There are many ways to cook food.

The outcome of a dish varies nearly as much through cooking

methods as it does through the ingredients. Different cultures tend to have their own unique ways of
cooking. These differences often come from historical necessities. Cooking techniques can generally be
divided into dry and wet methods of cooking.

Dry methods

 Baking
 Shirring
 Broiling
 Frying
 Cockaigne
 Deep fat frying
 Sautéing
 Stir-Frying
 Pan-Fried
 Deglazing
 Grilling
 Roasting

Wet methods

 Bain-marie
 Basting
 Blanching
 Boiling
 Clay pot cooking
 Poaching
 Pressure cooking
 Scalding
 Simmering
 Sous-vide
 Steaming
 Stewing
 Tempering
 Thermal Cooking
 Cold Water Candy Test
 Caramelizing

Outdoor cooking
 Some specialized techniques for cooking outdoors have been developed.

Outdoor cooking
 Barbecuing
 Cooking in a Dutch Oven
 Grilling
 Solar oven cooking
 Smoking

Other Techniques

Some activities in the preparation of food are not technically "cooking" (applying heat to food), however
they are important to understand

Adding flavor

 Brining
 Dredging
 Marinating
 Spice rubs

Preserving foods

 Fermenting (also increases nutrition)

 Pickling
 Canning
 Cold storage
 Drying

Preparing ingredients

 Boning
 Chiffonade
 Chopping
 Cubing
 Degorging
 Julienning
 Knife skills
  Mincing
 Slicing
 Melting chocolate
 Creaming (typically butter)

Baking is cooking food in an oven with dry heat applied evenly throughout the oven and is
synonymous with roasting. Although it is common in some cultures to use the term baking for
the so-called baked-goods, such as breads, cakes and pastries, and 'roasting' for other foods,
such as meats and vegetables, the terms can also be used interchangeably.

Broiling or Grilling is the use of radiant heat for cooking, usually called grilling in British and
Australian English and broiling in US English. Typically this is done in an electric oven, using only
the upper heating element, with the door partially open. Gas ovens often provide a very
effective lower drawer for broiling. Gas ovens, in a way analogous to gas ranges, provide a
hotter, flame-based heat source that is preferred by most cooks over electric broilers. This is
where the term "flame broiled" comes from.

Broiling is used to retain the juices of meat while developing flavor. Broiling does not soften the
fibers of tough meat. It is best used for tender meat, including poultry. Broiling is not the most
economical way of cooking, and the browning of meat can create carcinogenic (albeit tasty)
chemicals.

The food should be exposed to intense heat last, to ensure even cooking and less juice escaping.
How does that work? Heat damages surface proteins that keep the juice in. The higher the heat,
the more damage. So, contrary to popular belief, searing before cooking through will NOT lock
in the juices. The food that is being broiled should be turned just once. Once the outside is
browned, the heat may need to be reduced to ensure that the center will cook before the
outside burns.
Frying is the cooking of food in fat. This takes several forms, from deep-frying, where the food is
completely immersed in hot oil, to sautéing where food is cooked in a frying pan where there is
only a thin coating of oil. Frying is the fastest way to cook, as it is the most efficient way to
transfer heat into the food. Despite using liquid oil, frying is considered to be a dry cooking
method as water is not used in the cooking process and ideally the cooking oil will not be
absorbed by the food, thus no moisture is added by cooking.

From the method using the most oil to the least, the types of frying are:

 Deep frying (also known as immersion frying)

 Pan frying
 Stir-frying
 Sautéing
Deep frying involves fully immersing food in hot oil. It is an extremely fast cooking
method, and, despite the use of liquid oil, is best classified as a dry cooking method
because it does not involve liquid water.

With a deep fat fryer, deep frying is reasonably safe, but hot cooking oil is intrinsically
dangerous, and one should be very careful so as to avoid fires and/or severe burns
Shallow fat Frying is frying in a pan. Typically it implies that a frying pan is used with
either no oil or a 'shallow' amount of oil, compared to the depth of the food being fried.

