Culinary Weekly Message
Culinary: cooking method & technique – moist heat
Sustainability: water
Message
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What’s happening…hot stuff! Cooking Method and Techniques. Learn methods and
techniques of cooking different foods. Learn why we do what we do. Learn how to apply
different methods based on your ingredients and why those methods are best.
Monday
Culinary:
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moist heat methods
Moist heat methods use liquid or steam to cook the food.
Liquids that may be used in moist heat methods are water, stock, wine or possibly juices.
Moist heat methods are good for loosening tough fibers, such as meat protein.
Moist heat methods use lower temperatures than dry heat methods. Temperatures range from
140 degrees to 212 degrees.
Sustainability:
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A person can live more than a month without food, but only about a week, depending on
conditions, without water. 66% of the human body is water; 75% of the human brain is water –
EPA
Tuesday
Culinary:
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stewing
Stewing – a method of cooking by which food is barely covered with a liquid and simmered
slowly in a tightly covered pot.
Stewing is great for tenderizing tough pieces of meat.
The stewing technique is very similar to the braising technique. The cuts of meats used for
stewing and the finished flavor are similar to that of a braised dish.
The major difference stewing and braising, is the meat for stewing is cut into bite size pieces
and cooked in more liquid.
Sustainability:
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A person must consume 2.5 quarts of water per day from all sources aa9drinking, eating) to
maintain health.- EPA
Wednesday
Culinary:
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braising
Braise – A cooking method in which an item, generally a meat, is seared in fat, and then
simmered in a liquid in a covered cooking vessel.
Beef stock, chicken stock, wine, juice or a combination of any can be used as the braising
liquid.
The braising liquid can be reduced and then thickened with a roux to make a sauce for the
finished item.
A braised item can be done in the oven or on top of the range.
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Keeping the braised item covered during cooking intensifies the flavor of the dish.
Braising is a good option for tougher cuts of meat.
Braised dishes have heartier and more robust flavors making them a great fall or winter dish.
Sustainability:
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Water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of population increase in the last
century. FAO
Thursday
Culinary:
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steaming
Steaming – a cooking method where food is place on a rack or a steamer basket and cooked
over simmering or boiling water.
En papilotte which is cooking “in paper” is another method of steaming. The food is placed in
a packet of parchment paper or foil. The item is then heated so the item will cook in its own
steam.
Fish is the most common food done in the en papilotte style.
The steaming method is very popular in Asian dishes. A bamboo steamer is most often used.
Steaming retains more of the items nutrient value versus boiling or even poaching.
Sustainability:
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Over 1.4 billion people currently live in river basins where the use of water exceeds minimum
recharge levels, leading to the desiccation of rivers and depletion of groundwater. Human
development report 2006 UN
Friday
Culinary:
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poaching
Poaching – to cook food gently in a liquid just below the boiling point.
The poaching liquid temperature should be between 140 degrees to 180 degrees. There should
be no visible bubbles, although a few may be noticeable on the bottom of the pan.
The poaching liquid depends on the food being poached.
Meats such as chicken or beef are generally poached in the respective stocks.
Eggs are poached in salted water with a little vinegar.
Fish is poached in a liquid called court-bouillon.
Sustainability:
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The daily drinking water requirement per person is 2-4 litres, but it takes 2000-5000 litres of
water to produce one person’s daily food.-UN