Frying

This cooking method is suitable for small or thin meats, fish and
poultry. To pan-fry, first dry the meat pieces with kitchen paper so that
they brown properly and to prevent spitting during cooking. If required,
the meat can be coated in seasoned flour, egg and breadcrumbs, or a
batter. Heat oil or a mixture of oil and butter in a heavy frying pan
(skillet). When the oil is very hot, add the meat pieces, skin-side down
for poultry. Fry until deep golden brown all over. Turn the pieces
frequently when cooking poultry. For meats, turn only once. Note that
poultry breast usually cooks before the drumsticks and thighs. Drain
well on kitchen paper before serving.

Stir-frying

Pieces of meat or skinless, boneless poultry or fish are cut into small
pieces of equal size, either strips, small cubes or thin slices. This
ensures that the meat cooks evenly and stays succulent. Preheat a
wok or saucepan before adding a small amount of high-smoking point
oil (see the The Skinny on Fat article). When the oil starts to smoke,
add the meat or poultry pieces and stir-fry with your chosen flavorings
for 3-4 minutes until cooked through. Other ingredients can be cooked
at the same time, or the meat can be cooked by itself, then removed
from the pan while you stir-fry the remaining ingredients. Return the
meat to the pan briefly when the other ingredients are cooked.

Sauteeing

This method is ideal for smaller, thinner pieces of meat, firm fleshed
fish, or small birds such as baby chickens. It can be combined with
braising (see below), when the meat is first sauteed then cooked in
stock or other liquid. Heat a little oil or a mixture of oil and butter in a
heavy frying pan (skillet). Add the meat and fry over a moderate heat
until golden brown, turning often during cooking to brown allover. Add
stock or other liquid, bring to the boil, then cover and reduce the heat.
Cook gently until the meat is
cooked through.
Casseroling (Pot Roasting)

Casseroling is a method that is good for cooking larger pieces of meat

or poultry, and is particularly good for "pot roasts". The slow cooking
produces tender meat with a good flavor. Brown the meat in butter or
hot oil or a mixture of both. Add some stock, wine or a mixture of both
with seasonings and herbs. Cover and cook on top of the stove or in
the oven at 325 to 350 degrees until the meat is tender (this could
take quite a few hours for a large beef blade or shoulder roast). Add a
selection of vegetables 40 to 60 minutes before the end of the cooking
time.

Braising

This method does not require liquid, and is used for tender cuts of
meat, firm fleshed fish, or poultry pieces. Heat some oil in an
ovenproof, flameproof casserole and gently fry the meat until golden
all over. Remove the meat and fry a selection of vegetables until they
are almost tender. Replace the meat. Cover tightly and cook very
gently on the top of the stove or in a low oven (325 degrees) until the
meat and vegetables are tender.

Poaching

Poaching Is a gentle cooking method that produces tender poultry and

fish, and a stock that can be used to make a sauce to serve along with
them. Put a large poultry or fish pieces, a bouquet garnis or other
spices of your liking, a leek, a carrot, and an onion in a large
flameproof casserole. Cover with water, season and bring to the boil.
Cover and simmer until tender. Lift the poultry or fish out, discard the
bouquet garni if using, and use the stock to make a sauce. The
vegetables can be blended to thicken the stock and served with the
poultry or fish.

What Is Braising?

Braising is a cooking technique in which the main ingredient is seared,

or browned in fat, and then simmered in liquid on low heat in a
covered pot. The best equipment to use would be a crock pot, pressure
cooker or Dutch oven. LeCrueset makes a range of enameled pots and
pans that are good for either the stove or the oven. They work well too.

Whether you choose to use the oven or the top of the stove, you will
be pleased with the results. Braising is often used as a way to cook less
expensive, tough cuts of meat. The end result is tender and flavorful.
Other than great taste and economy, there are other reasons to cook
this way.

