Basic Cooking Methods

These are the essential methods an individual must know to master the art of cooking. The methods listed below not only guide to choose the appropriate methods of cooking various foods, but also saves time & makes cooking easier. Different methods help to provide variety at meals and also keep appetites and attitudes healthy. Once you master these methods, you are sure to become a complete cook & will definitely enjoy the pleasure of cooking!

B
Bake
To cook (food) with dry heat, especially in an oven (for e.g) bread, cakes, pastry, puddings and potatoes may be baked by this method.

Baste
To spoon or brush food as it cooks with melted butter, any other fat, meat drippings, sauce (as in grilling or barbecuing) or liquids such as stock. A bulb baster can also be used to drizzle the liquid over the food. In addition to adding flavor and color, basting keeps meats and other poultry foods from drying out.

Beat
To mix rapidly with a utensil (for e.g) beat two eggs in a bowl. This should be done carefully with an aim of enclosing air or breaking of soft matter to form a smooth consistency.

Bind
To cause to cohere or stick together in a mass (for e.g ) bind the dry ingredients with milk, eggs, bread crumbs, sauce or flour.

Blanch
This term describes the process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief interval of time and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process.

Blend
To mix two or more ingredients together with a spoon, beater or electric blender until combined. A mixture of two or more flavors combined to obtain a particular character and quality, as in wines, teas and blended whiskey.

Boil
Food is cooked either in stock or boiling water. Includes three methods: Parboil, Poach & Simmer.

Parboil
To cook food partially by boiling for a brief period (for e.g) parboiled and then sauteed the potatoes.

Poach
To cook food in boiling or simmering liquid. Poaching produces a delicate flavor in foods, while imparting some of the liquid's flavor to the ingredient being poached (for e.g) fish poached in wine, meat & poultry poached in stock, eggs poached in lightly salt water with a little vinegar added & fruits poached in sugar syrup.

Simmer
To cook food gently in a liquid just at or below the boiling point.

Braise
A cooking method by which the food (usually meat or vegetables) is first browned in fat, then cooked with a tight-fitting lid, in a small amount of liquid, at low heat, for a lengthy period of time. This long & slow cooking process develops flavor, tenderizes foods by gently breaking down their fibers. Braising is done normally in an oven. Tight-fitting lid is a must to prevent the liquid from evaporating.

Broil
Food can be broiled in an oven, directly under the gas or using an electric heat source, on a barbecue grill, directly over charcoal or on hot metals such as a griddles, frying pan or skillet.


C
Caramelize
To heat sugar (from 320° to 350°F) until it liquefies and becomes a clear syrup ranging in color from golden to dark brown. Caramelized sugar is also referred to as "burnt sugar".

Chop
To cut in to small pieces with the help of a chopper, knife or scissors.

Chiffonade
Chiffonade is a cooking technique in which herbs or leafy green vegetables (such as spinach and basil) are cut into long, thin strips. This is generally accomplished by stacking leaves, rolling them tightly, then cutting across the rolled leaves with a sharp knife, producing fine ribbons.

Clarify
To make clear by removing impurities or solid matter, as by heating gently or filtering (for e.g) clarify butter.

Creaming
Beating together fat and sugar to give a fluffy mixture, for making cakes with a high fat content. The creaming quality of a fat is its ability to take up air during mixing. This term is used more often in the baking process.

Cut in
To mix a solid, cold fat (such as butter or shortening) with dry ingredients (such as a flour mixture) until the combination is in the form of small particles. This technique can be achieved by using a pastry blender, two knives, a fork or fingers which must be cool enough as to not melt the fat. A food processor fitted with a metal blade does an excellent job of cutting fat into dry ingredients, providing the mixture is not overworked into a paste.


D
Deglaze
Once the food (usually meat) has been sauteed & when both the food and the excess fat are removed from the pan, deglazing is done by heating a small amount of liquid in the pan and stirring to loosen the browned bits of food on the bottom. The liquid used is most often wine or stock. The resultant mixture often becomes a base for a sauce to accompany the food cooked in the pan.

