POACHING Flashcards
Definition of poaching …
Poaching is the principle of cookery where food is submerged (completely covered) completely in liquid just below boiling point.
There should be no visible movement of the liquid during the cooking process.
Associated culinary terms of poaching
Meat
- Tender cuts of meat → fast or quick method of cookery
Eggs
- Best cooked in a deep pan as this will allow the egg to float and retain an oval shape(salt added will stabilise the egg protein and flavour)
Seafood
- Whole fish - started cold and small fish can be started in a hot court bouillon
Poultry
- Best cooked in stock to seal the flavour
Fruit
- Fresh or dried fruits are poached in stock syrup → keeps fruit submerged in a cartouche (circle of grease proof paper used to cover the surface of the liquid to hold the food down). E.g. poached pear
Utensils and equipment required for poaching
- Pots (appropriate size, appropriate liquid based on the density of food being submerged)
- Saucepans
- Spoons - Slotted
- Ladles (eg used to transfer excess poaching liquid onto the food, or to be used for sauce, effective portion control, standardise recipe)
- Spatulas
- Basket
- Fish kettles
- Cleanliness of equipment is essential to prevent discolouration of the food
Principles and practices/procedures of poaching
- Heat the liquid to boiling point and reduce the temperature until the liquid movement is not occurring
- Gently lower food into the cooking liquid
- Cover according to food item
- Allow food to remain in liquid until cooked
- Remove the food and reserve liquid for sauce if required to minimise wastage
- Food needs to be completely immersed during the cooking process
- Temperature = 93-95° degrees → just below simmering point (little movement in the liquid)
Characteristics of food/dishes prepared using poaching
- Tender / good quality products will remain tender during the poaching process
- Tough cuts of meat will retain their toughness if poached
- Food remains moist and has a glossy appearance from the poaching liquid(absorb and soak in flavour/liquid)
Must be selective of ingredients to ensure they are of good quality
Poaching liquids:
- Court bouillon → an aromatic liquid which enhances the flavour of the food being poached, contains acid (vinegar, lemon juice or white wine). The acid stabilises the protein and can affect the colour of the food e.g. poached egg
- Stocks → should relate to the food being cooked e.g. poached chicken
Stock syrup → used for poaching fresh or dried fruits e.g. poached pear
- Milk → used for some desserts or fish e.g smoked cod
Effect(s) on the nutritional value of food during poaching
- Loss of water soluble vitamin in this cookery process (B and C effected)
- Making of stocks, sauces and gravies will allow for leftover liquid to retain the vitamins lost
- Poaching doesn’t use fats and oils
- There is vitamin loss → can use a liquid for food or sauce
Cooking time and temperature for poaching
93 - 95
Safe and hygienic work practices when poaching are …
- Follow correct personal hygiene rules prior to cooking
- Ensure cooking utensils and containers are clean
- Beware of removing lids from saucepans
- Be mindful of steam burns. Remove lids away from the body
- It is expected that hygienic work practices should be upheld no matter the method of cookery
- When removing a lid from a pot, remove away from the body to reduce steam burns injury
- A safety consideration could be instead of using a large pot to portion hot liquid over a dish, a portioning tool such as a ladle could be used to portion the poaching liquid
Problems in the cooking process of poaching
- Causes
- Indicators
- Corrective action(s)
- Poached fish is too rubbery/ tough→ temperature of the liquid is too high → select a more tender cut of meat as poaching a fast method of cookery
- Food breaks up (disjointed) → temperature of the food is too high (boiling) and the food has become overcooked → do a temperature check to ensure they is no rapid movement of liquid during the cooking process as food should be cooked between 93-95˚C
- Fruit is discoloured → fruit was not fully submerged during the cooking process or oxidation occurs through the air after peeling e.g apples → use a cartouche to ensure the food is constantly submerged
- Food could be dried out → inadequate supply of liquid → constantly monitoring the liquid level during the cooking process and adding additional liquid if necessary
Environmentally friendly work practices when poaching
- Efficient use of resources, water and energy
- Management of kitchen waste
- Reuse poaching liquid where possible such as for a sauce
- Cook more than one egg in the water
- Temperature control → food dries out, liquid evaporates and the food can burn
- Selecting correct cut of meats, effective portioning to ensure it does not have to be repeated and minimises food wastage
Suitable recipes for poaching
- Eggs benedict
- Poached pears
- Poached chicken breast with basil lemon sauce
- Poached eggs