After searing the meat, the remainder of the cooking time (until
sauce/gravy preparation) does not require much attention. Once the
heat is reduced, you can go about cooking other things, do some
chores or take a break. This is also a plus when entertaining: you have
more time for your guests.

Yet another plus of cooking with this method is that the meat tastes
great and you also get delicious broth, sauce or gravy. It’s one pot
cooking at it’s finest. There isn’t much to cleaning up and anything
leftover can be reheated or frozen and reheated for later.

This method of cooking is great for tough cuts of meat but also works
well with chicken, fish and/or vegetables. You can braise in a crock pot,
pressure cooker, large saute pan or the most often used cooking vessel
for braises, a Dutch oven.

Some popular dishes you may have heard of that use a braising
technique are osso buco, pot roast, braised veal & lamb shanks and
braised cabbage. You can braise just about any meat, fish or vegetable
you want and be as creative as you like with seasoning, but there are
some ingredients that are better for braising and some you want to
cook using other techniques like grilling or roasting.

9 Simple Steps to Great Braised Meat

There are 9 basic steps to braising meat:

(1) Season the main ingredient with salt and pepper.

(2) Heat a few tablespoons of oil and/or butter in a heavy pan or Dutch
oven.

(3) Saute meat or vegetables in the pan on medium-high heat until the
meat browns.

(4) Deglace the pan by pouring broth, stock, wine or juice and scrape
any pieces of meat that are stuck to the pan and stir.

(5) Add cooking liquid (water, stock, wine, juice or some combination)
to the half-way point of the main ingredient.

(6) Cover and place the meat on the middle of a rack in an oven that
has been pre-heated to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

(7) Cook until completely tender. This can range from 1 hour to 6
hours, depending on what you are cooking.

(8) Remove the pan from the oven and strain the meat and vegetables
out of the liquid.
(9) Remove the excess fat floating in the liquid, and then reduce the
sauce to desired thickness by cooking it down over low heat until it
thickens. Or, make gravy by adding a mix of equal parts fat and flour
(a roux).

The Science of Braising?

If you’re curious about how cooking in this fashion makes tough,

leathery meat tender, it’s done by cooking the meat slow, moist and
covered over low heat for a lengthy time. This process breaks down
the tough connective tissue in meat to collagen. Through time, the
moisture and heat build and the collagen dissolves into gelatin. Heat
also contracts and coils the muscle fibers.

Over time, these fibers expel moisture and the meat becomes dry.
Given even more time, these fibers relax and absorb the melted fat
and melted gelatin. As for the vegetables, braising breaks down the
cellulose in them and stretches the starches. The long and short of this
is that everything becomes very tender.

Without getting to specific, the meat that we eat is muscle and made
up of muscle fibers and connective tissue. The muscle fibers are the
long thin strands we can actually see and think of as meat. The
connective tissue is the thin, translucent film that you sometimes ask
the butcher to remove and helps hold the bundles of muscle fiber
together. Connective tissue is made up of mostly collagen, a very
strong protein that breaks down if enough heat is applied to it.

So braising meat is about breaking down tough connective tissue and

changing it into collagen by applying moist heat for a period of time
depending on what you are cooking. With more time and heat, the
collagen breaks down and dissolves into gelatin. It takes a temperature
of about 140 degrees F. to break down the collagen into gelatin.

What happening to the muscle fiber while this connective tissue is

breaking down (collagen is melting)? The fibers start to contract, coil
and expel moisture. In effect, the heat is drying out the meat like
squeezing a sponge. As the process continues and the meat breaks
down, you end up with very tender but very dry meat.
The good news is at some point, the muscle fibers have had enough
and they begin to relax. When this happens, they begin to absorb back
some of the moisture which just happens to be the melted fat and
gelatin giving the meat a wonderful texture and flavor. And don't
forget you have all this wonderful liquid made up of melted fat, gelatin
and whatever cooking liquid you started with.

