4. COOking methods

click here for the cooking methods table pdf download

Week 4: Key Takeaways

Colour means flavour

  • Griddle/grill

    • Texture and variety from the char lines and soft bits

    • You have a lot of control over how cooked things are but it doesn’t work for every ingredient

  • Frying pan

    • Anything from dry to deep frying

    • Very versatile and works for most veggies (though some may need to be blanched first - or consider roasting those)

    • Colour but also even cooking

    • Texture and contrast with the crust vs. middle

    • You have a lot of control over how cooked things are 

  • Oven: roast/bake/slow roast

    • Very versatile and passive

    • Great for one pot cooking

    • Autumn and winter vibes for sure

How to choose which methods to use

  • There’s no actual rule, though some work better than others in certain situations

  • Sometimes your mood or schedule will dictate the cooking method

  • Primarily a trade-off between speed and how hands on you want to be in the process

  • Comfort food screams oven or simmer

  • Fresh and zesty screams raw or griddle

  • Sometimes your ingredients will dictate the method

    • You wouldn’t boil tomatoes or aubergines in water, but you may in stock (e.g. stew, curry)

    • You probably wouldn’t griddle potatoes

    • How long do they take to cook, do you want them crunchy or soft, quick or slow cooked?

  • Weather / season

    • Summery things: raw or less cooking, you may favour the hob

    • Wintery things: take longer to cook, you may favour the oven

  • Often it will be a compromise between the above factors 

Seasoning

  • Salt and acid are your main priorities

  • Sweet, heat and savoury may be present and dominant or you may want to balance

  • Fat provides body and mouthfeel which can be really important in veggies 

  • The only way to be more confident is to test the boundaries, make mistakes and adjustments. You’ll learn more from oversalting something than never salting enough

  • Question if you need to look at other aspects of seasoning if you find yourself adding a lot of salt

    • That’s why I like to think about salt and acidity together, as often you think you need salt but you need acid

Week 4: Exercises

Start to apply some of the ideas from today's tutorial  to your home cooking!

  • Cook some of your favourite veggies in one of the ways above, being careful to choose a method you wouldn’t ordinarily use

    • What worked? What didn’t work? Anything life changing?

  • See if you can cook a meal without boiling anything in a pan of water

    • And when you do boil veggies, use your growing intuitive nouse to think about ways to make them more exciting after boiling (adding herbs or some butter and lemon, for example)

  • Try a one tray roast, adding your ingredients in an order of your intuitive choosing to make sure everything’s cooked for the right time

  • Make notes of what you did so that we can discuss and share among the group in the Q&A, and if any questions or issues come up in the process be sure to bring them up too!