When shallow fat frying, the amount of oil in the frying pan can range from absolutely
no oil (especially when the foods to be fried contain fat or oil), to an amount of oil that
comes slightly up the side of the food being fried.

Generally, quite a bit less than the bottom 1/3, up to 1/2, of the food will be in oil. The
amount of oil is less that used in deep frying, where the food is at least half, to
completely immersed, in oil.

Shallow fat frying frying can be similar to sautéing, but in sautéing only the slightest
amount of oil is always used and the ingredients are intended to be tossed or stirred
while cooking.

One might distinguish pan frying from sautéing, stir frying, and deep frying in that, in
pan frying, the food is not necessarily intended to be frequently stirred around, or
turned repeated, but, rather, turned only once or twice during cooking

Stir-frying involves frying food quickly over very high heat in an oiled pan. While stir-
frying, you generally stir continually. A special slope-sided pan called a wok is designed
for stir-frying. An open flame heat source such as gas works best when using a wok.

Different frying oils produce different results. A light oil such as sesame produces a
slightly healthier and much tastier result but can burn if overheated. Olive oil has a low
smoking point and may heat too quickly.

Here are some tips:

Make sure all ingredients are prepared before you begin stir-frying.
Heat the wok on medium-high or high heat at least one minute before adding oil. Do
not pre-heat the wok if it has non-stick coating, as the heat can damage the coating.
Drizzle the oil down the sides of the wok to maximize oil coverage as well as to heat
the oil more quickly.
Cook meat on high heat in order to keep it juicy. Remove the meat before stir-frying
the vegetables. Add the meat back into the mix once the vegetables are almost cooked.
 If you are cooking over an electric range, replace the wok with an ordinary heavy-
bottomed frying pan. You will achieve better results this way since electric ranges will
not properly heat the curved sides of a wok.

Sautéing is cooking food in a small quantity of fat or oil. When sautéing, which is a
type of frying, a very small amount of oil is placed in a shallow pan, and when it is
sufficiently hot, the food is put into it. Foods that are to be sautéed are usually sliced
thin or cut into small pieces, and they are sometimes turned frequently during the
process of cooking. Sauté is French for "jumping", used to describe the action of the
food in the pan.

The term pan-frying is sometimes the English equivalent of sautéing (which is a French
word) if only a very small amount of oil is used. Some people consider it a different
technique, which uses more fat and takes longer. Stir-frying uses higher temperatures
and continual stirring. With modern non-stick pans the amount of oil required can be
quite small, or even omitted.

Deglazing is a cooking technique for removing and dissolving browned food residue from a
pan to make a sauce, known as a pan sauce that is often made to accompany sautéed meats. The
browned residue is due to either the Maillard reaction or caramelization.

Caramelization is the browning of sugar, a process used extensively in cooking for the resulting
sweet nutty flavor and brown color.

Grilling is a fast, dry method of cookery which uses the intense heat radiated by an:
 electrical element,
 gas flame,
 glowing charcoal or an open wood fire.

The heat source can be either above or below the food (or both) and the heat, in the form of
infra-red waves, is transferred to the surface of the food. Infra-red waves penetrate only about 1
mm into food (whereas microwave radiation penetrates about 40 mm/l½ in.)

Heat is transferred from the surface to the centre of the food by conduction. (If the food comes
into contact with hot grill bars, which is almost certain to happen, there is also some conduction
at the surface.)

It is important that the grill is preheated so that it reaches the high temperatures necessary for
efficient infra-red radiation.

Grilling cooks fast because:

 very high temperatures are used

 the food can be positioned close to the heat source
 the energy passes from the heat source almost instantly, without having to be carried in a
liquid or through much air.