And this is why braised meat tastes so incredible when cooked

properly.

What Ingredients Are Best For Braising?

Meat

When it comes to meats, you want to stick with the tougher, less
tender cuts that come from an animals more exercised muscles. These
cuts tend to have more connective tissue that breaks down making the
meat tender and flavorful. A lean cut from the loin area is a waste to
braise. The meat is already tender and has little fat or connective
tissue.

Some good cuts of meat for braising include:

Top Blade Roast

Chuck Eye Roast

Seven Bone Roast

Ribs

Brisket

Shanks

Short Ribs

Chicken

The best cuts of chicken, in my opinion, are the legs and thighs
although lots of people like to raise a whole chicken. You also want to
be sure to use chicken on the bone with skin so you get all the fat and
connective tissue. There's really no reason to braise boneless, skinless
chicken breasts. You are better off sauteing or grill them.

Fish

Although you can braise just about any fish you like, I think large, firm
fish are the way to go. Shark, swordfish are worthy of a braise but
tender filets like tilapia or even cod will just fall apart on you. If you do
braise a more tender cut like flounder, be sure to shorten the braising
time.

Fruits & Vegetables

Again you want to stay with the hardier varieties. Squash, sweet
potatoes, leeks, parsnips, carrots, beets, cabbage and onions are great
braised alone or along with meat and chicken. In the fall and winter, I
like to braise meat with firm pears and apples but in the summer, I
might braise chicken with pineapple.

Braised Vegetables - the science is the same expect the moist heat
breaks down the vegetable's cellulose and expands its starches. The
fibers soften giving the vegetables an incredible texture and flavor
depending on the cooking liquid you are using.

When braising meats with vegetables, you may want to keep in mind
that the vegetables will cook much quicker than the meat. You might
want to wait until the last hour or two of cooking to add them so that
they aren’t over cooked.

Definition of Baking

Baking is defined as cooking food in an oven using dry heat. That’s all
well and good, but since baking is one of the primary ways in which we
cook food, let’s take a minute to look at baking, in depth. When we
think of the term “baking” we are generally talking about cakes,
breads, and pastries. We will discuss oven roasting of meat and
vegetables in the Roasting section.
History of Baking

Baking was originally accomplished in the coals of a fire, or on a

hearth. The Italian peasant bread, focaccia, comes from the Italian
word for hearth. Notice that it is the same root as the word “focus.”
The hearth was, literally and figuratively, the center, or focus, of the
home.

From the earliest, unleavened breads from the Middle East and the
Americas to risen breads to elaborate cakes and pastries, history
leaves us record of baking in many ancient civilizations, including
Babylon, Egypt, Rome and Greece.

Types of Ovens

Several free-standing brick ovens have been uncovered in the ruins

of Pompeii. Other ovens of the ancient world include clay and even
mud ovens, and later, in the 1600’s, cast metal ovens, such as the
Dutch oven. Although brick and clay ovens are still in wide use all
over the world as well as in America, most home bakers will have
access to a conventional oven, a convection oven and/or a microwave
oven.

Conventional ovens consist of a metal box with several racks and

upper and lower thermostatically controlled heating elements of some
sort (gas or electric). Preheating a conventional oven first heats the air
in the oven and then the metal box itself.

Cooking is primarily done through means of radiant heat. Heat is

transferred from the walls of the oven to the food through the air in the
oven. Some conduction occurs, as well. Conduction is the transfer of
heat through direct contact.

For example, cakes are baked with radiant heat from the oven itself,
and heat is also conducted from the cake pan (which of course has
heated up) directly to the batter. This is why baked goods are
generally darker at the edges where they meet the pan: the food is
being cooked through two heat transfer processes at once.

Convection ovens are similar to conventional ovens, but they also

have a fan inside that creates an air current inside the oven. Regular
convection ovens have a fan that blows air, but true convection ovens
also have a third heating element, located right behind the fan, so the
fan blows heated air.

