Grilling

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 450.

Frying

Placing Food in the Oven

Roasting

Contrary to general belief cooking meat in its own or added fat is baking. True roasting means cooking on a turning spit over a fierce heat.

Both gas and electric ovens are hottest at the top, but gas is coolest at the bottom while many electric ovens are fairly hot below and coolest in the centre. Different makes do vary and it is best to know your own oven.

A convenient and usually quick, easy method of cooking in fat. It gives a golden colour and often crisp texture. It can be done in three ways as follows:

DRYFRYING For foods with plenty of natural fat requiring no coating, such as bacon.

SHALLOW FRYING This is used for eggs, some fish, meat and vegetables. The food may or may not be coated. It is cooked in a small amount of fat, butter or oil.

DEEP FRYING Used for some vegetables, chips in particular, fish, some meat and other foods that have been coated with batter or breadcrumbs.

Food is fried in oil, lard or cooking fat. The pan should not be more than two-thirds full of fat so there is plenty of room for the fat to boil briskly. To test temperature of fat for deep frying, drop a cube of bread in. If it sinks the fat is not hot enough. If it floats and fizzles gently it is right for medium-fast frying (e.g. dough­nuts). If it turns golden in one minute it is right for fast frying (e.g. chips). Draining: most fried food should be well drained on absorbent kitchen paper before it's served.

This browns food and sometimes gives it a crisp texture. Food is placed under the heat. Pre-heat the grill so the outside of the food is browned rapid­ly, keeping in the flavour. Reduce temperature once food is sealed if it is to be grilled for longer than 10 minutes. Fish, meats, young poultry and toasted snacks or toppings are grilled. Many dishes require quick or ‘flash' browning, so use the grill rather than the oven. Bread is browned to produce toast, for instance. Tips on grilling: do not overcook cheese — it toughens it. Remove rind from bacon so the rashers do not curl. Don't pre-heat the grill for bacon. It's important that foods that don't contain fat — such as fish and chicken — are kept basted with melted fat of some kind while being grilled. If not basted they will dry out too much. Most foods need to be turned during grilling as the heat does not always penetrate the thickness of the food — this also browns both sides.