SITHCCC020: Work Effectively as a Cook - Methods of Cookery Explained

This assignment provides a comprehensive overview of various cooking methods, essential for culinary students. It explores a range of techniques, including baking, frying (deep, stir, pan, and sautéing), roasting, grilling, steaming, poaching, broiling, blanching, braising, and stewing. Each method is described, highlighting its unique characteristics, suitable food types, and the resulting textures and flavors. The document emphasizes the importance of understanding these methods to create balanced and unique menus, showcasing how different techniques affect the final product's mouthfeel and overall appeal. The methods are described in detail, providing insights into how each technique impacts the final dish. This is a valuable resource for students studying cookery.

SITHCCC020 –
Work effectively
as a cook
METHODS OF COOKERY

Introduction
1. Cooking is not just an art but also a science and thus to achieve a
menu which is balanced, one must have adequate knowledge of
various methods of cooking.
2. Different methods of cooking are suited to different foods and
each method produces a unique set of textures and flavours.

Baking
1. This is a method of cookery comprising of applying dry and
convection forms of heat to a food kept in an enclosed
environment.
2. Addition of a dry heat is necessary since it provides the
characteristic texture of baked foods comprising of a brown crust
and an interior with a moist texture.
3. Baking is commonly used for the preparation of foods like pastries,
cakes and biscuits.

Frying
This is a form of cooking food by fully or partially immersing it in hot oil. It is one
of the fastest methods in which food can be cooked and generally involves
temperatures of 150 to 230C. There are several methods of frying, such as:
1. Deep frying: The food is cooked by completely immersing in hot oil.
2. Stir frying: The food is cooked by quickly tossing over a pan which is hot and
with little addition of fat.
3. Pan frying: A method similar to stir frying where the food is fried in a hot pan
containing oil.
4. Sautéing: In this method of frying, the food is cooked by browning it one and
then lightly frying in hot fat or oil on the other side.

Roasting
1. This method of cooking is a variation of baking in which the food is
cooked using dry forms of heat at high temperatures of almost
500C.
2. Such methods ensure that the moisture of the food is kept intact
and the food is not dried.
3. After this, the temperature is then reduced to 425 to 450F so as to
allow the heat to completely penetrate and cook the food.

Grilling
1. This method of dry cooking comprises of placing the food on a
source of radiant and intense heat.
2. A number of materials can be used as a source of heat for cooking,
such as burning wood, flame of gas, coals or even electrically
generated heat.
3. This method of cooking can be found to be similar to broiling
methods where the heat is applied to the food at the top and not
from the bottom.

Steaming 1. This is a form of wet cooking comprising
of using steam obtained from boiling of
water.
2. This can be done using steamers where
food is placed upon a perforated
contained which is then placed on
another vessel containing boiling water.
3. The steam then rises and reaches the
food across the perforations to cook it
thoroughly.

Poaching
1. This method involves cooking food using small quantity of liquids,
prevalently at a temperature ranging from 160 to 180F.
2. The liquid used for cooking can comprise of water as well as other
liquids like milk, broth, juices or stock.
3. Some of the most commonly poached foods include eggs, fruits
and fishes.