In general, convection ovens speed the cooking process, harnessing

radiant heat energy, conductive heat energy as well as convective
heat energy. If you have a convection oven, your baking times will be
shorter, and you will most likely have to set the thermostat anywhere
from 25 to 50 degrees lower than your recipes call for, unless they
were developed using a convection oven.

Microwave ovens send energy into food in the form of waves that
excite “lopsided” molecules, namely: water. Microwave ovens can heat
quickly, but since water boils at 212 degrees, food will never get hot
enough to brown. For that reason, most home cooks eschew the
microwave for cooking, but they are very useful and efficient when it
comes to reheating foods.

Baking V. Roasting

The age old question of which came first, baking or roasting. No I have
that confused with something else. Seriously, I get asked what's the
difference between baking and roasting all the time. People want to
know why we bake bread but roast chicken since they are both
essentially the same dry heat cooking method. You have baked clams
but roasted bruschetta. To make matters even more confusing, there
are baked potatoes and oven roasted potatoes.

To help clear this up, I wrote a blog called Baked or Roasted - You
Decide that might help or may even confuse you more.

Mixing Methods:

Since we have pretty well established that baking starts with dough or
a batter, let us take a moment to examine the different methods we
have for making a batter or dough. We’ll discuss methods for making
bread dough elsewhere. Many of these methods outline the manner in
which fats are incorporated into the batter or dough.
Creaming

In the creaming method, fats are mixed with sugar to form a mixture
that is either smooth and creamy (cookie dough) or light and fluffy
(cakes). Then, eggs are added one at a time, followed by adding dry
ingredients (flours + salt + spices + chemical leaveners) alternately
with wet ingredients (milk/water + liquid flavorings). The resultant
batter can be very thick, as in cookie dough, or “spoonable,” like cake
batter. Rarely does the creaming method produce a batter that is truly
pourable.

So why combine ingredients this way? The initial creaming of the fat
with the sugar creates lots of little air bubbles (fewer for cookies, many
more for cakes). The sharp edges of the sugar actually cut into the
butter and create a bunch of little air pockets. Upon heating, the air in
the pockets expands, helping the dough/batter to rise.

Beating the eggs in early allows even more air to be whipped in (think
of meringue) in the initial mixing stages. In the creaming method, it is
very important that you do not skimp on the creaming of the
fats/sugar/eggs. The more air pockets you have to begin with, the
more rise you will get, regardless of how much baking powder or
baking soda you add to the batter.

When adding the flour and liquid, it is important to mix as little as

possible while still getting the ingredients well combined. The less you
mix, the less gluten is developed, resulting in a more tender final
product. Adding flour before adding the liquid helps to coat the flour
with fat, further inhibiting gluten production. If you add liquid first, and
then add flour, you will end up with a chewier final product since more
gluten will be activated.
Muffin

The muffin method is the method by which we make muffins, scones,

pancake and waffle batter and other quick breads. It’s a pretty easy
method, but like many easy things, it must be done correctly to be
successful. In the muffin method, all dry ingredients are combined
(flour + salt + sugar + chemical leaveners + spices).

All wet ingredients are combined (milk/water + liquid fats + eggs +

liquid flavorings).

Then, the wet ingredients are poured onto the dry ingredients and
gently mixed. Lumps are okay in this method—they will settle out on
their own. Since you’re not taking the extra step of coating the flour
with fat, it is extra important that you mix gently so you don’t activate
the gluten.

When incorporating the wet with the dry, don’t think “mix,” think
“fold.” You want to gently fold the ingredients together to make a
batter. This folding shouldn’t take any longer than about ten to fifteen
seconds. Then, even if it’s lumpy, as Alton Brown says, “Just walk
away.”

In reality, you want to get your batter into tins and into the oven (or on
the griddle) relatively quickly so the chemical leavening can do its job.

