Understanding Cooking Terms Part 2
Roast, bake, broil…
Fry, sear, sauté…
Confused by cooking terms?
In this 3 part series, we’ll summarize some common cooking terms.
We’ll begin with cooking in the oven.
Roast and Bake These are actually the same thing. The oven is pre-heated to a specific temperature and the food is placed inside. The heat surrounds the food on all sides. Typically, we use the term ‘roasting’ for meats and vegetables, and we use the term ‘baking’ for desserts, breads and pastries.
Broil Broiling is similar to roasting or baking – except the food is directly exposed to very high heat on the top side only. Most ovens have a broil setting. It is often used to melt cheese on top of dishes such as casseroles, or to brown the top of dishes such as shepherd’s pie. You can also cook whole foods, such as fish, by broiling.
No let’s move to the stovetop.
Fry Frying refers to cooking food in cooking oil or fat. The food is often coated in dry ingredients such as flour or breadcrumbs, to provide a protective coating and create crispiness. Food may be deep-fried (fully submerged in hot oil) or pan-fried. Pan-frying uses much less oil than deep frying – typically the oil should cover the lower half of the foods.
Sauté Sautéing is similar to frying – except much less oil is used. The food does not ‘sit’ in the oil – it is in constant motion by stirring or shaking, and cooked quickly over high heat.
Sear and Brown Searing and browning are the same thing. It refers to cooking an ingredient over very high heat for a short period of time. The food is not moved until it has become fully browned. This seals in the flavor and makes the food crusty on the outside, while staying moist and tender on the inside.
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/foodanddrink/foodnews/finally-a-definition-of-what-all-those-crazy-cooking-terms-mean/ss-AAoYyOo?li=AAggsmr&ocid=AARDHP
