Cooking Techniques part 1

Let’s discuss some of the different kinds of cooking methods. I had someone ask me recently, “Why do you call yourself the Sauté Daddy?

Well, it’s not just a clever nickname (although it surely is that) … To me, nothing feels as natural to me as having my right hand on the sauté pan. I love being in control of my food.

So let’s start with that method.

When you SAUTÉ something, you do so using a shallow pan over relatively high heat with a small amount of fat (oil, butter). The object is to brown the food while maintaining the moistness, flavor & texture of the ingredient. I’m sure you’ve seen a Chef in a restaurant or on T.V. flipping things in a SAUTÉ pan. SAUTÉ means “jump”, which is exactly what you’re making the food do.

ROASTING uses ambient heat to evenly cook and penetrate whatever you’re making, and exclusively refers to meats, vegetables, and fruits. ROASTING achieves caramelization on the outside and deeply penetrating heat and flavor on the inside.

The act of BAKING also uses ambient heat to evenly cook and penetrate whatever it is that you’re making. BAKING refers to cookies, cakes, brownies & pies. Sweet things.

BRAISING uses a hot, flavorful liquid to slow cook an ingredient. You would usually BRAISE a tough (cheap) cut of meat to infuse the flavor of your cooking liquid into it.

When you BROIL, you use intense heat (usually from above). You BROIL to achieve a browned, crispy surface and a very light cooking on the interior. In restaurants, we have salamanders that BROIL for us, however on the top of all ovens, there is a BROILER, and a subsequent setting for it on your oven knob.

FRYING is when you cook something in hot fat, most commonly oil. The most common oils to FRY in are canola oil, vegetable oil, peanut oil & grapeseed oil. One would never FRY with olive oil because it has a very low smoking point. A smoking point is a temperature at which the oil begins to break down.

One of my favorite cooking methods is STEAMING, which is a great way to use wet ambient heat to warm and sharpen delicate flavors while still maintaining their freshness and vibrant color. That is why we STEAM fresh vegetables. A great technique that goes along with STEAMING is called “En papillote” or “in parchment” - it goes for fish or chicken, and it’s the protein, some vegetables, usually some acid (wine, citrus), sometimes stock… and it’s sealed in either parchment paper or tinfoil and put in the oven. The protein and vegetables actually STEAM inside the pouch, and it’s a guaranteed moist dish.

Ever wonder why a steak in a restaurant tastes better than when you try to make it at happen at home? It mostly likely comes down to the SEAR on your meat. SEARING is cooking on a very hot surface until caramelization occurs on the surface of the food. Caramelization is the heating and intensifying of the natural sugars on your ingredient, achieving a crispy brown, slightly sweet effect on its outer surface. It is perhaps the single most important way of developing flavor. Like FN’s Anne Burrell says, “BROWN FOOD TASTES GOOD!”

POACHING is a method of cooking in warm-to-hot liquid (just below a simmer). The most common ingredient to POACH is an egg. POACHED eggs are a staple for a lot of popular breakfast dishes, and it’s an exciting ingredient to work into a salad or a pasta dish.
SIMMERING occurs just below the point where water begins to BOIL.

A BOIL is when you heat water to a temperature of 212°F and is very bubbly.

I hope you were able to learn a thing or two. As always, if there are any questions on any of these methods, or anything at all about food; feel free to email me! brian.griess@gmail.com

Copyright 2010, Brian Griess, All rights reserved