Quick guide to cooking with meats

Cooking methods

When considering cooking methods, it is important to be aware of the characteristics of the meat. Different cuts and kinds of meat have different fat and water content, inherent flavor, grain, and so forth. So the cooking method must be appropriate. Respect the nature of the meat you are working with.

Boil. Boiling is bad; meat will get tough. Bare bones are sometimes boiled, to extract the flavor in them, but NEVER boil meat (meaning the liquid is actively bubbling) except for very short periods, as in blanching. 

Blanche. Blanching (which comes from the French word for “white”) means to put the meat in hot water (not necessarily boiling, but could be) for a very brief time, only long enough to turn it white, usually one to two minutes. It is not a primary cooking method, but a preliminary in some meat recipes, and also for some vegetables.

Simmer or Stew. These mean the same thing, though stew implies one to two hours or even longer periods of cooking while simmer can be for a few minutes. To do this, bring the liquid to a boil, then cut the flame back to Low or very Low, leaving the lid on; like it is moving slightly, but there is no bubbling. Many stews benefit from sitting overnight at room temperature after cooking. Stewing is a way to soften meat slowly while allowing flavor to build in the stew (the liquid). The meat loses some flavor to the stew and gains some flavor from the spices and vegetables. Common mistakes: too high a heat; allowing the liquid to steam away, resulting in burning. Common way to enhance flavor: sauté the meat until browned, before putting in the liquid.

Sauté. Frying, using a small quantity of oil. Also called pan-frying if referring to a piece of meat or fish. Heat the oil before putting in the meat; in some cases, garlic and onion may be sautéed (gisa) before the meat, to impart the garlic and onion flavor to the oil. In Western cooking, the meat is usually in larger pieces and needs to be left alone; place it in the pan and cook one side, then the other, without constantly moving the meat around; depending on the meat and cut, this can take five to 10 minutes per side (less time for second side). Stir-frying. In Chinese cooking, the meat and vegetables are usually cut into small pieces or strips, which can be cooked in just a few minutes; in this case, stir constantly to get all the sides cooked. (A bit of food history: stir-frying, which is a very fast process, originated in China after the forests were depleted and firewood became a scarce commodity. For the same reason, dishes like Peking duck and Beggar’s Chicken (both baked for long periods) were “high class” dishes because they required lots of expensive firewood.) Oil transfers heat efficiently from the pan to the food, and the meat surface is exposed to a higher temperature than by any other cooking method, provided the oil is heated sufficiently before the meat is put in. The intense heat caramelizes some of the meat, imparting more complexity in flavor. 

Caramelization is a chemical process by which carbohydrates (which are present in meat and in coatings like flour) are chemically altered by heat in a number of complex ways. Many cooking methods make use of the caramelization effect.

Any kind of oil is suitable for sautéing, but the best (among those readily available) are canola and peanut, which have high smoking points (can rise to a higher temperature without starting to smoke and burn) and can thus impart more heat more quickly. Olive oil has a low smoking point but is suitable for some purposes if you are careful not to let it get too hot. All of these are “healthy” oils high in monounsaturated fatty acids, unlike bacon fat which is high in saturated fatty acids (but tasty!). (THE FREEMAN)