as high as 2000°F (1093°C). The food to be broiled is placed on a preheated metal grate. Radiant heat from overhead cooks the food, while the hot grate beIow marks it with attractive cross-hatch marks.
• Delicate foods that may be damaged by being placed directly on a metal grate or foods on which cross-hatch marks are not desirable may be placed on a preheated heat-proof platter then placed under the broiler. Cooking will take place through indirect heat from the preheated platter as well as from the di­rect heat from the broiler's overhead heat source
• Grilling
• Although similar to broiling, grilling uses a heat source located beneath the cooking surface. Grills may be electric or gas, or they can burn wood or char-which will add a smoky flavor to the food. Specific woods such as mesquite, hickory or vine dippings can be used to create special flavors. Grilled foods are often identified by Crosshatch markings. Next you can find the procedure for positioning foods on the grill to create these markings:
• 1.   Decide which side of the grilled food will be presented face up to the customer. Place the food on the hot grill with this side facing down. If the item is oblong, place it at a 45-degree angle to the bars on the cooking grate. Cook long enough for the food to develop dark charred lines where it touches the grate

•  Rotate the food 90 degrees and allow it to cook long enough for the grates to char it to the same extent as in step 1
•    Turn the food over and finish cooking it. It is usually unnecessary to create the Crosshatch markings on the reverse side since this will not be seen by the people who will eat it.
• Roasting and Baking
• Roasting and baking are the processes of surrounding a food with dry heated air in a closed environment. The term roasting is usually applied to meats and poultry, while baking is used when referring to fish, fruits, vegetable starches, breads or pastry items. Heat is transferred by convection to the food's surface, and then penetrates the food by conduction. The surface dehydrate: and the food browns from caramelization, completing the cooking process.
• Sauteing
• Sauteing is a dry-heat cooking method that uses conduction to transfer I from a hot saute pan to food with the aid of a small amount of fat. Heat then penetrates the food through conduction. High temperatures are used to sau and the foods are usually cut into small pieces to promote even cooking.
• To saute foods properly, begin by heating a saute pan on the stove top, then add a small amount of fat. The fat should just cover the bottom of the pan. Heat the fat or oil to the point where it just begins to smoke. The food to be cooked should be as dry as possible when it is added to the pan to promote browning and to prevent excessive spattering.
• Place the food in the pan in a single layer. The heat should be adjusted so that the food cooks thoroughly: it should not be so hot that the outside of die food burns before the inside is cooked. The food should be turned or tossed periodically to develop the proper color. Larger items should be turned using tongs without piercing the surface. Smaller items are often are turned by using the sauteuse's sloped sides to flip them back on top of them­selves.
• When tossing sauteed foods, keep the pan in contact with the heat source as much as possible to prevent it from cooling. Sauteing sometimes includes the preparation of a sauce directly in the pan after the main item has been removed. ]
• Stir-frying is a variation of sauteing. A wok is used instead of a saute pan the curved sides and rounded bottom of the wok diffuse heat and facilitate tossing and stirring. Otherwise, stir-frying procedures are the same as those outlined for sauteing and will not be discussed separately here.
• Pan-Frying
• Pan-frying shares similarities with both sauteing and deep-frying. It is a dry-heat cooking method in which heat is transferred by conduction from the pan to the food, using a moderate amount of fat. Heat is also transferred to the food from the hot fat by convection. Foods to be pan-fried are usually coated in breading. This forms a seal that keeps the food moist and prevents the hot fat from penetrating the food causing it to become greasy.

• To pan-fry foods properly, first heat the fat in a saute pan. Use enough fat so that when the food to be cooked is added, the fat comes one third to one half way up the item being cooked. The fat should be at a temperature somewhat lower than that used in sauteing; it should not smoke but should be hot enough so that when the food is added it crackles and spatters from the rapid vapor­ization of moisture. If the temperature is too low. the food will absorb excessive amounts of fat; if it is too high, the food will burn on the outside before the in­terior is fully cooked. When the food is properly browned on one side, turn it without piercing it, using tongs. Always turn the food away from you to prevent being burned by any fat that may splash. When the food is fully cooked, remove it from the pan, drain it on absorbent paper and serve it immediately.
• Deep-frying is a dry-heat cooking method that uses convection to transfer heat to food submerged in hot fat. Heat then penetrates the food, cooking the in­terior through conduction. Foods to be deep-fried are usually first coated in ratter or breading. This preserves moisture and presents the foods from ab­sorbing excessive quantities of fat. Deep-fried foods should cook thoroughly while developing an attractive deep golden-brown color. Foods to be deep-led should be of a size and shape that allows them to float freely in the fat.
• Today, most deep-frying is done in specially designed commercial fryers. These deep-fat fryers have built-in thermostats, making temperature control more precise. To deep-fry food, first heat the fat or oil to temperatures be­tween 325°F and 375°F (160°C-190°C). Slowly place the food in the fat, where il should float freely. Use tongs to turn it if necessary. When the food is done, remove it from the fat. drain it on absorbent paper and serve it immediately.