Cooking Methods Flashcards
Name the three headings cooking methods can be categorised under
Moist methods
Methods using oil
Dry methods
What is boiling?
Cooking food in water at 100 degrees
What is the method of heat transfer during boiling?
Conduction —> convection
What is braising?
Sealing meat in hot fat, then cooking it slowly in a covered dish with a little liquid
What is the method of heat transfer during braising?
Conduction —> convection
What is poaching?
Cooking food in a shallow pan of water or wine at just under boiling point
What is the method of heat transfer during poaching?
Conduction —> convection
What is simmering?
Cooking food in a liquid just below boiling point, so it bubbles gently
What is the method of heat transfer in simmering?
Conduction —> convection
What is steaming?
Cooking food in the steam rising from a pan of boiling water beneath
What is stewing?
Cooking food by simmering gently in a covered pot either in the oven, on the job or in a slow cooker
What is the method of heat transfer during stewing?
Conduction —> convection
What is sautéing?
Frying food gently in a little oil in order to soften the food and develop the flavour
What is the method of heat transfer during sautéing?
Conduction
What is shallow frying?
Frying food in a shallow frying pan in a little oil
What is the method of heat transfer during shallow frying?
Conduction
What is stir frying?
Frying food for a shirt rime in a wok
What is the method of heat transfer during stir frying?
Conduction
What is roasting?
Convection —> conduction
What is deep fat frying?
Frying food in a deep pan of very hot oil so that the food is fully immersed in the oil
What is the method of heat transfer during deep fat frying?
Conduction —> convection
Sautéing, shallow frying, stir frying, roasting and deep fat frying are all cooking methods using what?
Methods using oil to transfer heat
Boiling, braising, poaching, simmering, steaming and stewing are all cooking methods using what?
Methods using moisture to transfer heat
What is baking?
Cooking foods in a hot oven
What is the method of heat transfer during baking?
Convection —> conduction
What is grilling?
Cooking foods by intense radiant heat on a metal grid or grill rack, underneath a heated grill element in a cooker or Abbie a glowing charcoal/flames in a barbecue
What is the method of heat transfer during grilling?
Radiation
What is toasting?
Cooking starch based foods with dry heat from a grill or flame
What is the method of heat transfer during toasting?
Radiation
What is deep frying?
Cooking food that naturally contains oil or fat in a frying pan without adding oil
What is the method of heat transfer during deep frying?
Conduction
What is microwaving?
Cooking food by electromagnetic waves called microwaves in a microwave oven
What is the method of heat transfer during microwaving?
Radiation
Baking, grilling, toasting, deep frying and microwaving are all cooking methods using what?
Methods using dry heat to transfer heat energy
What is induction cooking?
A method of cooking where heat energy is transferred quickly to a pan through a specially designed ceramic cooking surface, over an induction and creates a magnetic current
Pans that are used on induction jobs must be made from what?
Metals that contain iron
What is the method of heat transfer for induction cooking?
Conduction
During methods of heat transfer using moisture, what happens to the ingredients?
Starch absorbs water and gelatinises between 60 degrees and 100 degrees
Protein denatures and coagulates
Fat will melt
Sauces and stocks reduce in volume as water evaporates
During methods of heat transfer using moisture, what are the effects on the appearance of the food?
Pasta, rice, beans and lentils swell in size as starch granules absorb water
Egg white becomes opaque and yolk becomes lighter in colour as protein denatures and coagulates
Green vegetables turn bright green for a few minutes, then gradually become a dark olive if overcooked
During methods of heat transfer using moisture, what are the effects on the palatability of the food?
Pasta, rice, beans and lentils soften in texture as they absorb the water
Vegetables soften and tenderise - may become mushy and disintegrate if boiled for too long
Flavour of stock will intensify as the water evaporates
During methods of heat transfer using moisture, what are the effects on the nutrients and digestibility of the food?
Vitamin C, B1 and B2 are destroyed by prolonged heating at boiling point
Water soluble vitamins (B group and C) dissolve into the cooking water
Starch granules will soften and some starch released which makes it easier to digest
During methods using oil to transfer heat, what happens to the ingredients?
Intrinsic sugars caramelise
Starch absorbs oil and swells
Protein denatures and coagulates
During methods using oil to transfer heat, what are the effects on the appearance of the food?
Onions, parsnips, carrots and potatoes become golden brown due to caramelisation
Red meat turns brown, poultry turns creamy/white colour
Meat/poultry shrink in size as protein denatures and coagulates
During methods using oil to transfer heat, what are the effects on the palatability of the food?
Caramelised vegetables taste sweeter
Flavour intensifies as water evaporates
As meat and poultry protein coagulates and shrinks, juices are squeezed out and form flavour on the surface
During methods using oil to transfer heat, what are the effects on the nutrients and digestibility of the food?
Vitamin C, B1 and B2 are affected by the heat
Overcooking meat/poultry will make the protein less digestible
Starch granules are softened and some starch released, which makes it easier to digest
During methods using dry heat to transfer heat energy, what happens to the ingredients?
Gases from raising agents expand with heat
Free sugars melt and form a syrup that softens gluten
Alcohol produced by yeast evaporates in the heat of the oven
During methods using dry heat to transfer heat energy, what are the effects on the appearance of the food?
