Baking: Baking involves sealing food in a container and cooking it with dry heat, typically in an oven. Traditional oven baking uses dry air and convective heat to cook bread, cakes, pastries, and casseroles.
Blanching: Blanching involves briefly immersing produce in steaming water or boiling water, followed by rapid chilling in icy water. Blanching preserves color, texture, and flavor before cooking or freezing, especially beneficial for vegetables.
Boiling: Simple and effective, boiling is the process of cooking by submerging food in a boiling liquid, most often water. Chefs commonly use this method on pasta, grains, veggies, and eggs. As the liquid boils, it transmits its high temperature to the food, cooking it.
Braising: Combination braising browns food in fat, then simmers it covered with broth or wine until tender. The dish gets juicier and more flavorful as it cooks gently in the liquid.
Deep-frying: In a deep fryer, you cook food to perfection by plunging it into a bath of hot oil or fat. You achieve crisping and browning the skin by transferring the heat of the burner directly to the meal using oil. Chefs commonly use this method to prepare dishes such as doughnuts, chicken wings, and French fries.
Grilling: Grill meats by laying them flat on a grill or barbecue and heating them over a high heat source. High temperatures near the fire cause food to char and gain smokiness in appearance and flavor. Tossing meat, fish, vegetables, and even fruits on the grill enhances their flavor and texture.
Poaching: Poaching gently simmers food in liquid like water or broth over low heat, ideal for eggs, fish, and fruits. To achieve juicy and tender results, simmer the meal gently in a liquid.
Roasting: “Roasting” is cooking food, typically meat or veggies, in a preheated oven or over a stovetop fire. The browning and caramelization of food surfaces are a result of cooking at higher temperatures than baking. Roasting food brings out its natural flavors and textures.
Low-level frying: With a tiny pan and a little oil or fat, someone can cook food in one way. We know this method as quick frying or pan-frying. When shallow frying food, it remains only partly submerged in oil. This gives the food a crispy outside and less fat.
Sous vide: Cooks use sous vide to cook food slowly in a steady-temperature water bath for extended periods. They put the food in a vacuum-sealed bag. This method cooks the food evenly and preserves its taste and moisture.
Steaming: Cooks often use a boiling bath with hot water to cook food. The most common way is placing food over boiling water in a rack or steamer basket. Gentle steam from boiling water preserves food’s natural taste, texture, and nutrients more effectively.
Stewing: Stewing involves simmering meat and veggies in broth or stock for an extended period, using a low-and-slow cooking technique. As meats and veggies cook slowly, flavors intensify, and sauce or gravy thickens, creating a truly delectable dish.
