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There are four basic moist heat cooking methods. Moist heat refers to applying heat to food by submerging it into a hot liquid or by exposing it to steam. All four procedures are integral to a professional chef's cooking repertoire, and I recommend to you as well.


Poaching is a basic moist heat cooking method. It uses convection to transfer heat from a liquid to a food. It usually applies to eggs, fruit, or fish. These foods do not require lengthy cooking times. The food is placed in a liquid at temperatures between 160 degrees and 180 degrees. The surface of the liquid should show slight movement, but no bubbles. The two methods of poaching are: submersion poaching and shallow poaching.
Submersion poaching means the food is completely covered with the liquid. Shallow poaching means the food is placed in just enough liquid to come halfway up the sides. Shallow poaching combines aspects of poaching and steaming.

Procedure for Poaching Foods

1. Prepare the ingredients.
2. Bring the liquid to the desired temperature.
3. For submersion poaching, the liquid should completely cover the food.
4. For shallow poaching, the liquid should come halfway up the side of the food. If shallow poaching, cover the pan with a lid or a piece of buttered parchment paper.
5. Doneness is determined by timing, internal temperature, or tenderness.
6. The cooking liquid can be used for a sauce or reserved for use in other dishes.


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Simmering is one of the most widely used moist heat cooking methods. It uses convection to transfer heat from a liquid to a food. Properly simmered foods should be very moist and tender. The liquid temperature should be from 185 degrees to 205 degrees.
Procedure for Simmering Foods

1. Prepare the ingredients.
2. Bring the liquid to the proper temperature. The food should be covered in the liquid completely.
3. Add the food to the simmering pot.
4. Doneness is determined through timing or tenderness.


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Boiling is probably the most widely used of the moist heat cooking methods. It uses the process of convection to transfer heat from a liquid to a food. Boiling uses large amounts of rapidly bubbling liquid to cook foods. Most "boiled" meats and "hard-boiled" eggs are really only simmered. Pastas and potatoes are the only types of foods that are truly boiled.

Procedure for Boiling Foods

1. Bring liquid to a boil. Add oil or seasonings, if desired.
2. Add the ingredients.
3. Doneness is determined by timing or texture.
4. Serve the food immediately. Some boiled foods can be refreshed in cold water and held for later use.


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Steaming is a moist heat method that uses the process of convection to transfer heat from the steam to the food being cooked. Fish and vegetables are most associated with steaming. Steaming tends to enhance a food's natural flavor and helps retain its nutrients. This moist heat cooking method is becoming more and more popular, due to our growing appreciation of its nutritional advantages.

Procedure for Steaming Foods

1. Prepare the ingredients.
2. Prepare a steaming liquid and bring it to a boil in a covered pan or double boiler. Disregard this if using a convection steamer.
3. Place the food on a rack, basket, or perforated pan. Place it over the boiling water.
4. Alternatively, place the food in a shallow pool of the cooking liquid.
5. Cover and cook to desired doneness.

Bon Apetit!
Sincerely,
Chef Bre heart

<center>Basic Cooking Part One
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To cook foods successfully, you must understand the science and principles of cooking.

Now, bear with me. Yes, this page is about the science and principles of gourmet cooking, but please trust me, it is neither difficult to understand nor boring. It is merely the stating of a few basic facts that we all need to know to better understand what is happening when we apply heat to food.

Cooking is simply the transfer of energy from a heat source to a food. To cook foods successfully, you must understand the ways in which heat is transferred: conduction, convection and radiation.

Most important, specific to the principles of cooking, you must understand the methods used to transfer heat: broiling, grilling, roasting and baking, sauteing, pan-frying, deep-frying, poaching, simmering, boiling, steaming, braising and stewing . . .

What are these methods? Why do some work better than others on certain foods?


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Heat Transfer</center>

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According to the principles of cooking, heat is a type of energy. When a substance gets hot, the molecules have absorbed energy, which causes the molecules to vibrate rapidly. The molecules start to expand and bounce off one another. As the molecules move, they collide with nearby molecules, causing a transfer of heat energy.

