Moist Heat Cooking Methods

"Time slows down in the kitchen, offering up an entire universe of small satisfactions"

-Ruth Reichl*

No matter what I am doing, whether it's listening to the sound of something simmering away on the stove or feeling the texture of a pinch of salt while sprinkling it onto a dish, I love getting lost in the process of producing great food from simple ingredients. Every time I put on my apron and pull out my knives it's like starting with a blank canvas and having the opportunity to create anything I can imagine.

Braising and Stewing:

Osso Buco

Of all the cooking techniques I have learned so far I think braising and stewing are my favorite. Maybe its the cold weather persuading me to make a warm and hardy stew for dinner or maybe its the promise of tender pieces of meat which I can already feel melting into pure deliciousness in my mouth or it might even be the enticing smell that I know will engulf the entire floor. What ever it is, it is only helped by the fact that I know my dinner will taste even better the next day.

Chicken Tagine with Couscous

Braising is a long, slow, moist heat cooking technique in which items are partially submerged in a simmering liquid and cooked until tender. The difference between braising and stewing is very subtle. Stewing is also a long, slow, moist heat cooking technique, however, the meat is generally cut into smaller pieces and completely submerged in the simmering liquid.

Stewed Korean Short Ribs

Not only are braising and stewing incredibly easy, they are also very economical because they are best suited to less expensive, tougher cuts of meat. If you tried to braise a tender cut of meat it would become tough and dry. This is because lean protein becomes firm and expels moisture when heated.

In contrast, tougher cuts become tender during long, slow cooking processes because they tend to have a lot of connective tissue which breaks down into collagen when heated. As the collagen continues to cook in a moist environment it dissolves into gelatin which adds a deep flavor and full bodied, luxurious texture to the dish. While this is happening the muscle fibers in the meat contract and expel moisture (which seems counterintuitive) but as they continue to cook in gentle heat the fibers eventually relax and start to absorb the melted gelatin and other flavors in the braising or stewing liquid. A lot of care goes into preparing the braising liquid because there is a big flavor exchange between the two elements of the dish.

Coq au Vin

I used to be afraid of recipes that had a lot of ingredients and required a lot of time. It turns out all it takes is a little planning because by the time you have gathered all your ingredients more than 50% of the work is already done. Especially if you are using a crock pot, in which case all you have to do is toss in the ingredients, turn the crock pot on, and wait.

Blanquette of Veal

(A blanquette is any white stew that is finished with egg yolks and cream)

Of course braising and stewing can get more complicated as well. There are two main methods that can be used; brown braising and white braising. Items that are being brown braised are seared before being put into simmering liquid where as items that are being white braised are not seared. White braises and stews are more commonly associated with fish and vegetables, but the blanquette of veal we made in class was also a white braise.

Provençale Lamb Stew

Here is the basic method for brown braising a protein.

• Sear the protein in oil to develop color and flavor
• Remove the items from the pan and set them aside
• Add the vegetables and aromatics to the same pan and cook them until they are lightly caramelized
• Deglaze the pan with wine making sure to scraping up all the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan
• Reduce the wine by half to cook off the alcohol
• Add enough stock to come half way up the sides of the protein when it gets put back into the pan
• Bring the liquid to a boil and then return it to a simmer
• Add the protein back to the pan
• Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid or with aluminum foil
• Place the pan into a 350-400°F oven
• After 15 minutes, check the braising liquid to make sure it is simmering and adjust the oven temperature if necessary
• Let the braise cook until the protein has become fork tender (the cooking time will depend on a lot of factors like the type of protein, the size of the pieces, and the temperature of the oven)
• Depending on the recipe, the braising liquid could be strained and reduced, thickened with a roux, finished with butter or any number of other things before it is served with the protein

Turkish Eggplant and Lentil Stew

Vegetables can also be braised and stewed. In general only tougher vegetables like fennel, cabbage, and endive will be braised, however, just about any vegetable can be made into a stew.

Ratatouille

Steaming:

When I think about steamed food the first words that usually come to mind are healthy and boring. Although its true that steaming can be an incredibly healthy cooking technique because little or no additional fat is required, steamed foods are not always boring.

Clams with Saffron and Tomatoes

Steaming is a moist heat cooking method in which items are cooked by being suspended above a boiling liquid. It is knows as the purest method of cooking because steamed foods maintain their intrinsic flavor and lose very few nutrients during the cooking process. In addition to making steamed shellfish in class, we also steamed a whole fish with vegetables and jasmine rice. The fish was moist and tender with a very clean flavor and the vegetables had just the right amount of bite.

Moules Marinière

The next method of steaming we learned seems easier and far more convenient to execute at home. Cooking en papillote is a method of steaming in which the ingredients are sealed in a parchment paper package and cooking in the steam produced by their own juices. We made salmon in class, but you could really use any combination of fish and vegetables if you are willing to experiment with the cooking time a little.

Salmon en Papillote

Yield: 1 serving

Canola oil, as needed for brushing

1 salmon fillet, 6-8 oz

Salt and pepper, to taste

1/2 oz shallot, minced

1/2 oz red pepper, julienne

1/2 oz leek, julienne

1 oz snow peas, julienne

1 oz carrot, julienne

1 sprig thyme

1 tsp olive oil

1 tbs white wine

• Get a piece of parchment paper that will be big enough to form a pocket for the fish
• Fold the parchment in half and brush the inside with a little canola oil to prevent it from burning
• Place the vegetables and fish onto one half of the parchment paper
• Season the fish with salt, pepper, and a sprig of thyme
• Drizzle olive oil and wine over the fish and then fold the other half of the parchment paper over it
• Seal the papillote by making small folds inwards around the circumference of the packet, making sure that each fold overlaps the previous fold (I'm sorry if those directions aren't clear enough. The goal is to create a sealed package that doesn't allow any steam to escape. Play around with it and I'm sure you will figure something out.)
• Bake papillote on a sheet tray for 10-12 minutes at 400°F or until the papillote has puffed and the salmon is cooked through (The cooking time depends on the thickness of the fillet. As a general rule, fish cooks in about 10 minutes per inch of thickness.)

Poaching:

Paupiettes of Sole

Poaching is our last moist heat cooking method. It involves cooking items in a flavorful liquid that is just below a simmer. In a traditional deep poach the items are completely submerged in the cooking liquid. A shallow poach is more like a combination of braising and steaming because the items are only partially submerged in the cooking liquid and covered before going into the oven to finish cooking.

Whole Poached Fish with White Wine Sauce

The key to poaching is to maintain the cooking liquid just below a simmer. I think the best way to do this is to bring the liquid to a simmer and then turn the heat down right before adding the item.

I personally didn't care for this method of cooking. Although it resulted in extremely tender food, I thought there was a lack of flavor in comparison to the other methods we learned.

Poached Salmon with Saffron Aioli

*I just finished reading Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl and I would highly recommend it to anyone interested in food. It's a light and easy read about her life as a food critic for the New York Times and it literally made me hungry listening to her talk about the incredible meals that she ate.