Cooking Methods & Techniques
Master essential cooking techniques from roasting and grilling to braising and steaming. Each method includes educational guides, temperature tips, and recipes to help you cook with confidence.
Dry Heat Methods
10 methodsHigh-heat techniques that create browning and caramelization
Air Frying
Air frying uses rapid hot air circulation to cook food, mimicking the results of deep frying with significantly less oil. It's a faster, healthier way to achieve crispy textures and delicious flavors in your favorite dishes.
Baking
Baking is a dry-heat cooking method that uses hot, dry air to cook food in an enclosed space like an oven. It's a fantastic way to create delicious breads, pastries, and savory dishes with a golden-brown crust and tender interior.
Broiling
Broiling is a quick and easy dry-heat cooking method that uses intense, direct heat from above. Think of it as an upside-down grilling! It's perfect for achieving a beautifully browned top and cooking food rapidly.
Deep Frying
Deep frying is a dry-heat cooking method where food is submerged in hot oil, creating a crispy exterior and tender interior. It's a quick and efficient way to achieve delicious textures and flavors, perfect for everything from appetizers to desserts.
Grilling
Grilling is a dry-heat cooking method that uses intense heat from below to cook food quickly and create delicious char marks. It's a fantastic way to add smoky flavor and achieve a crispy exterior, especially during warmer months.
Pan-Frying
Pan-frying is a quick and easy dry-heat cooking method that uses a hot pan and a small amount of fat to create crispy, flavorful food. It's a great way to cook smaller cuts of meat, vegetables, and even eggs, giving them a delicious browned exterior while keeping the inside tender.
Roasting
Roasting is a dry-heat cooking method that uses hot air to surround food in the oven, creating beautifully browned surfaces and tender interiors. It's a simple yet powerful way to enhance natural flavors and achieve delicious results with minimal effort.
Sautéing
Sautéing is a quick and easy dry-heat cooking method that uses a hot pan and a small amount of fat to cook food rapidly. It's perfect for achieving a flavorful sear and tender texture in everything from vegetables to proteins.
Searing
Searing is a high-heat cooking method that creates a delicious, flavorful crust on the surface of food. It's a fast way to lock in juices and add a beautiful color and texture to your favorite dishes.
Stir-Frying
Stir-frying is a quick and easy dry-heat cooking method that uses high heat and minimal oil to cook food in a wok or skillet. It's perfect for busy weeknights, allowing you to create flavorful and healthy meals in minutes!
Moist Heat Methods
6 methodsGentle cooking with water or steam for tender results
Boiling
Boiling is a simple cooking method that uses hot water or steam to cook food. It's a great way to cook vegetables, pasta, and eggs quickly and evenly, retaining moisture and creating tender results.
Braising
Braising is a moist-heat cooking method that transforms tough cuts of meat and vegetables into tender, flavorful dishes. It involves searing food first, then slowly simmering it in liquid until it's melt-in-your-mouth delicious.
Poaching
Poaching is a gentle cooking method that uses simmering liquid to cook food delicately. It's perfect for tenderizing and infusing flavors into ingredients like eggs, chicken, fish, and fruit, creating dishes that are both healthy and delicious.
Simmering
Simmering is a gentle cooking method where food is submerged in liquid and heated just below boiling. This low and slow approach tenderizes tough cuts of meat, infuses flavors deeply, and prevents scorching, making it ideal for flavorful and evenly cooked dishes.
Steaming
Steaming is a gentle cooking method that uses the power of hot water vapor to cook food. It's a healthy and delicious way to prepare vegetables, seafood, and more, preserving nutrients and natural flavors.
Stewing
Stewing is a gentle, moist-heat cooking method where food simmers in liquid for an extended period. This technique tenderizes tougher cuts of meat and allows flavors to meld beautifully, creating rich and satisfying dishes.
Combination Methods
4 methodsModern techniques combining multiple approaches
Pressure Cooking
Pressure cooking uses a sealed pot to cook food with steam under high pressure, significantly reducing cooking times. It's a fantastic way to quickly tenderize tough cuts of meat and infuse flavors into your favorite dishes!
Slow Cooking
Slow cooking is a hands-off method that uses low temperatures over extended periods to transform tough cuts of meat and simple ingredients into flavorful, tender dishes. Perfect for busy schedules, it allows you to come home to a ready-to-eat meal with minimal effort.
Smoking
Smoking is a cooking method that uses indirect heat and wood smoke to flavor and preserve food. It's a fantastic way to infuse meats, cheeses, and vegetables with rich, smoky flavors you can't achieve any other way.
Sous Vide
Sous vide is a cooking technique where food is vacuum-sealed and cooked in a precise temperature-controlled water bath. This method allows for incredibly even cooking and results in perfectly tender and flavorful dishes every time.
Finishing Techniques
3 methodsFinal touches to enhance flavor and appearance
Caramelizing
Caramelizing is a cooking technique that unlocks rich, sweet flavors and beautiful color by browning sugars. It's a simple way to elevate everyday ingredients, adding depth and complexity to both sweet and savory dishes.
Deglazing
Deglazing is a simple technique that unlocks incredible flavor! After searing meat or veggies, you add liquid to the hot pan to dissolve the flavorful browned bits stuck to the bottom, creating a delicious sauce.
Reducing
Reducing is a simple cooking technique that concentrates flavors by simmering a liquid until some of the water evaporates. It's a fantastic way to intensify sauces, glazes, and even soups, creating richer, more complex dishes.
Master Essential Cooking Techniques
Understanding different cooking methods is key to becoming a confident cook. Each technique brings out unique flavors and textures in food, from the crispy exterior of roasted vegetables to the fall-apart tenderness of braised meat.
Explore dry heat methods like roasting, grilling, and sautéing for browning and caramelization. Learn moist heat techniques such as braising, steaming, and poaching for tender, flavorful results. Discover modern methods like slow cooking, pressure cooking, and sous vide. Master finishing techniques to elevate your dishes.
Each cooking method page includes temperature guidelines, timing tips, best practices, and recipes to help you perfect the technique.