Roasting is high-heat baking with very little moisture. Roasted foods get drier and
browned on the outside by initially exposing it to a high temperature. This keeps most of
the moisture from being cooked out of the food. Temperature is then lowered to cook the
meat through. The flavors of both meats and vegetables are retained and enhanced by
roasting. A typical roasting temperature is 425-450 °F, with an initial temperature of over
500 °F for a period of 15 to 20 minutes

You can either roast in an oven or over an open fire. Spit-roasting is a variation where the
meat is impaled on a spit and rotated as it roasts.

Once meat has been removed from the roasting environment it should be allowed to rest,
this ensures that the juice inside the meat returns to the outer edges. The even distribution
of juice allows each slice to retain more moisture. Un-rested meat is typically dry around
the edge and over saturated in the middle, leading to a loss of moisture.

Wet Methods
A bain-marie is a double-walled oven pot with water in between the walls. This
construction limits the maximum temperature to the boiling point of water, which is
212°F (100°C). Two suitably sized oven-proof pots can function as a bain-marie,
provided that the inner pot can be kept from touching the outer pot (except perhaps at
the top edge) and can be kept stable enough.

Oven temperature should be 325°F to 350°F (165°C to 175°C). Start the bain-marie with
boiling water, instead of waiting for it to get hot in the oven. To prevent baking, use a lid
and ensure that the water goes well up the side of the inner pot.

A bain-marie can be used to cook custard, preventing the outside from crusting before
the inside is fully cooked.

A similar device is the double-boiler, which is for use on a normal cooktop.

Basting is a method where you use a liquid to moisten food, particularly meat, while
you are cooking it. This liquid could be anything from pan dripping, to melted fat or any
other liquid. Doing this keeps the meat or other food moist and can improve the color or
flavor of the food which you are cooking.

Blanching is a cooking technique involving boiling food (usually vegetables and fruits)
in water for a very short time. Blanching is often followed by plunging the food into ice
water to stop the cooking process. Though the word means to make something white or
pale, blanching certain vegetables like broccoli will make their colors more vivid.

Blanching is commonly used to remove skins from tomatoes and almonds.

Vegetables are often blanched prior to freezing or canning. This helps preserve the food
by slowing down or halting enzyme action that causes foods to break down, losing color,
flavor, and nutritional value.

Blanching is similar to parboiling, which also involves boiling food briefly in water.
Certain vegetables may benefit from being blanched or parboiled before being stir-fried.
One quick way to blanch vegetables is to boil fresh vegetables in water, with salt, for
about 30 seconds to 1 minute, before immediately draining and freezing them.

Clay pot cooking is a technique of cooking food in an unglazed clay pot (or Dolbier
which is a French Clay Pot) which has been soaked in water so as to release steam
during the cooking process. This technique has a long history, stretching back at least to
ancient Roman times.

Typically, an unglazed clay pot is submerged for 15 to 30 minutes to absorb water

before cooking, then filled with the food and placed into an oven. The walls of the pot
help to diffuse the heat, and as the pot warms it releases the water as steam.

The food inside the clay pot loses none of its moisture because it is surrounded by
steam, creating a tender, flavorful dish. The evaporation of the water prevents burning
so long as the pot is not allowed to heat until it is completely dry. Because no oil needs
to be added with this cooking technique, food cooked in a clay pot may be lower in fat
compared with food prepared by other methods such as sautéing or frying. And unlike
boiling, nutrients are not leached out into the water.

Because of the heat lost to the evaporation of water, clay pot cooking requires higher
oven temperature and longer cooking times than traditional roasting with dry heat. Clay
pots may be cleaned by scrubbing them with salt; soaps or detergents should not be
used, because the clay may absorb them.

Poaching is a method of cooking that employs a liquid, usually a small amount, that is
hot but not actually bubbling. The French term is frisonne – shivering. The ideal
temperature is between 160F and 180F (75-80C). The cooking liquid is often water, but
broth, stock, milk or juice can also be used.