Heat transfer can be transferred to foods through conduction, convection, or radiation. Heat travels through foods by conduction.

Conduction

Conduction, one of the most basic principles of cooking, is the movement of heat from one item to another through direct contact. For example, when a flame touches the bottom of a pan, heat is conducted to the pan.

Generally, metals are good conductors. Copper and aluminum are the best conductors, while liquids and gases are poor conductors.

Conduction is a slow method of heat transfer because there must be physical contact from one molecule to another.

Convection

Convection is the transfer of heat through a fluid. The fluid may be in a liquid or gas state. According to the principles of cooking, there are 2 types of convection: natural and mechanical.

Natural convection causes a natural circulation of heat because warm liquids and gases have a tendency to rise while cooler ones fall.

Mechanical convection causes heat to circulate more evenly and quickly through fans or stirring.

Radiation

Radiation is energy transferred by waves of heat or light striking the food. Two types of radiant heat are infrared and microwave.

Infrared cooking is commonly used with toasters and broilers. These devices use an electric or ceramic element heated to such a high temperature that it gives off waves of radiant heat.

Microwave cooking relies on radiation generated by an oven to heat the food.

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The Effects Of Heat</center>

When you add heat to your meals it causes a variety of changes to occur depending on what your meal is mostly made up of.

Proteins Coagulate

Coagulation is when proteins transform from a liquid state to a solid state. Examples: the firming of meat fibers and egg whites changing from a clear liquid to a white solid when heated.

Starches Gelatinize

When a mixture of starch and liquid is heated, starch granules swell. The liquid thickens because the starch granules swell to occupy more space. Examples: The thickening of sauces when starch is added.

Sugars Caramelize

As sugars cook, they turn brown and change flavor. This includes the natural sugars in any food. Have you ever noticed that cooked vegetables are sweeter then their raw counterparts? For example think of an onion. Pretty bitter and pungent when raw, but if you saute them in a frying pan and they change from bright white to a nice golden brown they are sweet. Thats the natural sugars comming to the surface.

Water Evaporates

All foods contain some water. The evaporation of water drys foods during cooking.

Fats Melt

Fats are a greasy, smooth substance that do not dissolve in water. Oils are fats that remain liquid at room temperature. Fats melt when heated and then gradually liquefy. Fats will not evaporate.

There, that wasn't so bad was it? I hope that you agree that some familiarity with the science and principles of cooking makes everything a little less mysterious, and adds to your abilities and enjoyment of cooking.

Sincerly,
Chef Bre heart

Food Safety Tips!

Always use sharp knives in the kitchen. Sharp knives are safer then dull knives because you have to use less pressure to cut through the food. This allows the knife to glide through the food and has less of a chance to slip.

Always assume pot handles are hot. Use oven mitts. I don't know how many times I've saved myself from a nasty burn just by doing this.

Avoid having food in the temperature danger zone. 80% of flu symptoms are actually food poisoning, and nearly 3/4 of all food borne illnesses result from poor temperature control. You can avoid getting sick by keeping hot foods hot (above 60C or 140F) and cold foods cold (below 4C and 40F). If food is left in the danger zone for more then 2 hours it could be potentially unsafe to eat.

Bacteria WANTTO grow. This handy little acronym stands for WATER, ACIDIC/ALKALINE, NUTRIENTS, TIME, TEMPERATURE, OXYGEN

Bacteria thrive in a moist environment that is not too acidic or alkaline, they feed off the natural nutrients in the food and if they are left in the temperature danger zone (4-60 C or 40-140F) for more then two hours you could get sick. Also, bacteria like to breathe (who doesn't) but there are some bacteria that don't need oxygen! So if you can control the time and the temperature of the food you are working with that's your best defense against food poisoning!

Avoid Cross Contamination. Raw meat and seafood should be kept away from ready to eat products. Use a separate cutting board for raw foods and wash your knife and hands well after touching raw foods.

I hope that these have been helpful, Keep an eye on this blog for more tips/tricks and recipes! Good luck and keep on cooking!

Chef Bre heart