Biscuit

The biscuit method is the method used to make biscuits, scones and
many pie doughs. In the mixing method, dry ingredients are combined
(flour + sugar + salt + chemical leaveners + dry flavorings).

Then, chunks of cold, solid fat (butter, lard, shortening or a mixture) is

cut into the dry ingredients) with either forks or another mechanical
helper or by hand), until the fat is about the size of peas. This method
allows some of the flour to be coated with fat, adding to tenderness
while leaving enough fat in large pieces to melt during the baking
process and create steam. This adds texture and leavening to the final
product.

Once the cold fat is cut in, cold liquids are added (ice
water/milk/buttermilk/cream). It is important to keep the fats very cold
in this method. If the fats begin to soften before you are finished, put
your bowl in the freezer for a few minutes so they firm up. Once the
liquid is incorporated, mix minimally, shape and bake.

Two-Stage

The two stage mixing method was originally applied to high ratio
cakes. The term high ratio refers to a high ratio of water to flour held
together by the emulsifiers in the “new fangled” solid shortenings.
Since the emulsifiers could hold more water, the batter could also hold
more sugar, since sugar dissolves in water. This helped to increase
shelf life and moistness in cakes.

Since we have become more health conscious about the effect of trans
fats, solid shortenings have fallen out of favor somewhat. The two-
stage mixing method, however, is an effective method for creating a
meltingly tender, fine crumbed cake.

In the two-stage method, you mix all dry ingredients in the mixing bowl
(flour + sugar + salt + chemical leaveners + dry spices). Then, mix the
eggs with about ¼ of the liquid ingredients (milk/water + wet
flavorings).

Make sure that all dry ingredients are well mixed in the bowl, and then
add butter at cool room temperature plus the egg mixture. Mix on low
to moisten all the ingredients, and then beat on medium for a couple of
minutes to develop the structure of the batter. The batter will get light
and fluffy.

Next, add the rest of the milk in three additions, scraping the bowl and
mixing for a few seconds between additions. Batter made using this
method is generally a bit thinner that batter made with the creaming
method. Since dry + wet + eggs are mixed in at the same time, you
will not get the same amount of air bubbles that you will with the
creaming method. Your final product will have a tighter, more velvety
crumb and have a very melting mouth feel.
Egg Foam

The egg foam method is the method we use for making genoise, angel
food cake, and meringue-type cookies. In this mixing method, most (if
not all) of the leavening comes from an extended beating of either egg
whites or whole eggs with sugar. Then, the dry ingredients are gently
folded in.

Batter made with the egg foam method of mixing are generally very
thick and light. It is best to bake them immediately and let them cool
in the pan upside down, as the structure of these cakes is very delicate
until cool.

There are also some “hybrid” mixing methods where eggs are
separated, the yolks are added according to the creaming method or
the muffin method, then the whites are beaten to medium peaks and
folded in before baking. This creates a batter with extra lift—from
chemical leaveners, air bubbles created during creaming and air
bubbles in the egg foam—and a drier end product.

Now that you know the major mixing methods, the world is your
oyster. You can take almost any cake recipe that calls for the creaming
method and apply the two-stage method. Note the results, and then
use the method that you like best.

Read a recipe, name the general mixing method, based on the

instructions, and then adapt it how you see fit. Not all mixing methods
are interchangeable, but you can usually use choose between
creaming or two-stage, creaming or muffin or even adapting a recipe
with whole eggs to the hybrid method described above. It all depends
on the final texture you seek: tender, chewy, light and dry or moist and
velvety.
What is Grilling?

First of all grilling is a lot like broiling. Both use direct heat, but when
grilling the heat source comes from below and when broiling the heat
source is from above. Both methods are great when cooking tender
cuts of beef, chicken, fish and vegetables. Make sure whatever you are
cooking isn’t too thick or it will burn on the exterior by the time the
inside is done. Although grilling is considered a healthy way of cooking
because much of the fat will drip into the fire, be careful to avoid flare-
ups from the fat. Not only will you potentially burn what you are
cooking and give it an acrid flavor; you can create a nasty fire hazard.