Delicate foods such as fish, eggs out of the shell, or fruits are commonly cooked by
poaching. The cooking method is also used to partially cook certain foods such as
sweetbread in order to eliminate undesirable flavors and to firm the product before
final cooking.

It should be noted that the term is occasionally used to describe foods that have been
boiled or simmered.

Pressure cooking is a method of cooking in which the boiling temperature of water

is increased using a special vessel, causing the food to cook faster. Cooking times can be
reduced by a factor of three or four. For example, shredded cabbage is cooked in one
minute, fresh green beans take about five, small to medium-sized potatoes (up to 200 g)
may be ready in five minutes or so and a whole chicken takes no more than twenty-five
minutes. It is often used to simulate the effects of long braising or simmering in shorter
periods of time.

Scalding is a technique used in many recipes containing milk.

To scald milk, you use a heavy bottomed pan or double boiler and bring the
temperature of the milk to 85-100°C (185-212°F). At sea level, the milk should just start
showing small bubbles and releasing steam at the lower end of this temperature range.

Simmering, or stewing, is a modification of boiling. By this method, food is cooked in

liquid at a temperature below the boiling point, or anywhere from 185 to 200 degrees
Fahrenheit (85-95 Celsius). Water at the simmering point always moves gently--never
rapidly as it does in boiling. Less heat and consequently less fuel are required to cook
foods in this way, unless, of course, the time consumed in cooking the food at a low
temperature is much greater than that consumed in cooking it more rapidly.

Sous-vide is a method done by French chefs by placing the food in a vaccum pouch,
usually with butter or sauce added, then sealed and dropped into water around 170°.
Do this right and you will be rewarded with delicious food. As you can see, this method
isn't recommended for home use.

Steaming is the cooking of food by the application of steam. In this cooking process,
the food is put into a steamer, which is a cooking utensil that consists of a vessel with a
perforated bottom placed over one containing water. As the water boils, steam rises
and cooks the food in the upper, or perforated, vessel. Steamers are sometimes
arranged with a number of perforated vessels, one on top of the other. Such a steamer
permits of the cooking of several foods at the same time without the need of additional
fuel, because a different food may be placed in each vessel.

Steaming is preferable to boiling in some cases, because there is no loss of mineral salts
nor food substances. The flavor is not so likely to be lost as when food is boiled. Some
delicate fish is best cooked by steaming as it does not break up as it might in boiling
water. Vegetables prepared in this way prove very palatable, and very often variety is
 added to the diet by steaming bread, cake, and pudding mixtures and then, provided a
crisp outside is desired, placing them in a hot oven to dry out the moist surface.

In culinary terms stewing can best be described as slowly cooking food in its own juices with
the aid of a minimum amount of moistening agent in the form of stock, wine, beer, sauce,
butter etc. During cooking the liquid is flavoured by extracts from the stewed food, the result is
a highly flavoured liquor or sauce which forms an integral part of the stew. Throughout this
process, which is generally a lengthy one, evaporation is kept to a minimum by covering the
stewing vessel with a tight fitting lid and simmering the stew on top of the stove or in the oven.
Throughout cooking, items need to be checked periodically to ensure that stock levels are
maintained and that food is not adhering to the base of the cooking vessel as this could result in
a burnt stew. Over cooking results in unpalatable meat which breaks up, becomes stringy in
texture and difficult to handle.

The act of tempering is done by gradually increasing the temperature of one recipe
component by the addition of another.

To achieve this gradual increase of temperature, you drizzle the hot component into the cooler
component while constantly mixing the cooler ingredient. If your container is sufficiently large,
you may continue adding the hot component to this container, else you should bring the
temperatures as close as you can, then whisk/mix the cooler components into the hotter.

Tempering is often done where eggs or yogurt are used as a thickening agent (i.e. in custards and
sauces), since a sharp increase of temperature will cause the eggs to cook prematurely resulting
in a lumpy texture or yogurt to curdle.

The same principle might be used when the addition of one recipe component might rapidly
change the other, such as adding a large quantity of something acidic to something containing
milk products.

