SIMMERING

Simmering requires careful setting of the heat to maintain a temperature of 95-99C. This temperature is reached when gentle currents can be seen in the liquid, or small bubbles are just breaking the surface. Careful simmering is required for making consommé and for the despumation of sauces. To cook at this temperature it’s usual to bring the contents of the saucepan to the boil and immediately lower the heat to a suitable setting.

Principles

1.
The liquid must not move rapidly enough to break up the solid food in the saucepan.

2.
The ingredients are allowed to cook without rapid evaporation of moisture. The saucepan is usually covered.

3.
Simmering allows any scum to rise so that it can be skimmed off.

BRAISING

Braising is slow cooking in an oven in a covered container just large enough to hold the items being braised. The aim of braising is to tenderize cuts of meat that would otherwise be tough, or to develop fine flavours through long slow cooking.

Braising is most suited to tougher cuts of meat and game.

Principles

1.
Items to be braised, particularly furred game, are sometimes marinated beforehand.

2.
The meat to be braised is always shallow-fried or sautéed at the start. One exception to this is sweetbreads.

3.
The items to be braised are laid on a mirepoix which has been sautéed.

4.
The food is half-covered with liquid and covered with a lid.

5.
Except in the case of vegetables, the braising liquor is used to make the sauce.

6.
The flavour from the liquor of braised vegetables is too strong to make sauce, so fine demi-glace is used.

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Stir-Fry

This term is usually associated with Asian cookery. It involves heating a small amount of oil over a medium to high heat and adding various items that are to be cooked. Generally shallow, two-handled steel woks are used, and special gas burners are available to heat them.

Sometimes the various ingredients are cooked separately and then combined before serving. At other times, ingredients that take the longest to cook are added first and ingredients that require very little cooking (such as bean shoots) are added last. Sometimes the food is marinated or the oil flavoured with herbs or spices beforehand.

In all cases the food must be cut small and be of uniform size to aid quick, even cooking. Food is usually cooked in small batches and stirred continuously. It must not be piled up in the wok, as this leads to steaming and sweating. Only the best cuts of meat that require light cooking are used, and the vegetables are kept bright and crunchy.

Principles Of Cooking With A Wok

1.
All ingredients must be cleaned, dried and assembled before starting to cook.

2.
Ingredients must be cut to a similar size and shape, as cooked pieces must look uniform and have the same tenderness.

3.
Most chicken, fish, pork and beef are marinated beforehand, to enhance taste and tenderness. Items are often coated with cornflour prior to cooking.

4.
Some oil should be heated in the wok, swirled around, and the excess removed prior to cooking.

5.
A little oil should be added to meat and fish just prior to cooking. This will aid separation in the wok.

6.
Stir-frying is a very quick process. Items requiring long cooking must be pre-cooked to tenderness by other methods.

7.
Stir-frying requires teamwork – for every person at the wok, others will be preparing, cutting and assembling the ingredients for each order.

Here are some more of the basic principles to think about when it comes to cooking food, and how it can affect the finished outcome of the meal that ends up on your plate.

The factors that affect the amount and intensity of heat applied to food are as follows.

1. The softness or hardness of the food.

2. Whether it is of animal or vegetable origin.

3. The size of the pieces being cooked.

4. The combination of ingredients and whether they are dried, fresh or frozen.

5. The type of heat to be applied.

6. The quality and type of saucepans and utensils. This knowledge can be gained only by using various utensils on different commercial cooking appliances. Good cooking cannot be achieved on thin-bottomed, uneven pans, and these must be avoided at all cost.

Too much heat will result in overcooking, dryness, shrinkage, burning and disintegration (the food falls apart and the texture is mushy). Too little heat may result in poor flavour development, flat or watery taste, softness, poor colour and loss of nutritional value. Think of these points when you are cooking.

Food may absorb heat in three different ways: by convection, conduction and radiation.

Ø Convection – Convected heat is the sort of heat used in an oven or steamer when air or steam is heated and the heat is transferred to the item being cooked. In an oven, the air is dry: baked items lose some moisture unless they are completely covered.

Ø Conduction – Conducted heat requires one surface to be in contact with another. Deep-frying and shallow-frying, poaching, boiling, steaming and grilling use this principle. In frying, the oil or fat conducts heat to the food item. In shallow-frying, the surface of the pan in contact with the food also conducts heat. This is also the case with poaching and boiling, except that a non-fat liquid is used as a conductor.

Ø Radiation – Food is heated by radiation when it is cooked on a barbeque grill, placed under a salamander or toasted. This type of heat is often used for browning. Browning occurs most rapidly when a bright red glow (incandescent heat) is present, but it must be remembered that cooking will take place at lower settings. Microwave energy is a form of radiation. When food is heated by microwave, the cell structure is made to vibrate very quickly and this causes the food to heat.

Most cooking processes use some or all of these methods of heat transfer in varying combinations. The choice depends on the food and the desired result.