What Are the Main Cooking Methods?

To prepare food, there are many other cooking methods besides cooking. In the narrower sense, cooking only refers to the cooking of food in a lot of liquid – mostly water or broth – at temperatures around 100 degrees Celsius. This preparation technique is only suitable for rather robust dishes with a firm consistency such as pasta or potatoes. If the cooking liquid is not reused – such as in stews or soups – quite a lot of nutrients are lost. Sensitive foods such as fish threaten to disintegrate when cooked. Therefore, other cooking methods such as stewing, steaming, or poaching are more suitable for vegetables, fruit, and fish.

When steaming, the ingredients cook in very little liquid in a closed pot at temperatures just under 100 degrees Celsius. Food that contains a lot of liquid itself, such as most types of fruit and vegetables, can also be steamed without adding water, juice, stock, or wine. The aromas and nutrients are largely retained, as is the case with steaming. The food does not come into contact with liquid, but only with steam. To do this, you need a metal or bamboo steamer in which to place the food.

Poaching works similarly to boiling, except the liquid stays hot between 75 and 98 degrees Celsius and must not exceed the boiling point. This allows you to make a powerful broth by heating the ingredients together with water. Or you can gently cook delicate foods by adding them to the already hot liquid.

Other cooking methods include roasting, braising, grilling, frying, and baking. You can use all kinds of food for frying in a pan with hot fat. Larger pieces of meat should be cooked in the oven at lower temperatures after searing at high temperatures between 150 and 200 degrees. Otherwise, the meat will burn on the outside but won’t be done on the inside. This technique ensures a very tasty crust and toasted aromas. Braising is a mixture of the cooking methods of roasting and steaming. First, sear the food on all sides in a casserole, then add enough liquid – water, wine, or broth – that it is about half embedded. The dish cooks to the end in a closed pot on the stove or in the oven at temperatures around boiling point.

In principle, anything can be grilled, although it is better to prepare delicate foods or those where fat or liquid could drip onto the embers in a grill tray or on an electric grill. This is the oldest cooking method. You can grill outdoors using charcoal, gas, or electricity. The advantage is sparing use of fat. The meat is exposed to temperatures of up to 350°C. Well-marbled pieces of meat, such as steaks or meatballs, are particularly suitable. For example, the Tomahawk Steak is cooked with bones on the grill.

You don’t necessarily need a deep fryer for frying, a high pot also serves the purpose. Make sure you only use high-heat fat such as coconut oil, peanut oil, or refined vegetable oils. In the oven, you can bake casseroles, cakes, and dishes in batter or with breading, bread, and biscuits at temperatures between 150 and 250 degrees.

The doneness of meat

The best way to determine how well cooked your meat is with a meat thermometer.
rare, bleu, very bloody: 45 to 47° C core temperature
medium rare, english, saigant, bloody: 50 to 52° C core temperature
medium, a point, medium, medium: 55 to 60° C core temperature
well done, bien cuit, through: 70 to 85° C core temperature