Methods of Cooking

2. Dry (Fat/Oil) heat Method: Dry heat method is a method of cooking in which food is cooked in oil or fat on heat source. There are different ways to cook food using dry heat method:

a. Roasting : Roasting is cooking by using radiated heat with the aid of oil/fat. It uses hot dry air to make surface of food brown and develops complex flavors and aromas. It is basically done in different vessels like oven, spit, pot and tandoor. Types of roasting are:

i. Oven Roasting: An oven is thermally insulated chamber used to heat, bake or dry food. The roasting done in this kind of vessel is called oven roasting. There are many kinds of ovens:
Earth Oven
Ceramic Oven (Tan-door)
Gas Oven
Microwave Oven etc.

ii. Spit Roasting: The way of roasting an animal such as pig over fire using a wooden or metal rod called spit through the animal and roll over fire or heat sources is spit roasting.

iii. Pot Roasting: Pot roasting is one of the combination of cooking methods which involves both dry and moist heat method. Roasting is done on bed of root vegetables and herbs in a pot.

iv. Tan-door Roasting: Roasting food in a cylindrical oven made of clay, heated in high heat over charcoal or wood is called Tan-door Roasting.

b. Grilling: Grilling is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food . Grilling is done in an open wire grid called grill above heat source.

c. Frying: Frying is the cooking of food in oil or fat. There are two types of frying :

i. Deep frying: Deep frying is a cooking method in which food is submerged in hot oil or fat. Due to its high temperature food is cooked quickly.

ii. Shallow frying: Shallow frying is a cooking method in which food is immersed in  little amount hot fat/oil to make its surface brown in color and turned other side.

d. Baking: Baking is a cooking method that uses prolonged dry heat by thermal radiation normally in oven, hot ashes or hot stones.

e. Smoking: Smoking is the process of flavoring, preserving food by exposing to smoke from woods.

Methods of cooking

There are mainly 2 types of method for cooking:


1. Moist (Water) heat method: Moist heat method is a method of cooking in which food is cooked with aid of boiling water and its steam or water vapor. Moist heat method also have different types they are:

a. Boiling: To cook food in boiling water, stock or milk is boiling method of cooking. Boiling can also be done in following ways:

i. Rolling boil: A rolling boil (roiling boil) is when a liquid is boiled rapidly with lots of bubbles. its temperature should be above 100 degree celsius.

ii. Simmering: Simmering is a modification of boiling food cooked in liquid at a temperature below boiling point from 85 to 90 degree celsius for 5 to 6 hrs.

iii. Blanching: Blanching is a cooking process where food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit is plunged into boiling water for 4 to 5 mins and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water.

iv. Parboiling (Leaching): Parboiling is the partial boiling of food as a first step of cooking. it is used to remove poisonous or foul-tasting substance from food and to soften vegetables before roasting them.

b. Poaching : Poaching is cooking gently in minimum amount of liquid usually stock, water, milk or wine. Food  must be carefully placed and immersed into cooking liquid which is just below boiling point 71 to 82 degree celsius. It is usually applied for delicate food such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruits.

c. Stewing: Stewing can be described as slowly cooking food in its own juices with minimum amount of moistening agent in the form of stock, wine, beer, sauce or butter in a close pan like pressure cooker.

d. Steaming: Steaming is cooking by moist heat (water vapor). It is a method of cooking suing steam which is considered a healthy cooking technique and capable of cooking almost all kinds of food. it requires a vessel called steamer to steam food.

e. Bruising: Bruising is also done in closed pan with small amount of fat/oil in it.

What is cooking?

Cooking is the process of preparing food by applying heat. it is an art of application of heat to prepare food. the objective of cooking is to bring physical and chemical change in food to make it a complete dish. it makes food eatable, improves its flavor and makes it easier to digest.

Cooking brings different types of changes to the food:
1. Chemical change
2. Change in appearance
3. Development of aromas and flavors.
4. Elimination of harmful bacteria and parasite.

Food Preparation (Cook)

Cook is a person who prepares food by applying heat causing different changes like physical and chemical changes making food free from germs and digestible.