WAYS OF COOKING - THE COOKING METHOD
Food is cooked to make it more digestible and to develop different flavors, making it much more palatable. There are few ways or methods on how food is prepared or cooked. The different ways of cooking are boiling, baking, roasting, stewing (simmering), frying, sauteeing,fricassing and use of cassaroll in the oven. Certain meat and food are prepared in a certain method or technique described to enhance its texture, taste and flavor and making it much more presentable. A brief explanation of these methods are described to provide a user understanding of each way or technique used.
Boil
Boiling is cooking in boiling water at a temperature of 212 F or 100 C. Food are boiled to develop it into different texture. For instance, eggs are boiled to harden its liquid form while potatoes or tuberous roots are boiled to soften it.
Simmer
Simmer is cooking at a temperature of 185 F heat. Water will boil at a lower temperature in a high altitude. Soups, corned beef, tounges and the cheap cut meat all to be simmered after reaching the boiling point. This will make them much nicer and tender. Carving meat will be much easier and even. The meat will not tear as you pressed the knife on it.
Stewing
Stewing is cooking in a small amount of hot water for a long time at a low temperature. Cheaper cuts (meat) are stewed to soften and tenderize the fiber and connecting tissues making it very palatable.
Broiling
One of the most delightful cooking is broiling. It is done by cooking directly over the fire or under it and in some cases in front of it. Only the best cuts of meat are broiled. The intense heat will toughen the cheaper cut and make them hard to eat.
Roasting
Roasting is cooking by a hot fire in an oven or before the fire on the spit. To roast a meat, you have to choose a cut from the best part of an animal. Inroasting beef, lamb and mutton, it is best to baste with fat entirely while with veal (calf) and domestic fowls, water and butter are used instead. Not much water is needed at a time but it has to be renewed as the meat cooks away.
Frying
Cooking is an immersion in deep fat or oil at a temperature of 350F - 500F. Your oil must be in right temperature to keep the food from absorbing it.
Sauteeing
Frying in small quantity of fat or oil. Food cook in this way is much harder to digest than that cooked in deep fying. The frying pan is usually used for sauteeing.
Braising
To braise is to cook in a covered vessel with a low degree of heat. Today, this method of cooking is represented in the cassarole. In braising meat or any kind will give it a much finer flavor. If the meat is sauteed on all sides until it is well browned. It will hold its juices better and the brown on meat gives a good color and flavor.
Fricassing
It is sauteeing and serving tender meat or fowl with a sauce. There are two kinds, white and brown. For the white, the meat is placed in a saucepan of boiling hot water and cooked slowly until tender. The brown, meat is browned in butter or oil until brown and placed in a saucepan with brown sauce poured over it and simmered until tender.
