Food and Nutrition Topic
Methods of Cooking
- Read notes
- Flashcards
- Quiz
- Confident
Study focus - 3 things
- Cooking methods use moist heat, dry heat, or fat
- Choose methods based on the food, desired texture, health, and time
- Cooking can improve safety, flavour, texture, and digestion
Section 1Why food is cooked
Cooking can make food safer, softer, tastier, and easier to digest. It can also improve appearance and destroy many harmful microorganisms. Watch out: cooking does not fix food that was badly spoiled before cooking.
Section 2Moist-heat methods
Moist-heat methods use water, steam, or another liquid. Examples include boiling, steaming, stewing, and poaching. Steaming vegetables like callaloo can help keep more colour and texture than long boiling.
Section 3Dry-heat methods
Dry-heat methods cook food without added liquid. Examples include baking, roasting, grilling, and toasting. These methods are useful when you want browning, crispness, or a dry finished texture.
Section 4Frying methods
Frying cooks food in fat or oil. Shallow frying uses a small amount of oil, while deep frying covers the food in hot oil. Here's the trick: frying gives flavour and crispness, but it adds fat, so it should not be the only cooking method used.
Examples
Which method is better for keeping vegetables bright and not too soft: steaming or long boiling?
Steaming is usually better because the food does not sit in a lot of water and often cooks faster.
You are cooking fish for Sunday dinner and want a crisp outside. Which method could you choose, and what is one health warning?
Frying or grilling can give a crisp outside. If frying, remember it adds fat, so use it in moderation.
Now let's water it
Session runs notes to flashcards to quiz back-to-back.