All Cooking Tips and Kitchen Guide » Dry Heat Preparation

Deep-Frying

Amanda — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:09:37 +0000

Deep-Frying. In deep-frying, the food is completely covered with fat. Many deep-fried foods are first coated with breading or batter to enhance moisture retention, flavor development, tenderness, browning, crispness, and overall appearance. The characteristics of the coating influence a fried food’s final out-come. A fine-crumb breading absorbs less fat, but a coarser grain produces a crisper texture. Sugar in the coating speeds up browning, but this is undesirable if the outside browns and appears done while the inside is still uncooked. While the breading or batter protects the food from absorbing too much fat, it can also simultaneously protect the deep-frying oil from the deterioration that occurs when it contacts the food’s natural moisture and salt content.

Pan-Broiling and Pan-Frying

Amanda — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 13:06:45 +0000

Pan-Broiling and Pan-Frying. Pan-broiling refers to placing food, usually meat, in a very hot frying pan with no added fat and pouring off fat as it accumulates. If the fat is not poured off, pan-broiling becomes pan-frying, which uses a moderate amount of fat (up to 1/2 inch deep), but not enough to completely cover the food.

SautÃ©ing and Stir-Frying

Amanda — Wed, 11 Oct 2006 12:51:45 +0000

SautÃ©ing and Stir-Frying. These methods use the least amount of fat to heat the food. Stir-frying is predominantly used in Asian cooking; the pan is held stationary, while the food is stirred and turned over very quickly with utensils. SautÃ©ing is done in a frying pan, a special sautÃ© pan, or on a griddle. The foods most frequently prepared on a griddle with a little fat are eggs, pan-cakes, and hamburgers (with the fat derived from the meat itself).

Frying foods

Amanda — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:32:12 +0000

Frying is heating foods in fat. Oils used in frying serve to transfer heat, act as a lubricant to prevent sticking, and contribute to flavor, browning, and a crisp outside texture. Although oils are “liquid”, frying is a method of dry-heat preparation because pure fat contains no water. Types of frying-sauteing, stir-frying, pan-broiling, pan-frying, and deep-frying, are distinguished by the amount of fat used, ranging from a thin sheet to complete submersion. Temperatures vary among the different methods: sauteing, stir-frying, and pan-frying require only a medium or high heat – lower heat results in higher fat absorption – while deep-frying temperatures range from 350Â° to 450Â°F (177Â° to 232Â°C).

Grilling

Amanda — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:28:17 +0000

Grilling is the reverse of broiling, in that food is cooked above, rather than below, an intense heat source (charcoal, wood, gas, or electric). Grilling over a pit is also known as barbecuing. The temperature is regulated by adjusting the intensity of the heat source, the distance between the food and the heat source, and by moving the food to different places on the grill.

Broiling

Amanda — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:19:34 +0000

To broil is to cook foods under an intense heat source. The high temperatures of broiling cook foods in approximately 5 to 10 minutes, so only tender meats, poultry, and fish are broiled; tougher foods require longer heating times. Temperature is controlled by moving the rack closer or farther away from the heat source. Thicker cuts are broiled farther from the heat, thinner ones closer – on the fourth or fifth rack of a home oven. Foods are often slightly oiled to prevent drying and sticking, placed under the broiler only after it has been preheated to its full heat, and then turned over only once. Food service operations often employ a “salamander,” also called a cheesemelter, a low-intensity broiler used just prior to serving to melt or brown the top layer of a dish.

Roasting

Amanda — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:14:00 +0000

Roasting is similar to baking except that the term is usually applied to meats and poultry. Roasted meats are often basted every 20 minutes or so to prevent the food from drying out. Some roasted meats are initially seared at 400Â° to 450Â°F (200Â° to 230Â°C) for about 15 minutes before reducing the heat to normal roasting temperatures. Although searing adds a desirable texture, color, and flavor to the meat’s outer surface, roasts cooked at lower temperatures are juicer, shrink less, and are easier to carve than those that are seared.Roasting can also refer to cooking on an open fire, as with roasted marsh-mallows and vegetables, and to cooking with a rotisserie. To make things even more confusing, “meats” such as ham, meat loaf, and fish are often referred to as “baked.” Chicken may be described as either baked or roasted.

Baking

Amanda — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 11:08:15 +0000

Baking is the heating of food by hot air in an oven. The average baking temperature is 350Â°F (177Â°C), although temperatures may range from 300Â° to 425Â°F (149Â° to 219Â°C). The rack position influences the baking results, and for the best outcome, the food should be placed in the middle of the center rack. Foods placed on the uppermost rack may brown excessively on their top surface, while on the lowest rack foods are prone to burning on the bottom. It is also best to position foods using only one rack; if this is not possible, the foods should be staggered so that they are not directly over each other in order to allow hot air to flow more freely through the oven. At least 2 inches should be left between pans and between the pans and the oven walls. If these guidelines are ignored, the resulting inadequate air circulation may cause uneven browning, and food may not be thoroughly cooked.In addition to rack position and placement of pans, the cooking pan material will affect the baking outcome. Shiny metal pans reflect heat and are best for cakes or cookies, where only light browning and a soft crust are desired. The darker, duller metal pans (including anodized and satin-finish) tend to absorb heat, resulting in browner, crisper crusts ideal for pies or bread baking. Glass pans require that oven temperatures be reduced by 25Â°F (4Â°C), because food tends to heat more quickly in glass (exceptions are pies and bread). Since baking times are dependent on many factors, it is important to check the food’s progress at the suggested minimum baking time and then at intervals after that until the food is done. This must be done judiciously, however, because checking too soon or too frequently will allow heat and/or steam to escape from the oven, adversely affecting the baking outcome.

Dry-heat preparation

Amanda — Tue, 10 Oct 2006 10:55:40 +0000

Examples of dry-heat preparation include baking, roasting, broiling, grilling, and frying. Higher temperatures are reached in dry-heat preparation than in moist-heat methods, because water can heat only to its boiling point of 212^oF (100^oC), or slightly higher under pressure, while ovens can reach up to 500^oF (260^oC).