CHE Standards

Heather Said:

Effects of Different Cooking Methods on Prawn?

We Answered:

The best way to preserve protein, omega-3s and other vitamins and minerals contained in prawns while also keeping down your total fat intake is to use low-fat cooking methods such as baking, broiling, poaching, steaming, stir-frying, grilling, and sautéing in little or no fat. A person should utilize these methods to cook the prawns only until they are done but avoid overcooking which would result in the destruction of many of the nutrients contained in the prawns.

Katherine Said:

Do different cooking methods alter the type of fat found in seeds from good to bad?

We Answered:

I was watching mythbusters last night and was surprised to see that after eating poppy seed cake and poppy seed bagels both the guys failed drugs tests for hours afterwards , so cooking certainly does something to seeds .

Ivan Said:

Effects of cooking methods on chicken breast?

We Answered:

Depends how you're doing it. Straight baking will remove the most moisture, steaming the least, stir fry in between.

But if you pan sear it before baking, then it seals in the juices, and it won't dry out.

Also I haven't often heard of steamed chicken.

But mostly it depends on the quality of chicken. Chicken is often injected with added water to increase the weight. Higher quality chicken will have less water, and thus lose less and shrink less. I had a bad problem with this recently because my roommate bought some cheap frozen chicken and after it cooked it was half the size because it had that much water in it. It wasn't really fit for cooking, it was really sad.

So buy good chicken and you won't have to worry too much about it. Another thing, if you bake it with the skin and bone on the chicken will again lose less moisture, and have the most flavour. You don't have to eat the skin, you can take it off after it's done.

So try taking a chicken breast with bone and skin on, you can make a pocket just under the skin and put spices and butter and such in there, which will give it a good taste throughout, even after the skin is removed.

But yeah, skin is definitely in if you want juicy chicken.

Connie Said:

how different cooking methods affect chicken, potatoes, banana and carrots?

We Answered:

The different ingredients are affected both by the cooking technique used and by the time you cook them under such technique.
Every technique also works differently on each product as every product has different molecular structure and cell structure. The kind of cooking method needed to break each cell wall or fiber depends on the kind of product and for how long you cook it.
For example, here are some techniques:
a- Blanching. It is mostly used to soften vegetable or fruit skins or cells quickly. The term "blanching" refers to the technique of plunging a food, usually a vegetable or fruit, into boiling water until either its color has set or the food has softened slightly. This takes anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes, depending on what is being blanched.
Then the food is removed to an ice bath to "shock," or stop the cooking process and to set color. Why do you use this technique? It makes it easier to peel the skin of fruits like tomatoes and peaches. It also enhances the color of vegetables like green beans or broccoli. That is why the blanched green beans shown here look so vivid.
It's also a good idea to blanch vegetables you intend to freeze, because blanching inactivates the enzymes that promote spoilage
b- Parboiling: Parboiling is a technique that is similar to blanching, but takes a bit longer. Parboiled food is actually partially cooked. This technique is especially useful when you are stir-frying foods that take different amounts of time to cook. If you parboil a dense food, such as broccoli, you can add it to your wok at the last minute to cook along with a quicker-cooking food, such as shrimp.
c- braise: Braising is a wet-heat method of cooking. One benefit of braising is that the liquid absorbs flavours from the foods being braised and makes a terrific sauce
Usually, meat or vegetables are first seared in hot fat. Then they are simmered in liquid in a pan with the lid tightly in place. To prevent burning, the meat could be placed on a bed of mirepoix (diced carrots, onions and celery), which will keep the food from direct contact with the pot and will add more flavour and moisture to the liquid. Finally, the meat is cooked over low heat for a long time. Braising can be done on the stovetop or in an oven. The indirect transfer of heat in an oven will cook the food more evenly and is less likely to burn it. Relatively tough cuts of meat benefit from braising - because slow cooking breaks down the tough connective tissues. More tender foods like fish and shellfish may also be braised, but must be cooked for a shorter time at a lower temperature in less liquid
d- Baste: To moisten food while cooking with a liquid (melted fat, pan dripping, sauce, or other liquid). This keeps the meat, and other foods, from drying out and encourages colour and flavour.
A spoon, brush, bulb baster, or miniature mop can be used. Simply use the cooking juices from the pan and moisten the meat you are cooking
e- Caramelising food: All meat and vegetables contain some sugar (in the form of carbohydrates). Under intense dry heat, as in roasting or sauteing, these sugars break down. The result is the brown color and rich flavor called caramelisation.
f- Emusilfy: To emulsify means to combine two liquids that normally do not combine easily, such as oil and vinegar. Emulsifiers are contained in egg white, gelatine, skim milk and mustard. Mayonnaise is a mixture of oil and vinegar or lemon juice that is emulsified by the addition of egg yolk, which contains the emulsifier lecithin.
This is done by slowly adding one ingredient to another while whisking rapidly. This will disperse and suspend one liquid throughout the other. The two liquids will soon separate unless a third ingredient is added--this is called a liaison or emulsifier, which stabilises the mixture.
g- Poach: To cook food gently in hot liquid that's just below the boiling point. Liquids can vary from broth's, to water, to syrups. Poaching is used with fruit or fish
h- Reduction: Applied to cooking, this means to boil a liquid until its volume is reduced by evaporation. This thickens the liquid and intensifies the flavour.
This is done by rapidly boiling a liquid to decrease its volume through evaporation. This concentrates the flavour, so season a reduction after it's made -- not before.
i- Render: The melting of animal fat over low heat so it separates from any connective tissue. This tissue turns crisp and brown (known as crackling) and the clarified (clear) fat is further processed by straining. To cook fatty meats, such as bacon or spare ribs, until the fat melts.
g- Saute: Basic Techniques Cooking with a small quantity of fat or oil at a high temperature is known as sautéing. It is a simple technique that maximises flavour while minimising cooking time. Sautéing is most effective with fish and thin cuts of tender meat. Thicker pieces would burn before the inside was cooked, and so it is necessary to decrease the heat after the initial browning. Cooking time will depend on the size and thickness of the food and personal taste
h- Stir Fry: Preparation is usually more time consuming in stir frying than in sautéing or pan-frying. In stir frying high heat is used to cook meat and vegetables quickly in a small amount of oil. The largest part of preparation is fine chopping aromatics such as garlic, green onion, ginger, or chilli, and cutting meat and vegetables into uniform pieces, usually thin slices, shreds, or a medium dice, for quick and uniform cooking. It is not necessary to have Asian cooking utensils, such as a seasoned wok, a long handled spatula, and a long handled scoop, but they will make the task easier. A wok is made to concentrate the heat in the centre of the pan, with the edges acting as a warm resting area. The long spatula and scoop are used to keep the food in motion, by stirring, lifting and tossing, to insure that each piece gets evenly exposed to the heat without scorching and to seal in the flavour. They also keep your hands away from the heat. Once you begin, the cooking occurs very rapidly, and so it is important to have everything ready and near the stove before you turn on the heat.

Hope it helps.
if you have any questions pls let me know at
deliciasyvariedades@yahoo.com.ar

Ann Said:

How would you describe a Greek Kitchen and their cooking methods?

We Answered:

Hi there, today's Greek kitchens are no different then any other European kitchen, they all use the same utensils that you would find in any supermarket, they all have a fridge, stove and oven, some that can afford them have dish washing machines, there's no different cooking methods to what the english or the French use, but the Greeks have much healthier diets then all the other nations, based on pulses, vegetables, salads, olive oil, fruit, fish, and not as much red meat as the rest of the world, its what the world calls the Mediterranean diet.

Gabriel Said:

Why do different methods of cooking potatoes produce different taste?

We Answered:

uh , the same reason that using different methods to cook everything else make it taste different!!