Thermal Cooking is a technique of cooking using hot temperature.

Cold water candy test: When the sugar syrup is cooked, water boils away resulting in a
high-temperature sugar concentrate. Hence, as the temperature rises so does the concentration of
sugar in the solution. The nifty thing about cooking sugar is that the highest temperature it
reaches can tell you a little something about how it will turn out once it cools down to room
temperature. Often it is practical to use a candy thermometer however using the cold water test
can be more fun (and dangerous). Note that the following temperatures are listed at sea level, as
they are listed in most cookbooks, because of this actually using the cold water test can be a
more reliable gauge when making candy. Each test is completed by dropping a dollop of the hot
candy solution in cold water (not room temperature), and then extracting the candy formed. Be
sure to allow for a moment for the candy to cool before handling it to avoid getting burnt.

Caramelization is when a sugar, such as sucrose or starches, chemically splits and changes to a
golden, amber, deep brown, or charred color. This term is often used interchangably with the Maillard
reaction, but in reality, they are quite different. A well-known use is to create a sugar crust on Creme
Brulees that creates a pleasing texture differential

Outdoor cooking
Barbecuing is cooking food slowly with relatively low heat and hardwood smoke. Spices, marinades or
brines, and sauces may all be used in the food preparation process.

A Dutch oven is a heavy, cast-iron or aluminium pot with a tight-fitting

lid. Once heated, it retains heat exceptionally well, making Dutch ovens a
good choice for slow-cooked stews. Dutch ovens are one of the best ways
to cook over an open fire, and can be used to make a wide range of dishes.
While camping, it can be useful to line a dutch oven with aluminium foil,
thus saving the job of cleaning it afterwards.

Some Dutch ovens come with a heavy wire stand, instead of cast-in legs,
and this has the advantage of other uses around the camp, but if an oven
has legs, there is the possibility that a long drop may break off a leg, or
worse, drive it up through the bottom, destroying a valuable treasure.

Smoking is a slow form of cooking that can pack in more flavour than probably any other form. It
involves soaking the ingredient, whether it be fish, meat or vegetables, in the smoke of an aromatic
wood.

An optional method of smoking food is through the cooking of the food in a covered grill. In a sense, all
grilled or barbequed food have some aspect of smoking involved, usually through drippings on hot fire
causing smoke, or by the fire smoke itself.

Adding flavor

 Brining
Brining is the process of soaking food in a solution of salt and water. Although a brine
only requires salt and water, it is common to add flavouring agents to the brine as
osmotic pressure will circulate any solutes in the brine throughout much of the food.

Brining is typically used for various types of meats, as well as fish. It can also be used to
process fruits, with olives being a common example.
  Dredging
Coat with dry ingredients. An example of this is flour on chicken. Dipping the ingredient
in milk before dredging is a good way to improve the way the dry coating(s) stick to the
ingredient being dredged.
 Marinating
Marinating involves letting a piece of food to stand, usually refrigerated, in a highly
flavorful broth or sauce to add flavor. Many marinades have vinegar or some other acid.

Contrary to popular belief, acids in marinades will not tenderize meat! Any liquid that
has a pH of 1 or lower will, but the only examples are stomach acid and battery acid,
which are not very good to cook with. Most vinegars have a pH of 3, and the lowest pH
liquid that is used for culinary use is citrus juice, which has a pH of 2, still not enough to
tenderize. So those people out there that still believe that acids tenderize, go get some
battery or stomach acid for your "tenderizing".

If you're wondering what the difference between marinades and brines is, here it is:
Brines are basically salty water with other flavorings added. Marinades usually don't
contain the levels of salt that a brine does, and most marinades don't have added water.
They also contain acids.

