| Methods!!! In detail. |
| Frying Deep or Shallow, frying is usually a very tasty way to go, but not a very healthy way to get heat to your food. ALSO, deep fried stuff doesn't taste good for long, as any cold french fry will tell you. I generally avoid frying, but there is one freindly exception: Stir Frying Stir Frying is based on the idea of cooking the food QUICKLY!! You have a pan, either a nice, curved Wok, or a big flat fry pan, and you have a LOT of heat. LOTS of heat. Get that pan and that little bit of oil hot first, then toss in your food, let it sizzle a while, then stir it around, let it sizzle some more, stir it around, add a splash of liquid if it seems to bee sticking or getting too dry, but remember, a little bit of burning is tasty! it makes those nice brown flecks of flavor goodness! The sinful French cousin of the Stir Fry: Sautee Sautee is much like stir frying, except that you use more oil (or butter), and near the end of cooking, you will probably add a splash of flavourful liquid (like cooking sherry) to de-glaze the pan (to get all that tasty brown goodness that stuck to the pan loose and back into your food!). Since there's more oil, there's more fat, but oh, the flavor! NEVER saute in plain ole' Wesson oil: use real butter, or olive oil! It matters!! |
| Methods, Continued: Baking The oven is your friend. It produces a dry heat, which keeps your food from getting mushy, it lets you cook several things at once, much can be done with no added oils, and it adds crispness and browning, which are tasty! People try to give the oven a complex aire of mystery (probably because it's dark in there!) but don't be fooled: if it's roasted, parched, broiled or toasted, it's been done in and oven, and you can just call it "baked". Boiling If baking is your dry heat friend, then boiling is your hot, wet, buddy. Some things need to have heat and excessive moisture in order to cook right (pasta!), and some things are pretty horrible done that way (steak). Boiling adds no fat, so that's a good thing, but it can really take away flavor. In general, you would boil pasta, rice, and water for steaming. Boiling will soften up tough stuff, but also remove flavor, so be careful. Variants on boiling should not be mysterious: Steaming: holding something just above boiling water, so that only the steam touches it. really nice way to go with tender vegetables. Not nearly so mushy, the water doesn't actually touch the food and no flavor loss!! You can steam by putting stuff in a metal basket held over boiling water, or tying your asparagus spears with string and suspending them. Double boiling: much like steaming, except that stuff is held above the boiling water in a bowl or pot. This is the way to melt chocolate, because it is delicate and gets nasty if it gets too much heat. Poaching: boiling, but what you boiled was inside another container at the time. Poached eggs: raw eggs, poured into cups, then the cups are boiled. Again, water doesn't actually touch the food. Simmering: Just the thing for sauces and soups. This is an easy-to-find "almost boiling" point, when the hot liquid is just barely giving you a bubble or two. Don't worry, you can do it. Note on Boiling: Dairy products HATE to be boiled!! They will separate, creating icky, blob-y messes! So, either keep your soups and sauces with dairy just below the boiling point, or add them at the end! Dairy: milk, cheese, cream, yogurt, & sour cream. Grilling Fire! Fire! FIRE!!! One of the more fun ways to cook, grilling is great. Usually, foods tend to need a little oil to keep them from sticking to the grill; some meats have enough natural fat and do fine, some others are too lean. Some veggies are a little too tender, and should wear a foil jacket for most of the cook time. Have fun with this method |
| OK, I got it. Heat good. Now what? |