The Cooking Process: Part 10

 Broil is to cook by direct heat from above, a radiant heat process. The term broil is also commonly used to refer to grilling.

 Grill is to cook on a grate with heat from below, also a radiant heat process. Grilling is often called broiling. The term grill is also loosely used to mean cooking such items as hamburgers, bacon, or ham on the frytop range, which is often called a grill. This method of cooking is not grilling in the true sense.

 Sear is to expose the surfaces of a piece of meat to extreme heat before cooking at a lower temperature. Searing (sometimes called browning) can be done in a hot pan in a little oil or in a hot oven (450550°F or 230290°C). Searing, like blanching and parboiling, is a partial cooking process rather than a cooking method. It is done to give color and sometimes to produce a distinctive flavor. It does not seal in the juices of a product, as many people think.

Dry heat methods are used when some drying action is desired as in baking, or when the effect of a moist environment is not needed or wanted, as in the cooking of tender, flavorful flesh. Large tender cuts of meat and tender whole birds are usually roasted. Steaks and chops are usually broiled; chicken and some kinds of fish also broil well. Broiling is often the method of choice for quick cooking of tender flesh of any kind containing fat.

Equipment for oven and broiler cooking

The major piece of equipment for roasting and baking is the oven. It is an enclosed space inside of which heated air does the cooking. The oven is another kitchen workhorse. In addition to roasting and baking, you can use an oven to sear, braise, stew, poach, simmer, melt, toast, defrost, warm, heat, and hold.

When you use an oven, there are a few simple things to remember.  Preheat, allowing plenty of time.

 Keep the door closed. Every time you open it the temperature, drops and the longer it is open the more the oven cools. This can prolong cooking time, interrupt the cooking process, and cause cakes to fail and soufflés to fall.

 Load ovens carefully with space between items for air circulation.

Ovenware must be heavy duty in order to withstand high oven temperatures without warping. Be careful not to substitute a lighter weight utility pan for the roasting pan. They may be similar in shape and size, but a warped utility pan could produce a disaster in a hot oven. As with range top pots and pans, choose a pan size appropriate to the amount of food to be roasted or baked.

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