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.
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.
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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.