Dice
To cut food into tiny (about 1/8 to 1/4 inch) cubes.

Dressing
A sauce, usually cold is used to coat or top salads, some cold vegetables, fish and meat dishes. A mixture used to stuff poultry, fish, meat and some vegetables. Dressings (also called stuffings) are usually well seasoned with breadcrumbs or cubes, though rice, potatoes and other foods are also used.

Dough
Mixture of flour and liquid (water or milk) that is kneaded, shaped and baked especially as bread or pastry.

Dust
This term refers to lightly coating the food with a powdery ingredient such as flour or confectioners' sugar. It also refers to inferior & coarsely crushed tea leaves.


E
Emulsion
A suspension of small globules of one liquid in the other, with which the former does not mix (for e.g) an emulsion of oil in vinegar.


F
Fermentation
Aeration brought upon in a dough or a batter through bacterial organic reactions (for e.g) bread dough, dosa batter etc.

Fry
To cook food over direct heat (moderate to high) in hot oil or fat.

Stir fry
To fry quickly in a small amount of oil over high heat while stirring continuously (for e.g) chicken and vegetable stir-fry.

Shallow fry
A type of pan frying, using only enough fat to immerse (approximately one-third to one-half) each piece of food. Fat used in this technique is typically used only once.

Deep fry
This method involves total immersing of the whole food in hot oil which is normally topped up and used several times before being disposed (for e.g) potato chips, french fries, nuts, doughnuts, instant noodles, etc.

Fritter
A small cake made of batter, often containing fruits, vegetables or fish & either sauteed or deep-fried.

Fold
To blend (a light ingredient) into a heavier mixture with a series of gentle turns (for e.g) folded the beaten egg whites into the batter.


G
Grind
To reduce food in to small particles using a mixer, grinder, pulveriser or mortar & pestle. Coffee beans can be ground in a coffee grinder & meats in a meat grinder. A food processor fitted with a metal blade can also grind certain foods. Food can be ground to various degrees such as fine, medium and coarse.

Grate
To reduce large pieces of food in to small particles or thin shreds by rubbing against a coarse, serrated surface, usually on a kitchen utensil called a grater (for e.g) grated carrots. A food processor fitted with a metal blade can also be used for this purpose. The food to be grated should be firm, which in the case of cheese can usually be accomplished by refrigeration. Grating food makes it easier to incorporate with other foods.

Grill
Food cooked by broiling or grilling. A cooking surface of parallel metal bars (for e.g) a gridiron.


H
Hulled
This term refers to the outer (usually fibrous) covering of a fruit or a seed, also called as husk or shell, the attached leafy calyx of some fruits, such as the strawberry. For example, to enjoy a walnut you have to remove the hull first.


J
Julienne
Food cut into thin, match-like strips (for e.g) pork, vegetables like potatoes, carrot, capsicum & even ginger. The term also refers to a clear vegetable soup.


K
Knead
To make or shape by or fold, press & stretch with hands (for e.g) kneading dough.


M
Mash
To crush or grind. To convert food into a soft pulpy mixture (for e.g) mash potatoes or other cooked vegetables.

Mince
To cut food into very small pieces. Minced food is in smaller pieces than chopped food (for e.g) minced meat known as ground meat in USA.

Marinate
To soak meat, fish or vegetables in a marinade.

Marinade
A liquid mixture usually made of vinegar or wine, oil, lemon juice, various herbs & spices in which meat, fowl, fish or vegetables are soaked before cooking in order to enhance the flavor and make it more tender.


P
Peel / Pare
To strip or cut away the skin (for e.g) pare apples.To remove the thin outer layer of foods like fruits and vegetables with a small, short-bladed knife called as a paring knife or with a vegetable peeler.

Pound
To beat to a powder or pulp; pulverize or crush.

