Moist Heat Cooking Methods

 

Moist heat cooking refers to several different methods for cooking food with, or in a liquid. The item to be cooked may be first seared or sautéed before being added to the liquid such as when braising or stewing or the item may be totally immersed and cooked in a liquid such as when poaching, simmering or boiling. The liquid required to perform moist heat cooking can be either water, stock, wine and even steam (pressure cooking is also a moist method that combines both liquid and steam). When it comes to moist heat cooking, there is a fine line between one technique and another and many of them are combined together to finish a particular meal. For example a pot roast or pork butt may be both braised and then simmered to produce a the final product that is both tender and succulent.

Braising and Stewing

When using the technique of braising, the item to be cooked is browned (seared or sautéed), and then covered with a liquid and gently simmered at a relatively low temperature for a prolonged amount of time. When using the technique of stewing, the item to be cooked may or may not be browned depending on the recipe, it is then covered with a liquid and gently simmered at a relatively low temperature for a prolonged amount of time. Sounds similar right? Most people use these terms interchangeably, and while the techniques are similar, they are different. Braising is used to cook large cuts of meats (roasts, pork buts, chicken etc...) that are partially covered in a liquid, whereas stewing is used to cook small portions of meats (cubed, diced or cut up) that are totally covered by a liquid. Not a big difference, but a difference none the less.

Braising and stewing can be done on the stove top, in a slow cooker, or in the oven. Of the three, the option that produces the best results for braising and or stewing is the oven, although the slow cooker is a close second. Braising or stewing in the oven allows the heat to fully surround the cooking container, cooking the food more evenly than if it were only heated from below.

Because a slow cooker functions like a small oven, (the sides and bottom tend to heat evenly due to it's heavy ceramic pot) it is particularly good at braising and stewing. The ability to cook food long and slow while you are at work or out for the day is a big advantage, after all most of us would not leave our oven on all day while we were at work. It's primary limitation is the size of the ceramic vessel making it not as flexible as your oven when it comes to cooking larger portions of meats. In addition, the slow cooker does not allow for the reduction of liquid as a traditional Dutch oven or saute pan so your stews and braised meats will have more liquid making any accompanying sauce a little thinner.

When it comes to cooking cheaper and tougher cuts of meat (ones with more connective tissues), braising and stewing are the best techniques. Cheaper cuts of meat generally come from older animals, and older animals have more connective tissue. It is the connective tissue of older animals make the meat tough, and only the long, slow application of moist heat will result in a tender end result as moist heat dissolves these connective tissues. In addition, as the connective tissues break down and dissolve they turn into gelatin which helps to thicken the liquid and give it a smooth, velvety texture.

Poaching, Simmering, and Boiling

As with braising and stewing, poaching, simmering and boiling techniques are similar. Each of these methods involves cooking food by submerging it in a hot water, stock, and on rare occasions oil (not frying however as this is a dry cooking method). However what makes each of these cooking techniques uniquely different is the different range of temperatures used by each method. Because foods surrounded in liquid cook very evenly, these three methods are very popular and effective with each technique employed for a specific type of food or desired outcome.

Of the three, poaching is done at the lowest temperatures (140°F to 180°F). At this temperature range you may see small bubbles forming on the bottom of the pan, however the liquid should not be bubbling at all. Foods cooked in this lower temperature range tend to be more delicate such as eggs and fish. Turn the temperature up a little (180°F to 205°F) and you will be simmering. When simmering foods the same small bubbles that you saw at the bottom of the pan when you were poaching will be gently rising to the surface of the water, however, the water is not yet at a full rolling boil. This technique is most commonly employed when preparing soups or stocks, or when something needs to be cooked slowly over a prolonged period of time (see braising and stewing). Boiling is the hottest of the three (212°F), at this point the liquid has reached it's highest possible temperature and the bubbles that form on the bottom of the pan are violently bubbling on the surface of the liquid. This rolling boil is not a method recommended for cooking delicate foods such as eggs, fish or pasta. In fact of the three, boiling is probably used the least in modern commercial kitchens.

Steaming

Once water reaches it's maximum temperature (212°F) it begins to boil. At this temperature, it's physical makeup begins to change from a solid and it becomes vapor (steam). While the water may be violently bubbling, the steam it produces is very gentle, making steaming ideal for cooking delicate items such as seafood and vegetables. Seafood that is steamed maintains it's delicate texture, while vegetables that are steamed maintain both their vibrant color as well as their essential nutrients that may otherwise be lost when they are boiled.
 

Unlike water, steam can be forced to exceed it's natural temperature (212°F), by pressurizing it. During the 1960's and throughout the early 1970's before everyone had a microwave oven, many home cooks used pressure cookers to substantially reduce food cooking times. Traditional pressure cookers are self contained cooking vessels that are usually made of aluminum with a locking lid and rubber gasket that uses a small amount of water which is heated to create steam. This steam is then kept under pressure by use of a weighted, dial gauge, or combination of the two to increase the heat of the steam. The higher the pressure, the hotter the steam becomes. The following temperatures are approximations of the heat of steam under pressure (5PSI = 220°F, 10PSI = 235°, 15PSI 250°F), keep in mind the altitude at which you live makes a difference.

During that last few years, several brands of sleek new easy to use electric pressure cookers have become available for the home cook. Because of their ease of use with their multiple preset buttons that not only controls the cooking time but the pressure setting they have become quite popular.

Conclusion

Knowing how to use the proper moist cooking method is an important skill for the home cook or anyone who is cooking on a budget. Using moist cooking techniques allow you to purchase cheaper and tougher cuts of meats which can then be turned into tender, juicy, delicious dishes that your family will enjoy. Whether you are using a slow and low temperature such as when braising or stewing, or using a faster and higher temperature technique such as steam generated pressure cooking, knowing which foods work best with each technique will serve you and your family well.

If you want a good reference copy of Wayne Gisslen's Professional Cooking, you can download a free PDF copy by clicking on the following link 'Wayne Gisslen's Professional Cooking 7th Edition'. If you are looking to find additional ways to stretch your food dollars, be sure and check out some of my other articles on the subject on our blog. As always, if you have enjoyed this article, please share it with your friends and don't forget to send us a friend request on Facebook and Google+ so that you will not miss out on any of our new articles.

Related Recipes On Our Blog:

Beef Stew: It's What's For Dinner

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken And Dumplings

Pressure Cooker Beef Stroganoff

References:

Labensky, Sarah, Hause, Alan. ON COOKING: A Textbook Of Culinary Fundamentals. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999.

Gisslen, Wayne. Professional Cooking 3rd Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 1995.