10 Essential Cooking Methods and Techniques Everyone Should

Know
 1. What Does Sauté Mean?

 It is difficult to think of a cooking method you can use with so many different kinds of
food from fish to vegetables to meat to noodles. The definition of sauté literally means
“to jump” in French, which alludes to the fact that with this technique the food is tossed
around in the skillet quite a bit.

 A variety of fats can be used from butter to various oils, or a combination, depending on
the food you are sautéing. The pan and the fat must be hot enough so that the food added
to the pan starts to brown quickly, since the heat used to cook the food comes directly
from the pan itself. The exterior of the food is browned, sometimes only slightly,
sometimes more caramelized, and the interior cooked through using this method.   It’s
somewhere between stir-frying and searing.
 2. What is the Definition of Stir-Frying?

 In a classic stir-fry, the food is always cut into similarly sized bite-sized pieces so that it
cooks evenly.   This method is usually referred to in various Asian cuisines. The cook
keeps the food moving using a cooking utensil of some sort, and sometimes shaking the
pan itself. The heat beneath the pan must be very high, a small amount of oil is usually
used, and you will want to have every single ingredient fully prepped and measured
before you begin, since stir-fries wait for no one, and the first ingredients might overcook
while you are mincing the final components.

 Ingredients are usually added starting with the ones that take the longest to cook, and
finishing with the shortest cooking ingredients, so everything reaches just-doneness at the
same moment. A wok is the traditional pan used in stir-frying but a large skillet works
just as well.
 3. What Does Sear Mean?

 Searing refers to the browning of food — usually pertaining to meat or fish — in a pan
over high heat. It often is used at the beginning of the recipe, and the browning
caramelizes the natural sugars in the food allowing another layer of flavor to emerge, and
also can add a pleasing texture to the outside of the food.

 A small amount of fat is usually used with this technique. In the case of a piece of fish,
for instance, you may simply sear it on both sides, and the cooking process is complete,
while in the case of a tougher cut of meat, the searing may be the first step in the
preparation process, followed by braising or roasting.


 4. What is the Definition of Braised?

 Usually this term is used in conjunction with meat, in particular cuts of meat that benefit
from long, slow cooking to become tender, though anything from endive to poultry can
also be braised. In braising, the food is often browned first, though not necessarily, and
then it is finished in a low oven or over a low flame with a moderate amount of liquid
(not enough to cover the food), and usually a lid covers the pot so that the liquid
condenses on the underside of the lid and self-bastes the dish while it cooks. The
definition of braising usually refers to slow cooking with some liquid.

 Sometimes aromatic vegetables like carrots, onions, and other seasonings are used in this
cooking method along with the liquid. Braising liquids range from broth to wine to
tomatoes.
 5. What is the Definition of Stew?

 Stewing is similar to braising, both moist heat cooking methods, but often refers to food
that cut been cut into smaller pieces, while braising often refers to whole cuts of meat or
pieces of chicken, for instance. In stewing the food is usually first browned over higher
heat, then returned to the pot with other ingredients, such as vegetables, and liquid to
cover the ingredients. The pot is then at least partially covered, and the cooking is
finished over low heat. Like braising, stewing is an excellent method for turning tougher
cuts of meats or poultry or even certain kinds of seafood, like conch or squid, tender.

 Often things that have been stewed (and braised for that matter) taste even better the next
day, so these are two great make ahead techniques.   And then there is the slow cooker, a
stew-creating marvel.
 6. What is the Definition of Steaming?

 The consistent flow of hot air is what gently cooks the food in this cooking technique,
and it is very popular in Asian cooking. The fact that the food is cooked above the liquid,
and not actually submerged, means that most of the nutrients stay right where they
belong, in the food. Water is often used, though broth, wine beer or other infusions can
also be used to steam.

 Make sure the food you are steaming has enough room around each piece so that the hot
steam can cook everything evenly, and make sure the liquid level is about one or two
inches below the food suspended above the liquid. You may have to add liquid to the pot
as it evaporates.

 There are many appliances that are used for steaming foods, but in the end they involve a
perforated platform that holds the food suspended above simmering liquid. Sometimes
food is steamed directly in the basket or sometimes on a plate, if juices are going to be
released that would add to the finished dish. Chicken, dumplings, vegetables, fish are just
some of the dishes that are often steamed.
 7. What is the Definition of Baking?
 Baking simply means cooking food in the oven—usually uncovered—using indirect, dry
heat. The terms is often used when discussing foods like breads, cooking, muffins, and
other, well “baked goods” though is also is used to describe cooking savory food like
lasagna or chicken. The foods cook from the outside in, and the oven temperature varies
from recipe to recipe, though once the heat gets higher, say 400°F or above, the term
roasting often gets used.
 8. What is the Definition of Roasting?

 One of the least hands on cooking techniques, perfect for when you need to get dinner
going but then have some other things clamoring for your attention before it’s time to
eat.  Roasting is very similar to baking, in that is usually involves dry heat cooking in the
oven, uncovered, but it usually involves higher heats (and correspondingly short cooking
times) than baking.

 The baking pan used is usually relatively shallow so that the heat circulates evenly and
the food doesn’t steam. The outside of foods that have been roasted, whether potatoes
or vegetables or chicken or meat, browns nicely thanks to the high heat, and the inside
should remain most and tender. Sometimes foods are places on a rock in a roasting pan to
allow the hot air to circulate even more evenly. Roasting can also refer to foods cooked
over live fire, such as spit-roasting.
 9. What Does Broil Mean?

 Broiling refers to cooking foods under a broiler, which sometimes is a separate drawer in
your oven, and sometimes requires you placing the top rack in your oven close to the roof
of the oven to be near the heat source, which may be electric or gas. The closer the rack is
to the heat, the faster the food will brown and cook. The side of the food that is exposed
to the direct and intense heat source is the only side that will brown , so you usually have
to turn foods during the broiling process.

 Often the food is cooked on a rimmed baking sheet, which allows the food to be close to
the heat source. Foods that take best to this cooking method are foods that cook through
quickly, so they don’t burn before they finish cooking inside. Fish and seafood, chicken
breasts, burgers, kebabs, and the like are good candidates for broiling, and the technique
can also be used to finish dishes like frittatas. Timing is of the essence, so when you are
broiling any type of food, you will want to stay close and check the food often.
 10. What is the Definition of Grilling?

 Grilling is the technique of cooking foods over live fire over direct heat, usually fairly
high heat. Food is exposed to the flames and it quickly develops a browned, caramelized
exterior as the inside cooks through. You can adjust the heat on a gas grill fairly easily, if
you are using a charcoal grill is it often advisable to have one area of the grill hot, and
another less so. This way you can move the food from zone to zone as needed. It takes
some experience playing with the charcoal or wood to get this down.
 Tender cuts of meat and poultry and various kids of fish and shellfish are very well suited
to grilling, as are vegetables and even fruits. As with broiling, you’ll want to stay quite
close to the grill as flare-ups can occur. It’s easy for a food to go from nicely browned to
charred in a flash. The timing varies wildly from food to food, and from grill to grill, so
test the doneness of the foods you are cooking as you go. You can also experiment with
keeping the lid open and closed, which affects the temperature.