When I was growing up my father (the self-appointed grill master) only

used charcoal as a fuel source. (I’m not even sure they had gas
barbecues back then.) He made the common mistake of not using
enough charcoal at the start or replacing it when it burned down.
Result, the food never seared properly so the juices were released and
the meat dried out.

He also used the self-starting charcoal briquettes that gave the food a
funky chemical taste. I’ve been told you can buy real lump charcoal
with no additives and it makes a big difference, but I’ve never been
able to find it so I opted for a gas grill. Easy to control the heat and
even easier to maintain. I’ve even experimented with adding some
pre-soaked chunks of Hickory wood to give an additional boost of
flavor.
Clean Grill

It’s critical you start with a clean grill. There’s nothing worse than
grilling a beautiful Filet Mignon and having it taste like red snapper.
The time to remove all the residue with a wire brush is right after you
finish cooking while the grate is still hot. If you wait until it’s time to
start cooking, some of the scrapings can fall into the flames and cause
a flare-up. Before you begin heating the grill, brush it or spray it with a
little vegetable oil to prevent food from sticking. This is especially
important if you are using a sugary basting sauce.

Hot Grill

It’s also vital that your grill is hot well before you start. Many of us,
especially with gas grills, wait until right before we start cooking before
we crank up the heat. Mistake. Preheat that grill 15 to 30 minutes
before you intend to start cooking. Have all your cooking tools ready
and standing by. This not only includes apron and utensils, but
seasonings and basting sauces as well. And be sure to have a spray
water bottle on hand in case of flare-ups.

Know thy Grill

Every grill is different and will have different hot and cool spots. It’s
important you learn where they are and use them to your advantage.

Prepping ingredients

If you’re grilling up a steak you may want to cut off any excess fat and
season with a little salt before you start. However with chicken, you
may want to pre-cook it in the microwave or oven to cut down on
cooking time and give you more control of browning. With fish filets, I
like to place them in a zip lock bag with a little olive oil and herbs but
you can also prepare a glaze to coat them just before grilling.
Remember to bring items to room temperature before grilling.

Marinade

Marinades are great for adding flavor to what you are grilling. Check
your cookbooks for which marinades work best for your ingredients.
The longer you marinate the better. It’s best to marinate overnight in
the refrigerator and if you are going to use it for basting, make sure
you boil it first to kill any bacteria that may be present. Also be sure to
pat dry the meat, chicken, or fish before grilling so the marinade
doesn’t cause flare-ups. Barbecue sauce is used to baste what you are
grilling and although commercial barbecue sauces are a big business,
the essential ingredients are: tomatoes, vinegar, onion, mustard, and
brown sugar. So experiment and create your own special sauce.

How Long Do You Cook It?

I guess the most frequent questions I’m asked are "how long do you
cook it for?" and "how can you tell when it’s done?" Although every
cookbook you pick up has guidelines for each ingredient, it once again
comes back to experience and touch. I would suggest you follow your
favorite cookbook guides to grilling but start touching the foods at
different intervals to get a feel for firmness and texture.
For example, as a general rule, I like to cook a 1 1/2-inch New York
Strip steak for a total of ten minutes. I start by grilling for 2 1/2
minutes, then turning it 90 degrees and cooking for another 2 1/2
minutes, flip the steak over to it’s other side and repeat the process
thus giving the steak the classic grill marks. At the same time I test the
steak with my finger to feel for various degrees of firmness. Medium
cooked feels like touching your cheek. If you really want to get specific,
you can use an instant thermometer.

For steak, 115 – 120 degrees is rare, 125-130 degrees is medium rare
and 135 – 140 degrees is medium. Don't forget, the meat will continue
to cook once you remove it from the grill to rest, so you may want to
remove it before hitting your target temperature so you don't overcook
it.

