Cooking MethodsSauces

Cooking Methods

Boiling: This involves cooking food in boiling water. It’s handy for fruits, vegetables, and pastas, but can deplete certain nutrients if not done carefully.
Steaming: A healthier option in which food is put in a basket over simmering water, enabling it to cook in the steam.
Braising: A slower method of cooking, particularly useful for tougher cuts of meat. It involves searing the food at a high temperature and then covering it partially with water or broth and simmering till tender.
Roasting and Baking: These are oven-based methods. Roasting is often used for meats, fish and vegetables, while baking generally refers to cakes, breads, and pastries.
Pan frying and Shallow frying: Both methods involve frying food in a small amount of oil. The main difference is that pan frying typically uses less oil and heat than shallow frying and is used for foods like fish and chicken, while shallow frying is used for items that must keep their shape during cooking like fish cakes and breaded chicken.
Deep frying: This involves fully immersing food in hot oil and is often used for food like chips, doughnuts and many traditional dishes.

Types of Sauces

Bechamel Sauce: A white sauce made with a roux (blend of equal parts butter and flour) mixed with milk. It forms the base for many other sauces and dishes, such as lasagne.
Hollandaise Sauce: A creamy, buttery sauce made with egg yolks and lemon juice. Often served with dishes like Eggs Benedict.
Mayonnaise: An emulsion of raw egg yolks, oil, and vinegar or lemon juice. It is used as a base for many salad dressings and kept as a condiment.
Tomato Sauce: Typically made from tomatoes, garlic, and assorted herbs. This serves as the base for many pasta dishes and pizzas.

Making and Modifying Sauces

Preparation: Understand how to prepare basic sauces, such as bechamel, hollandaise and tomato sauce.
Thickening: Sauces can be thickened using various methods such as reduction (simmering until moisture evaporates), adding a roux, or using cornflour.
Modifying flavour: The flavour can be adjusted by adding different herbs, spices or vegetables, or by adding more/less of the sauce’s main ingredient.

Sauce Pairing and Presentation

Appropriate Pairing : Understand which sauces traditionally accompany different dishes eg: hollandaise with asparagus, tomato sauce with pasta.
Balancing Flavours: Consider the balance of flavours between the sauce and the main ingredient. A rich, heavy sauce needs to be balanced by a simple, delicate main ingredient, and vice versa.
Presentation: Master sauce presentation. For example, decoration techniques or optimal pouring methods to showcase the consistency of your sauce.