 Spice rubs
A spice rub is a mixture of salt, herbs, and spices. A spice rub can be as simple as a large
amount of pepper, like in Steak au' Poirve, or as complex as 100 spices. (and yes, that
many spices do exist) My formula for a good spice rub is a base, such as paprika, and
then add on from there. However, beware commercial spice mixtures. Many of them
are salt-based because: 1. Salt fills volume. 2. Salt is cheap. 3. Salt fills in for spices they
can't get.

Preserving foods

 Fermenting (also increases nutrition)

Fermentation is the process of controlling bacteria, yeast, and molds to modify food,
producing a desired product.

Fermentation can improve food so that it:

Tastes different, bringing new, often strong flavours to the source foods
Is easier to digest
Is more nutritious
Lasts longer
 How to Ferment a Food

As with any food preparation, there are certain aspects of the fermentation process that
can change the quality and acceptability of the end product. Here are some of the
important ones that are generally applicable; check individual recipes for special tips
and variations.
Ingredient selection

Selecting good quality ingredients is important when fermenting food. It doesn't

generally matter if the ingredients aren't picture perfect – cider vinegar won't look or
taste any different for using ugly apples – but avoid using old, rotting, or very dirty food.
Remember that a fermentation is where yeast and bacteria are given a chance to
multiply, so give your ferment a fighting chance and stick to good quality ingredients.
Salt

Many ferments use salt. Salt helps by inhibiting undesirable bacteria and molds, and by
drawing juices out of foods. It is best to use a salt that has no anti-caking agents or
iodine added to it, as these can inhibit the fermentation and growth of desirable
bacteria. Iodine is an effective antibacterial agent, and even the very small amounts
used in iodised salt can affect the bacterial growth. Salt suitable for fermenting is often
called "pickling salt" or "Kosher salt".
Water

When adding water to a fermentation, avoid chlorinated water if possible. Chlorine is

added to municipal water supplies to prevent the build-up of bacteria and other water-
borne microorganisms, and as such can inhibit a fermentation.

Tap water can be made chlorine-free in most areas simply by boiling it and letting it cool
again, or even just by leaving it in an uncovered pot overnight. This doesn't work in
areas where the water is chlorinated by adding chloramine to the water, a practice done
specifically to keep the chlorine in the water.

All fermentations are temperature sensitive. Some prefer it cooler, some hotter. Many
are best served by warmer temperature at the start of fermentation, and cooler
temperatures once fermenting has peaked. Temperature affects which microorganisms
grow fastest, and can affect the flavour of the food, or even whether it will succeed or
fail.

 Pickling
Pickling is the preservation of food in acid. It is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish,
herbs, meat, and even hard-boiled eggs.Pickling brine is a moderately strong acid which
inhibits the growth of microbes; a high content of salt and/or sugar often enhances this
 effect. Some foods have a high water content, in which case methods must be used to
ensure that the brine is strong enough to function properly.

Some of the more popular pickled foods include pickles (cucumbers), sauerkraut
(cabbage), and green olives (olives).

These three examples cover the range of methods used to produce acidic pickling brine.
In the case of cucumbers, vinegar (acetic acid) is usually added to provide all or most of
the necessary acidity. Sauerkraut relies on a fermentation process to produce lactic acid,
so careful control of temperature and salt content are crucial to the recipe. Fresh olives
are naturally quite acidic, and so acid must be removed before they become palatable;
depending upon the process used, several batches of brine might draw acid from the
fruit and be thrown away before the final batch is added for storage.

It is widely believed that sushi has its origins in a method of pickling. Its defining
ingredient is rice flavored with a brine of vinegar, sugar, and salt.
 Canning
Canning is the preservation of food in airtight cans, generally under pressure and/or
heat. It is used to preserve vegetables, fruit, fish, and meat. Canning prevents spoilage
by halting microbial growth, eliminating oxygen (and related oxidation), and destroying
enzymes. Proper canning procedures allow foods to be stored for long periods without
refrigeration. Cleanliness is a key component of successful canning. Using sterilized jars,
well washed and trimmed produce, and clean equipment prevents introducing microbial
contamination and unwanted detrius.