MOIST COOKING

For the Novice

PERFECT CUT
For any perfect cut of meat you want a thin trim of fat that is a milky white but not translucent. If it is a red meat you want it to be a vibrant red with not too much tissue. If it is something like chicken you want to have a little bit of fat so you can still absorb flavor. Your chicken should be a very pale pink. With chicken you dont only have to look at the top but the bottom if there are any veins or blood. You dont want it to be slimy. With pork you want it to be thinner than a chicken breast. Remember that pork chops cook a lot faster than chicken. Pork should also be a pale pink but there should still bea trim of fat around it.

FLAVOR
The possibilities you could do with meat/proteins are endless. You can go from the basic salt and pepper to spices like paprika, chili powder, curry powder, turmeric. The list doesnt stop there. There are even herbs like basil, parsley, rosemary, thyme. There are acidic liquids like lemon or lime juice. You can even use chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth for the meat to absorb and not only will it get flavor but it will become moist. Just remember not to over powder your meat/protein. If you cant think of a good spice mixture you can always buy one. Spice mixtures would be lemon and pepper, Italiano, gara masala, berbere.

COOKING TEMPS
Cooking temperatures for moist cooking can range from 325 Fahrenheit to BROIL. On the stove top you usually do moist cooking over medium heat so you don t completely brown or burn the outside of your meat/protein before it is done cooking. With moist cooking on the stove you are often starting with a higher temperature and then lowering the temperature once you start adding liquid. Because you dont want the liquid to absorb completely before you are done cooking.

BRAISING
To fry and then add liquid and cover until cooked. You start of f with a high heat until your meat/protein gets a brown/golden coating. You often do this with chicken. You rub or marinade the chicken with spices then add broth or liquid to the mixture and cover until it is all absorbed and the chicken is cooked. With braising you have to remember to turn the heat down after you put the liquid in. You often also use this method with ribs and beef. With braising you often have a lot of flavor from start to finish.

STEWING
Stew is a often a thick combination of vegetables (maybe even fruit) and a meat/protein. Sometimes there are noodles but they would have to be but in later so they don t overcook and become mushy. This method is often used in a slow cooker which means it is in a big pot for a long time at a low temperature. You usually put everything in one big pot, stir it all together, cover it and leave it for several hours. You usually see beef in a stew because it takes longer to cook, there is more tissue and fat. Chicken doesnt take very long to cook and become over cooked very quickly. Once this is done everything is really tender and easy to chew. You will have a thick broth but there is so much flavor in every piece you have.

SIMMERING
Simmering is when you keep something in a pot or pan just below boiling point. What you would be cooking for are little bubbles around the mixture. Remember that simmering is gentler than boiling. We use simmering for potatoes and pasta. It cooks food slowly and gently. Meats/ proteins that are simmered remain tender and moist. A lot of people simmer fish in a shallow pan (not a pot). When simmering meat/protein you want to have the meat cold and bring it up to a simmer so it doesnt ove rcook.

POACHING
Poaching is when you cook a product by putting it into a liquid that is barely simmering. Poaching is much gentler than simmering and boiling. You want the temperature of your water and pan/pot to stay constant. The liquid should just simmer with a little bubble. The liquid is slightly flavored with salt and pepper. Or even with a little bit of stock. You usually cook fish, eggs, and fruit with this method. Remember the product must be fully submerged in the liquid for this method to work. We often see this method being used with eggs benedict and fishes like sole or cheaper fishes.

FRICASSEEING
Fr i c a s s e e i s a d i s h o f s tew e d o f f r i e d p i e c e s o f m e a t / p ro te i n . Yo u o f te n f r i c a s s e e c h i c ke n i f yo u d o n t w a n t to u s e c h i c ke n yo u c o ul d a l s o u s e veal. A f r i c a s s e e i s a b et w e e n a s a u t a n d a s tew b e c a us e t h e r e i s a w h i te s a u c e i nv o l v e d w h i c h i s a l m o s t l i ke a b r o t h t h a t t h e c h i c ke n i s s u b m e r g e d i n . Fo r t h i s yo u o n l y n e e d o n e b i g p o t b e c a us e t h e c h i c ke n w i l l r e m a i n i n t h e p o t f o r s ev e r a l m i n ute s . T h i s i s o r i g i n al l y a Fr e n c h m et h o d . F i r s t yo u w a n t to f r y t h e c h i c ke n i n a p a n i n o i l w i t h w h a tev e r s e a s o n i n g yo u w a n t . T h a t c a n r a n g e f r o m j u s t s a l t a n d p e p p e r to a r a n g e o f s p i c e s yo u h av e p u t to g et h e r. T h e d i f fe r e n c e b et w e e n f r i c a s s e e a n d b r a i s i n g i s t h a t yo u d o n t w a n t yo u r c h i c ke n to b e b r o w n e d b u t a p a l e p i n k c o l o r. T h i s i s a l l c o o ke d a t a l o we r te m p e r a t ur e . T h e n yo u s a u t yo u r m i r e p o ix ( c e l e r y, c a r r ot , a n d o n i o n ) i n a p o t . Yo u t h e n a d d t h e f l o ur a n d b u t te r to m a ke a r o u x a n d yo ur w h i te s a u c e . T h e n s h o r t l y a f te r m u s h r o o ms a r e u s u a l l y a d d e d . A f te r t h i s yo u c a n e i t h e r a d d r e d w i n e o r a s i m p l e c h i c ke n , b e e f , o r v e g et a b l e b r o t h . Yo u t h e n p u t t h e s e t w o to g et h e r ( u s u a l l y yo u s h o u l d ke e p c o o k i n g ev e r y t hi n g i n t h e bigger pot). Yo u b r i n g t h i s a l l to a b o i l t h e n t u r n d o w n t h e te m p e r a t ur e a n l et a l l o f i t s i m m e r u n t i l yo u h av e a t h i c k s a u c e .

REFERENCES
http://www.bonappetit.com/test -kitchen/cooking -ti ps/ar ti cle/four -simple rules-for-braising -anything http://www.cookinglight.com/co oking -101/techniques/cooking -class boiling-and-simmering -00400000001032 / http://whatscookingamerica.net/Informati on/ PoachingSimmeringBoiling.h tm http://www.mar thastewar t.com/925889/chi cken -fri cassee -fri cassee -depoulet-lancienne http://culinar yar ts.about.com/od/glossar y/g/ Fricassee.htm Pictures http://img4 -2.myreci pes.timeinc.net/i/reci pes/ck/04/09/braised -beef -ck 689964-l.jpg http://pikachakula.com/wp -content/upl oads/201 2/02/Crock -Pot -Recipes photo-260-Crpot - WildMushBeefStew.jpg http://whatscookingamerica.net/Eggs/PoachEgg2. j pg http://www.mar thastewar t.com /sites/files/ mar thastewar t.com /imagecac h e/img_l/ecl/msliving -hires/201 2/10_ october/fri cassee/fri cassee -052 mld109038_ver t.jpg