Conventional Cooking Techniques - PowerPoint Presentation

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Conventional Cooking Techniques

FACS Standards 8.5.1, 8.5.2, 8.5.3, 8.5.4, 8.5.5, 8.5.6, 8.5.7

Kowtaluk, Helen and Orphanos Kopan, Alice.

Food For Today

. McGraw Hill-Glencoe. 2004.Slide2

Moist-heat Methods

Involves cooking foods in hot water, steam, or a combination

Long, slow moist-heat cooking tenderizes meat; blends flavors of foods

Boiling, simmering, steaming, pressure cookingSlide3

BOILING

Suitable for corn on the cob and pasta

Other foods tend to overcook and fall apart

Nutrient loss is high

Toughens proteinSlide4

Be sure to use pan large enough for the food and the water

Bring liquid to a boil; then add food; liquid should continue to boil as food is added

Useful method when you want water to evaporate quickly – thicken sauce or concentrate flavor of a soupSlide5

SIMMERING

Differs from boiling in that the bubbles rise gently and just break the surface

Used to cook many foods – fruits, vegetables, and less tender cuts of meat and poultry

Some nutrients are lostSlide6

Use water when possible

To simmer, bring water to a boil; add food; when water begins to boil again, reduce the heat so food simmers

Slow cooker can be used to simmer foods – meats and dry beansSlide7

STEWING

A form of simmering

Involves covering small pieces of food with liquid and simmering until doneSlide8

POACHING

A form of simmering

Simmer food in small amount of water until done

Eggs, whole fruits, and fish often prepared this waySlide9

Steaming

Cooking food over, not in, boiling water

Food usually in a steamer basket that fits inside pan

Boil small amount of water in bottom of pan; place basket in pan; cover to trap steamSlide10

Water does not touch food

Vegetables and fish often cooked this way

Foods retain their color, shape, and flavor well

Few nutrients are lost

Cooking time longerSlide11

Pressure Cooking

Cooking food in steam under pressure

Cooks 3-10 times faster because cooks in temperatures above 212

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Best for foods that take a long time to cook – less tender cuts of beef, poultry, dry beans, soups, one-dish meals, vegetablesSlide12

All the advantages of steaming plus fasterSlide13

Dry-heat Methods

Cooking food uncovered without added liquid or fat

Roasting, baking, broiling, pan-broilingSlide14

Roasting and Baking

Cooking food uncovered in a conventional or convection oven

Roasting – cooking a large, tender cuts of meat or poultry

Baking – breads, cookies, vegetables, poultry, fish, casserolesSlide15

Roasting

Gives tender meat and poultry a flavorful, crispy brown crust

Use shallow, uncovered pan with a rackSlide16

Baking

Preheat oven 10 minutes before use; place pans in middle of oven for even cooking

If pans touch oven sides creates a hot spot – area of concentrated heat – overcooking foodSlide17

If baking several pans at once, place them diagonally opposite of one another for better air circulationSlide18

Broiling

Cooking food under direct heat

Broiler pan placed below a burner or heating element

Heat radiates down, cooking food quickly

Tender cuts of meat and poultry, fish, fruits, and some vegetablesSlide19

Already cooked foods can be broiled a short time to brown them

Melt cheese toppings

Pan has 2 parts – slotted grid holds the food and drip pan, which catches the drippings during cookingSlide20

To broil, set oven control to broil – can’t control temperature

The farther you place the food from the heat source the slower the cooking time, but food will cook all the way throughSlide21

Outdoor Grilling

Similar to broiling except the heat source is below the foodSlide22

Pan-Broiling

Range top dry heat cooking

Hamburgers, tender cuts of steak, and some cuts of pork

Cook quickly and retain minimum amount of fatSlide23

To pan-broil, cook food in heavy skillet over medium heat; don’t add fat; as fat accumulates, pour it off or remove with a basterSlide24

Frying

Cooking food in oil or melted fatSlide25

Sautéing

Brown foods in skillet with small amount of fat

Low to medium heat

Chopped vegetables (onions and peppers), small pieces of meat and fishSlide26

Pan-frying

Similar to sautéing but with larger pieces of meat, poultry, or fish

Food may need turning several times during process for even, complete cooking

Often used to brown meat before cooking in moist heatSlide27

Deep-Fat Frying

“French frying”

Food immersed in hot fat and cooked until done

Used for tender foods – vegetables and some breads (doughnuts)Slide28

Use deep-fat fry thermometer for correct temperatureSlide29

Smoking Point

Every fat has a smoking point – temperature at which fat gives off irritating smoke and breaks down chemically

No longer good for cookingSlide30

Animal fats – butter, lard – have low smoking points

Vegetable fats – safflower, soybean, corn, and peanut oils – relatively high smoking point – best choices for fryingSlide31
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Combination Methods

Best cooking method for food often combination of methods

Braising and stir-frying – methods combining dry-heat and moist-heat cookingSlide33

Braising

Brown food then long period of simmering to tenderize the food and enhance the flavor

Large, less tender cuts of meat and poultrySlide34

Use Dutch oven or heavy pot with tight-fitting lid

Brown food on all sides; add seasonings and small amount of liquid; cover the pot

Can be done either on stovetop or in oven at 350

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Vegetables are often added near end of cooking timeSlide35

Stir-Frying

Frying and moist-heat cooking

Small pieces of food quickly fried in small amount of fat; stirred constantly to avoid sticking; small amount of liquid added near end of cooking time; pan covered to allow food to steam brieflySlide36

Began in Asia

Most often used for cooking mixtures of vegetables and other foods

Traditional pan used is a wok, but regular skillet works well