Piping
To force a smooth mixture (for e.g icing or a mashed potato) through a narrow nozzle to form fancy shapes in order to decorate a dish.

Pitted
Having the pit removed (for e.g) pitted dates.

Pinch
A very small amount of an ingredient (for e.g) salt, sugar or a spice. The amount that can be pinched between the thumb and the first finger. One pinch of fine salt is approximately 1/4 gram (20-24 pinches per teaspoon), but one pinch of sugar is 1/3-1/2 gram.

Press
To extract juice (for e.g) by squeezing or compressing. To reshape or make compact by applying steady force; compress (for e.g) to shape foods like cutlets, paneer etc.

Pressure cook
By cooking under pressure (using a pressure cooker) it is possible to achieve a higher temperature. This method could be followed to boil or steam foods faster than in an open pan.

Prick
To make small holes or puncture the surface of food using sharp instruments such as knife or fork. This method serves the purpose of penetration of either the spices or marinade deep in to the food.

Puree
Food prepared by straining or blending. Fruit, vegetable, meat, or fish can be pounded or sieved (usually after cooking) to give a smooth, finely divided pulp. This term also refers to a soup made by sieving vegetables (forcing vegetables through the sieve) with the liquor in which they are cooked.


R
Ricing
Cutting into small pieces about the size of rice grains.

Roast
To cook with dry heat, as in an oven or near hot coal.

Spit roast
The food to be cooked is brought in direct contact with the flame. The food is basted with fat and is turned on regularly to ensure even cooking and browning (for e.g) barbecued meats.

Oven roast
Food is cooked in a closed oven, at a constant temperature by dry circulating air, as in the case of baking a cake, roasting a chicken or mutton.

Pot roast
Food is cooked using a thick heavy pan instead of an oven. The pan is covered with a well fitting lid and cooked over low flame.

Refresh
This term in cooking, refers to immersing the hot food in cold water, to cool it quickly and to stop the cooking process abruptly.

Roux
A mixture of flour and fat cooked together and used as a thickening for soups & sauces (for e.g) mixture of besan or maida with butter, mixture of besan and curd for khadi.

Rub
A seasoning made of ground spices and herbs applied to the surface of meat, fish or vegetables before cooking.

Rind
Peel also known as rind or skin, is the outer protective layer of a fruit or vegetable which could be peeled off. The peel of certain fruits such as pomegranate, high in tannins and other polyphenols is employed in production of dyes. The peel of citrus fruits is bitter, generally not eaten raw, but may be used in cooking (for e.g) chenpi. The outermost colored part of the peel called as the zest, flavedo or the exocarp is scraped off and used for its tangy flavor. The fleshy white part of the peel called as the pith, albedo or the mespcarp, bitter when raw in most species is used as succade or is prepared with sugar to make marmalade or fruit soup.


S
Saute
To toss, to fry lightly in fat in a shallow open pan (for e.g) saute potatoes: potatoes are usually boiled, cut into slices and cooked in a little fat until lightly browned.

Scrape
Scraping the adherent matter on the inner side or the bottom of a bowl or a pan with tools like spatula or palette knife.

Scoop
A thick-handled cup-like utensil for dispensing balls of ice cream or other semi soft food, often having a sweeping band in the cup,levered by the thumb to free the contents. A shovel-like utensil having a deep curved dish and a short handle (for e.g) a flour scoop. To scoop (hollow out) fruits & vegetables in to various shapes & sizes (for e.g) fruit & vegetable carving.

Shred
To slice food such as cheese or raw vegetables such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach into very fine pieces which often curl as they are sliced.

Sift
To shake flour through a sieve or other straining device in order to separate the fine from the coarse particles. Sifting also incorporates air to make the ingredients such as confectioners' sugar (finely pulverized sugar with cornstarch added) or flour lighter.

Skim
To remove cream from milk, scum from jams, fat from the surface of stock, gravy, stews etc while cooking.

