| To some people cooking comes easy whilst to others | | | | Bamboo steamers are also very popular now. They |
| it is full of fright and disappointment. Cooking need not | | | | are great for steaming fish, poultry and vegetables. |
| be terrifying at all. Come with me as I explain some of | | | | Just bring a small amount of water to the boil in a |
| the most important cooking methods and show you | | | | saucepan or a wok and stack up the steamers |
| how effortless it really is. | | | | containing the food. |
| BLANCHING | | | | Puddings can also be steamed by using a pudding |
| Blanching originally referred `to whiten' and was used | | | | basin - delicious. |
| to whiten veal and offal, though today it has tow | | | | BRAISING |
| general meanings:- 1) refers to the immersion of food in | | | | This is a long, slow, moist method of cooking used for |
| boiling water for a few seconds and then into cold | | | | tough cuts of meat, poultry and game. Braised food is |
| water in order to remove their skins, in the case of | | | | normally cooked as one piece and only a small amount |
| tomatoes, peaches, peppers. 2) refers to the | | | | of liquid is used. You will generally brown the meat in a |
| immersion of vegetables in boiling water for a short | | | | pan with a little oil and then finish cooking in a casserole |
| period, to destroy enzymes that will spoil the flavor and | | | | dish with some vegetables and liquid sauce. The meal |
| texture of the vegetables, and then into cold water to | | | | is then cooked with the lid on either on top of the |
| stop the cooking process prior to freezing. It is | | | | stove or in a low temperature oven. |
| generally noted that blanching assists in preserving the | | | | CASSEROLING |
| color of the frozen vegetables. | | | | This is very similar to braising and at times is used as a |
| BOILING | | | | more modern name for braising. It is taken from the |
| As the name suggests this is the cooking of food in a | | | | name of the cooking dish used - an ovenproof dish |
| liquid which has reached boiling point (100°C | | | | with a tight-fitting lid refereed to as a 'casserole dish'. It |
| 212°F). The liquid is generally water, stock or milk | | | | is often flameproof and so can be used for the initial |
| and the most common foods cooked by boiling are | | | | browning process and is often served at the table |
| eggs, vegetables, rice and pasta. | | | | which cuts down on the washing up. Casseroling |
| SIMMERING | | | | encompasses stews and like where the meat is cut |
| Simmering is a technique of cooking food in a liquid - | | | | into small pieces and cooked with vegetables in a rich |
| like boiling. However, simmering is performed at just | | | | sauce. |
| below boiling point. It is simple to control because you | | | | STEWINGM |
| can judge it by eye. When a liquid is boiling it has large | | | | This long, slow method of cooking is similar to braising, |
| bubbles and the surface is very agitated whereas | | | | in that the food is cooked in a liquid. It is used for |
| when simmering there is just a mild stream of small | | | | tougher cuts of meat, older chickens and game. In a |
| bubbles hardly breaking the surface. Try cooking | | | | stew the meat is typically cut up into small portions and |
| vegetables, chicken, fish and fruit this way. | | | | cooked in a large quantity of liquid. The liquid is |
| STEAMING | | | | generally thickened or reduced before serving with the |
| This method involves cooking food in the steam | | | | meat. Stewed fruit is often still referred to, and |
| produced from boiling water, either in direct contact or | | | | normally indicates fruit that is broken down and mushy |
| indirect. It is a healthy method of cooking as there is no | | | | as compared to poached fruit which is usually still firm |
| immersion in water and thus very little loss of nutrients. | | | | and whole. |
| Steaming is also an economical way of cooking | | | | CROCK POTING |
| because more than one item can be cooked at a time. | | | | This is a special method of cooking that I am |
| You can use 1 or 2 tiered steamers, which will fit over | | | | particularly fond of. It uses a special appliance called a |
| your saucepan and enable you to cook more than one | | | | 'crock pot' or 'slow cooker'. Similar to casseroling and |
| vegetable at a time. Water is boiled in the saucepan | | | | stewing it cooks the food in a liquid but over an |
| and then the vegetables sit in the steamer. | | | | extended period of up to 12 hours. |