FOOD NEWS
30 Cooking Techniques Every Beginner Home Cook Should Know
BY STEVE PETERS
1. Sautéing
To sauté, start by heating a pan on the stove with just enough oil to coat the bottom. Then add ingredients and stir occasionally until browned and cooked through.
Avoid common mistakes like crowding the pan. Evenly sauté vegetables by starting with those that grow underground and finishing with those that grow above.
2. Broiling
Broiling occurs in the oven and involves intense, direct heat from above. Set the oven rack a few inches from the top and closely monitor anything under the broiler.
3. Deglazing
Any food that has browned in a pan has likely left bits behind. Those bits are called fond and are full of flavor that can be used in other dishes like stews and soups.
Take advantage of the fond and add it back into your dish through deglazing. Add a liquid to the hot pan, stir, and cook until the bits are incorporated.
4. Folding
Folding is like a variation on stirring. Stirring involves circular or side-to-side motions while folding involves lifting what's on the bottom and moving it to the top.
5. Simmering
A simmer should be just under a boil with small bubbles appearing on the surface of the liquid. The difference in heat can impact how the food turns out.