Slit / Split
A long, straight, narrow cut or opening. To cut lengthwise into thin, narrow strips (for e.g) slit the chillies. The term split also refers to divide and share a dessert (for e.g) split a dessert.

Slice
To cut or divide from a larger piece (for e.g) a slice of cheese, slice of a loaf of bread or slice of a piece of salami.

Smoking
It is the process of flavoring, cooking or preserving food by exposing it to smoke from burning or smoldering plant materials such as wood. Meat and fish are the most commonly smoked foods. Others such as cheese, vegetables, ingredients used in preparing beverages such as whisky, rauchbier and lapsang souchong tea are also smoked. Smoking includes three types: Hot smoking, Cold smoking & Smoke-roasting.

Sear
The term is sometimes used when vegetables are browned in fat before being used to make a soup or sauce. To brown meat quickly in a little fat before grilling or roasting.

Stale
Having lost freshness, effervescence or palatability (for e.g) stale bread.

Steaming
A cooking process by which the food is placed on a rack or in a special steamer basket, over boiling or simmering water, in a covered pan. Steaming does a better job than boiling or poaching, retaining the food's flavor, shape, texture and nutrients.

Stew
To cook food by simmering or boiling slowly (for e.g) meat and vegetables cooked together, also known as hotpot. It includes two types: Brown stew in which meat, vegetables and flour are fried together before stewing & White stew in which the ingredients are not fried first. In South Indian state of Kerala, stew is a recipe of vegetables cooked in coconut milk.

Stir
To pass an implement through (a liquid, for example) in circular motions so as to mix or cool the contents (for e.g) stirred the soup before tasting it, to introduce (an ingredient, for example) into a liquid or mixture (for e.g) stirred a cup of sugar into the cake batter, to mix together the ingredients before cooking (for e.g) stirred up some popover batter.

Strain
To pour a liquid or a dry ingredient through a sieve, strainer or cheesecloth to remove undesirable particles.

Sieve
A utensil of wire mesh or closely perforated metal, used for straining, sifting, ricing, or pureeing. To strain liquid or particles of food through the mesh or perforated holes of a sieve or strainer.


T
Tempering
A technique by which chocolate is stabilized through a melting-and-cooling process, thereby making it more malleable and glossy. For that final touch in certain recipes like dhal, a concoction of spices, herbs and other condiments fried in hot oil, butter or ghee is added which is also known as tempering.

Toast
To heat and brown food (for e.g. bread) by placing in a toaster, an oven or close to a fire.

Toss
To mix a salad lightly using a spatula or just mix & throw contents slightly in air holding the handle so as to cover with dressing.

tsp
teaspoon

tbsp
tablespoon

Trim
To remove excess by cutting (for e.g) removal of fat portion in meat or fish.


W
Whip / Whisk
To beat ingredients such as egg whites or cream, thereby incorporating air into them and increasing their volume until they are light and fluffy. The term also refers to a gelatin based dessert that's airy and light because of the addition of either whipped cream or stiffly beaten egg whites. Such desserts are usually made with fruit puree but can also be flavored with other ingredients such as chocolate or coffee.


Z
Zest
The outer yellow or orange part of the rind of citrus fruit, which bears oil glands and pigments. Its also known as flavedo. Zest is the outer colorful skin of citrus fruit known botanically as the exocarp which is often used to add flavor to foods. Zest is often used to add flavor to different pastries and sweets such as pies (for e.g) lemon meringue pie, cakes, cookies, biscuits, puddings, confectionary, candy and chocolate. Even drinks, different dishes, marmalade, sauces, sorbets and salads can use zest. Zest has become a synonym for spice, strong flavor or interesting taste. A zester, grater, vegetable peeler, paring knife or even a wood rasp is used to remove the zest from a fruit for culinary use.
The white membrane under the zest also known as the pith, albedo or mesocarp is unpleasantly bitter and generally avoided by limiting the peeling depth. The white membrane can be used for cooking & when the entire thickness of the peel is candied then it is called succade.