Grilling Tools

Everyone seems to have their own favorite grilling techniques, tools,

marinades, family recipes ....often secret. And if you like gadgets,
you'll love grilling since there are a plethora of great tools to enhance
your grilling experience. Check out my Grilling Tools for a few
examples.
This only touches the surface of what there is to learn about grilling as
a cooking method. The best advice I can give any home cook is
practice as much as you can. It’s a great way to cook without a lot of
mess, especially in the summer when it’s too hot to cook inside.

roasting

Nowadays most roasting takes place in the oven and offers a fast
method of cooking tender portions of meat, poultry, and fish.

You want to start with an oven that's preheated at a high temperature

to seal the meat thus preventing a loss of juices while at the same time
caramelizing the surface.

After 10- 20 minutes, lower the temperature and continue roasting

until done. Some meats will require basting to keep from drying out
while some cuts of meat like pork are fatty enough and will require no
basting.

Sometimes it is necessary to bard (tie pieces of fat to the surface of)

what you are cooking to help with basting. Birds should be cooked
breast down to start and then finished on the other side to allow the
juices and fat to flow into the breast meat.

Make sure you have a roasting pan that is the correct size for what you
are cooking. Too big.... and the food may burn, too small and your
roast may stick to the sides of the pan. Too shallow... and your oven
will be a mess, too deep.....your food will steam, not roast.

And be sure to retain the wonderful, incredible pan juices by deglazing

the roasting pan for gravies and sauces, an extra dividend to the
roasting method.

What Is Saute?

Saute in French means "to jump" and can be a method of cooking or a

way to describe a dish like sauteed chicken breasts. The reason the
French called this technique "to jump" is because you are cooking at a
very high heat and you don't want it sitting too long in the pan.

To be successful, you need to move the ingredients either with a pair

of tongs or like they do on TV by tossing it in the air.

Saute is a type of frying which is a dry heat method of cooking

requiring high heat and some sort of liquid fat to cook with.

What Is the Difference Between Sauteing & Pan Frying?

Although they are both considered dry heat cooking and use a fat to
transfer the heat of the pan to the food, pan frying requires more oil
and you don't toss or move the food around like you do with saute.
Typically a pan-fry requires enough oil to reach almost halfway up the
ingredient you are cooking. A good example is when you pan-fry
eggplant for eggplant parmesan.

The Advantages of Sauteing

Once learned and in your repertoire, you will be free to be creative and
devise your own recipes with whatever ingredients you have around.
As a novice, this technique is easy and allows you to prepare meals in
a moment’s notice.

This includes sautéing chicken, fish, vegetables, or meat. That’s the

beauty of learning a basic technique. Compare it to learning how to
read a financial statement. Once you know how, you can effectively
read any company’s report. sautéing

The Formula To A Great Saute

Proper Saute = Good Saute Pan + High Heat + A Little Fat +

Uniformly Cut Ingredients

The Right Pan For The Job

Some say the pan the pan should have sloped sides, others say
straight. To me it doesn't matter as long as the pan has a dense, heavy
bottom that spreads the heat evenly without any hot spots. It has to be
big enough to cook your ingredients without crowding so buy
accordingly.

Non-stick is ok if you don't plan to make pan sauces but you need a
little sticking to create the "fond" or the brown bits that stick to your
pan that are responsible for those delicious sauces served in your
favorite restaurants. I use a non-stick pan for my sauteed spinach and
broccoli rabe but prefer metal for everything else.

To learn more about what to look for in a good saute pan and how to
purchase the best one for you, check out my Choosing A Good Saute
Pan.
The Right Fat - Butter or Oil?

It all has to do with smoking points. Butter (350°F) will give your food
the best taste and a wonderful golden crust but burns more easily. Oil
(375° F - 450° F) produces a nice crust and will not burn as quickly, but
also doesn’t leave as rich a flavor or color as butter alone. Most chefs
will use different oils depending on what they are cooking.

