Cooking Methods

3.1. Moist Heat Cooking

1.        Boiling: heating a liquid medium, usually water, to a state where steam vapor and bubbles appear. Food is submerged in the liquid and cooked until soft
Considerations:

-          water boils at a temperature of 100°C

-          liquid should be boiling before food is added to it

-          covering the cooking vessel with a lid can help to prevent rapid loss of water

2.        Steaming: the process of cooking food by means of boiling water and allowing the steam it produces to circulate around a sealed container. Steaming equipment is traditionally made out of bamboo but electrical appliances are more frequently used nowadays. Considerations:

-          ensure a sufficient amount of water is in place to produce the required amount of steam

-          make sure that too much steam can’t escape by keeping the container closed     

3.       Simmering: heating a liquid medium, usually water, but keeping it below boiling point and creating gentle bubbles.

Considerations:

-          maintain a low temperature

4.       Stewing: the process of cooking food for a prolonged period of time at a medium heat (below boiling) with little to no addition of moisture once the process has been started. Commonly, it is a mixture of meat and vegetables but fruit can also be stewed.

Considerations:

-          monitor the size of the bubbles to ensure that the liquid does not come to a boil