Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Basic methods of cookery Boiling • Boiling is the rapid vaporization of a liquid, which occurs when a liquid is heated to its boiling point, the temperature at which the vapor pressure of the liquid is equal to the pressure exerted on the liquid by the surrounding environmental pressure. • Blanch - To briefly plunge food into boiling water, and then into cold water to stop the cooking process. • Foods suitable for boiling include vegetables, starchy foods such as rice, noodles and potatoes, eggs, meats, sauces, stocks and soups and common utensils and equipment used are: pot, and stove • When you boil food it helps clean the food and kill any bacteria on the food e.g. when you boil meats it will remove any blood or impurities from the meat. • When boiling food you heat the water to 100 C (boiling point) and you usually add salt to the ratio of 100/1 ( one litre of water to 10 grams of salt) and to minimise waste only cook the amount needed.
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Poaching • Poaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid other than oil, generally milk, stock or wine. • Court Bouillon is a highly flavored poaching liquid, used to enhance the flavour of the food to be poached. A court Bouillon usually contains an acid, vinegar, lemon juice or a white wine. • Poaching is particularly suitable for delicate food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out. • Poaching stabilises the protein of the poached food • It is important to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a bare minimum, which will also preserve the flavour of the food and to minimise waste only poach what is needed.
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Steaming • Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. Steaming is considered a healthy cooking technique and capable of cooking almost all kinds of food. • Atmospheric steaming - when steam is is introduced into the cooking chamber continuously and little pressure builds up. • Vegetables, Potatoes, Rice and fish are the best foods to steam other foods may turn soggy. • Has no effect on nutrient value • When you steam food depending on whether you do atmospheric or high pressure steaming will depend on how long and what temperature it cooks at. if you do atmospheric steaming it will cook at 103 C and if you do high pressure steaming it will cook at 121 C.
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Stewing • Stewing is to simmer foods in a small amount of liquid. The liquid is then used as a sauce. • Suitable foods for stewing are lamb, beef, veal, pork, game and chicken and fish, root vegetables and fruit can also be stewed • When making a stew it is cooked very slowly and normally left for a few hours to cook and the liquid used to cook a stew is normally water, stock or wine
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Braising • Braising is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat. • Larding is when you insert strips of pork or bacon fat into a low moisture or low fat meat before braising. • Suitable foods for braising are: Most meats and most vegetables • Nutrient value effect does not change. • Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to break down the tough connective tissue collagen in meat, making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. Many classic braised dishes such as coq au vin are highly evolved methods of cooking tough and otherwise unpalatable foods. Pressure cooking and slow cooking are forms of braising.
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Roasting • Roasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavor enhancement. • Poele is the term used when pot roasting. food is initially enclosed in a container and not subjected to high, direct heat for as long as in roasting. Poele also retains more moisture than conventional roasting. • Suitable foods for roasting would be: meats ( beef needs to be trimmed as it is a poor conductor of heat and the outside will cook faster than the inside so you need to trim the meat) and most vegetables can be roasted. utensils and equipment: oven, deep tray. • Nutrient value will change depending on how you roast food • Preheat oven before you put a roast in and ensure meat is trimmed so it can cook through.
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Baking • Baking is the technique of prolonged cooking of food by dry heat acting by convection, and not by radiation, normally in an oven, but also in hot ashes, or on hot stones. • Suitable foods for baking are: pastry, pasta, vegetables and utensils and equipment used: ovens, cake tins, trays • Nutrient value will be effected depending on food and how you bake it. • When baking you must ensure you preheat oven to the desired temperature before putting the food in the oven as it could cause the food not to be cooked properly
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Grilling • Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below. Grilling usually involves quite a lot of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking quickly. • Trellising is a culinary term given when you sear a trellis or lattice pattern on the surface • Suitable foods for grilling would be: lamb cutlets, pork chops, medallions of beef, chicken and vegetable and fruit that are not to soft and will retain shape and texture. • Nutrient will be effected depending on how you grill the food. • When grilling make sure you have very clean utensils and that the hot plate is clean and do not over heat the grill but ensure that it is hot enough before you put food on it and to minimise waste only cook what you need.
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Shallow Frying • Shallow frying is an oil-based cooking technique. It is typically used to prepare portion-sized cuts of meat and fish, and patties such as frying is a high-heat process, promoting browning and, in some cases, a Maillard reaction. • Two culinary terms are: Pan frying (when food is cooked in a small amount of fat and turned with a palette knife or tongs) and Sauteing (when you toss food in a small amount of hot fat to colour and seal) • Suitable foods to shallow fry include: Schnitzel, cutlets, hamburger meat, most vegetables and fruit can be shallow fried and eggs can be shallow fried. • A method called pane a’l anglaise is used when shallow frying
Hospitality By Brett Robinson & Michael Nicholson
Deep Frying • Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. This is normally performed with a deep fryer. Deep frying is classified as a dry cooking method because no water is used. • Foods that are suitable for deep frying include: eggplants, sweet potatoes, snow peas, zucchini, broccoli, beans, cauliflower, Potatoes, ice cream, beef, chicken and poultry • When you deep fry food you only have a certain amount of time to safely eat it i.e. Chicken is suitable to eat for approx. 4 hours after being cooked and to minimise waste make sure you put the older stock in front of the new stock so it can be sold first • There are six different methods of preparing food for deep frying they are: Paner a l’anglaise (food is coated with flour, eggwash and breadcrumbs), Paner a la Milanaise (food is coated with flour, eggwash and a mixture of one third parmesan cheese and two thirds breadcrumbs), A la Francaise (food is coated with milk and flour), A l’Orly (Food is dipped into a thin batter and served with fresh tomato sauce), A la Juivre (food is coated with flour and dipped in beaten eggs) and Yeast and beer batters (food is floured and dipped in batter).