If they are cooking a Mediterranean style dish, they may choose olive
oil, but if they are preparing an Asian dish, sesame oil might be the
better choice. You match the oil to the style of cooking but remember
much of the flavor will be cooked off because of the high heat so you
may just be better off using a generic oil like canola or safflower and
add a little of the flavored oil at the end.

The Reluctant Gourmet uses a combination of the two. This way I get
some of the flavor from the butter and a higher smoking point from the
oil. What you cook and the amount you’re cooking will determine how
butter and oil you use. For example, use about 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons
of each for 2 or more chicken cutlets and 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of each
for 2 or more fish fillets.
How Much Fat?

Just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. You are not deep frying so
just cover the bottom of the pan. When a recipe tells you to add 2
tablespoons of oil to the pan, how do they know what size pan you are
using. If you add 2 tablespoons to a small pan, it may be too much. 2
tablespoons in a large pan might not be big enough. So add
accordingly.

Important Tip - Preheating the Pan

The biggest mistake home cooks make when sauteing is not getting
the pan hot enough. They take cold ingredients right out of the
refrigerator, put them into a cold pan and stick it on the flame. Big
mistake - don't do it. You'll end with bone dry meat, chicken or fish.
Stir Fry

Every week or so I get a craving for Chinese food. There’s something

about those crunchy vegetables, tender meats, and incredible flavors
that forces me to dig out a menu buried in a kitchen drawer and order
from a local restaurant.
The Chinese have a way of manipulating food that I wanted to learn
about so I dug out the wok that I inherited when I got married and
started reading up and experimenting. What I learned about the
ancient technique of Stir-Fry is you have to be prepared before you
start. Often I talk about prepping ingredients before you start cooking,
but this is a must when doing stir-fry. In fact prepping the ingredients
will take longer than the actual cooking. Once you get your pan
hot…..you can’t stop.

Stir-frying will also give you some practice with your cutting skills since
each ingredient will be bite size (Have you ever seen a knife in a
Chinese restaurant?) and have different cuts. Once prepped, I like to
put the ingredients in individual bowls separated by cooking times. The
technique is to quickly fry the ingredients in a large pan over high heat
while constantly stirring to preserve flavor, color and texture of the
food and keep the vegetables crisp. Easy enough.
Typically one uses a wok; a large deep bowl made of thin metal
with gentle curved sides. The heat concentrates at the bottom of
the pan and the curved sides allow you to push the ingredients to
cooler areas. You can use a typical frying pan, but it won’t cook as fast
thus keeping your vegetables as crisp as you would want. Other than a
few specialty ingredients, you can use whatever you have on hand to
make a stir-fry. It’s a great way to clean out the vegetable drawer.
Because you’ll be cooking at very high heat, you want to use a high
smoking point oil like peanut, safflower, corn, or canola. Some of the
specialty ingredients that you should be able to find at your local
supermarket are soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and chili sauce. Short or
medium grained rice is best for accompanying your stir-fry.

You start by prepping the meat or chicken. Cut the meat into thin bite-
size slices and marinate to protect it from overcooking. The marinade
can be made with a variety of liquids depending on the flavor you are
trying to obtain. Typical marinade ingredients include chicken or beef
stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, chili sauce, corn starch, brown sugar,
rice wine or dry sherry. Marinate for a least one hour, longer is better.

Prepare an aromatic mixture consisting of finely chopped herbs and

spices that will add flavor and aroma to the stir-fry. Typical aromatics
include garlic, scallions, red pepper flakes, shallots, and chili peppers
to name a few. Next prepare your vegetables by cutting them into
small pieces and separating according to their cooking times. Slower
cooking vegetables like asparagus and green beans will be added
before faster cooking vegetables like pea pods and tomatoes. Now
you’re ready to stir-fry.