Baked foods containing raising agents rise and expand before setting in the oven
Starch in the outside crust of baked goods becomes dextrinised and develops a golden brown colour
During methods using dry heat to transfer heat energy, what are the effects on the palatability of the food?
Risen food sets and develops a tender, crumbly/spongy texture inside
A crust develops on the outside
Caramelised sugars add flavour
During methods using dry heat to transfer heat energy, what are the effects on the nutrients and digestibility of the food?
Heat damages vitamin B group
Starch is more digestible through the cooking process
What happens during conduction?
When we heat a metal pan on the hob, it quickly heats up and transfers heat energy to the food inside through conduction
The atoms that make up metals are tightly packed together in a lattice
As the heat energy from the hob is transferred to the pan, it makes the metal atoms start to vibrate
They knock against each other and pass on heat energy, then pass it onto others
What happens during convection?
When you heat a pan of cold water on the hob, the heat energy passes through the metal pan by conduction and is then transferred to the water molecules in the pan
As the amount of heat energy increases, the water molecules start to move upwards where water is cooler and collides with other molecules
Thus passing on the heat energy into the food
How are convection currents set up?
The more heat energy that passes into water, the faster the water molecules move and the more they collide with other molecules
When they reach the surface of the water, the molecules start to slow down and sink back down again
As they reach the bottom of the pan, they receive more heat energy and start to move upwards again
What happens during radiation?
Infrared rays travel through the air and when they come into contact with a solid object, they are absorbed into the surface of the object and heat it up
Why do we cook food?
To enhance flavour To preserve food for longer To make sure it’s safe to consume To enhance texture To vary a diet
What are the advantages of steaming?
Fat not used.
Healthiest cooking method.
Compared to boiling, vegetables retain more of their texture, colour, nutrients and flavour.
Gentle cooking method - good for tender ingredients (fish).
What are the disadvantages of steaming?
Food may not be as flavoursome as roasted or fried food.
Gentle cooking method - not good for tough foods (meats).
Advantages of boiling
Fat not used.
Healthy cooking method.
Low energy (if little water is used and the pan is covered).
Disadvantages of boiling
Harsh cooking method. Delicate foods break up.
Over-boiling can make foods soft or mushy. Vegetables lose vitamins and flavour.
Food tends to be less flavoursome than fried or roasted food.
What is blanching?
Boiling food for a short time to part-cook it, before placing the food in cold/icy water.
Advantages of blanching
By placing the food in cold water, we stop cooking the food. The food keeps more of its colour, texture and vitamins.
Can take away harsh flavours.
Makes removing food skins easier as skins shrivel.
Advantages of simmering
As simmering is less harsh than boiling, food doesn’t lose as many nutrients
Advantages of poaching
Gentle cooking method - food stays tender.
Can absorb flavours if poached in a sauce.
Disadvantages of poaching
Some flavour and nutritional value is lost because flavours and nutrients transfer to the liquid.
Advantages of braising
Gentle cooking method - tough meats are tenderised.
Any meats being cooked absorb flavours from the other ingredients in the pot (e.g. the liquid, vegetables, herbs).
If meats are flash-fried before, the meat retains its juices better.
What is sweating?
Sweating involves frying food over a low heat using a small quantity of oil or fat.
Advantages of sweating
The food releases moisture - it cooks tenderly and tastes sweet once cooked.
Food doesn’t brown.
Advantages of frying
When food is fried, the food absorbs some of the fat from the pan. This gives the food more flavour.
Advantages of stir frying
Relatively healthy option - only a small amount of oil is used.
Very quick cooking method - this also means vegetables don’t lose too many nutrients.
Disadvantages of stir frying
Food needs constant attention and moving around the pan so that it does not burn.
Advantages of shallow frying
Compared to stir-frying, food develops a crispier texture.
Disadvantages of stir frying
Unhealthy cooking method - uses more fat than stir-frying.
The fat content of the pan increases throughout the cooking process as solid fats from the food start to melt.
Advantages of baking
Relatively healthy - no additional fat is needed, and baking tends to remove the fats in foods.
Browns the outer layers of food, which also turn crispy. This gives foods added flavour.
Can be used to cook a range of foods.
Disadvantages of baking
Can dry out foods.
To preserve some of the moisture in foods, bake them in foil.
Lots of energy is needed to keep the oven hot for long durations.
Slow cooking method.
Advantages of roasting
Roasted meat fat can be recycled (e.g. used to cook potatoes).
Roasted food often has a moist texture.
The brown, crispy outer layer is very flavoursome.
It’s possible to cook meat to have an undercooked (rare) centre, which many people prefer to well-cooked meat.
Disadvantages of roasting
Relatively unhealthy because of the amount of fat used.
Requires lots of energy.
Slow cooking method.
Advantages of grilling
Relatively healthy - fat isn’t needed and fat drips off from the food.
The crispy, golden exterior gives the grilled food lots of flavour.
Quick cooking method.
Disadvantages of grilling
Food easily burns.
Food may cook unevenly because of the high heat (e.g. the outside cooks while the inside stays raw).
Cross-contamination can occur while barbecuing cooked/raw meats simultaneously.
Advantages of dry frying
Relatively healthy (compared to other forms of frying) - doesn't require added fat or oil. Can help to give nuts, spices and seeds a unique aroma.
Disadvantages of dry frying
Slower than other forms of frying (uses lower temperatures).
Only a limited range of foods can be cooked by this method.
