Methods of cooking Flashcards
What is poaching and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Food is cooked in a small amount of gently simmering liquid
It helps to keep the food tender
Foods that can be poached are eggs and fish
What is frying and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Uses hot fat or oil to cook food
Stir frying, vegetables remain crunchy
Shallow frying, gives food crunchy texture
Foods that can be fried are vegetables, noodles, eggs
What is steaming and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Food is cooked in the steam of boiling water
Taste, texture, colour and nutrients are kept more than if they were boiled
Foods that can be steamed are carrots, broccoli, rice
What is boiling and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Food is cooked in vigorously boiling water
Food becomes soft (esp veg)
Toughens proteins in meat
Foods that can be boiled are potatoes, pasta and rice
What is roasting and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Food is cooked using the dry, hot air of the oven and fat is added to the outside of the food
The food will turn golden brown, good flavour, crisp
Foods that can be roasted are potatoes, large cuts of meat
What is braising and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Foods are slowly cooked in a pot with a well fitting lid and contains liquid, herbs and veg
Meat will be tenderised, have good flavour
Foods that can be braised are tough joins of meat, vegetables
What is toasting and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Dry radiant heat is applied to food
Allows flavours to be released and enhanced in bread
Foods that can be toasted are bread, nuts and seeds
What is grilling and how does it affect the sensory qualities of food
Small pieces of food are cooked by the radiant heat produced by a hot grill
The outside of the food becomes golden and crisp
Foods that can be grilled are steaks, sausages, courgettes and cheeses
What is conduction
The transfer of heat by direct contact from a hot surface, heat passes through the base of the pan into the water
Eg lamb chops, bacon sausages touching the hot surface of a frying pan
Uses - dry frying, griddling, searing
Diagram - base of pan on fire
What is convection
The transfer of heat by the mass movement of heated particles into a cooler mass or area, the heat moves around by a convection current
Eg hot water, air or oil surrounding the food such as boiled potatoes, roast beef
Uses - dry heat - baking, roasting
wet heat - boiling, braising, simmering
Diagram - Arrows moving around in a fan oven or in a pan of water
What is radiation
The transfer of heat using electromagnetic radiation: waves of heat or light strike the food. No physical contact between the heat source and food being cooked,
Eg waves of heat pass through the air from the grill to make the surface of the bread go brown.
sausages bacon, kebabs
Uses - toast, grilling and bbqing foods
Diagram - arrows coming down from a heat source eg grill and going towards food
Why is food cooked
Improve flavour eg fish meat
Improve the appearance eg fish chicken
Kill bacteria and make it safe to eat eg chicken minced beef
Softer and easier to chew eg carrots cabbage
More digestible eg potatoes pasta
Reduce the bulk of food so we can eat more eg cabbage spinach
What is cooking
The transfer of heat energy from one item to another such as boiling water transferring heat to cook carrots
The heat energy changes the molecular structure of the nutrients (proteins, fats, carbs, water) and it alters the texture, flavour, aroma and appearance of the food
Why do gas ovens not have a fan
As it could blow out the flame and cause an explosion
What is an advantage of a fan in the oven
It blows the hot air around and distributes the hot air evenly inside the oven
