A Brief Guide To Essential Cooking Techniques

Here at alices.kitchen, we want to help more people feel confident in the kitchen by providing honest advice and guidance through our product reviews. 

However, no matter what products or equipment you use, there are some cooking techniques that are vital to know and master – otherwise, you may not be able to use certain products to the best of your ability! 

So, here is a brief guide to all the essential cooking techniques every chef and cook should know. Check them out below and once you master them, you will be able to use your cooking equipment and tools in so many different ways! 

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Baking 

Baking is a type of dry heat cooking that uses indirect hot hair to cook food in an oven at a lower heat (usually 300F). Most people associate baking with foods like bread, pastries, and cakes – but you can also bake things like fish, potatoes, and even chicken! 

 

Boiling 

This cooking technique is super easy to do. 

Just throw your ingredients into a pan with plenty of water (as required by your recipe) and turn up the heat. When the surface of the liquid begins to move vigorously with lots of bubbles and steam, it has reached boiling point and the water is evaporating into steam! 

 

Broiling 

Many people mix up broiling and boiling in recipes because they sound and are spelled very similarly – but they are two completely different cooking techniques! 

Broiling involves exposing your ingredients directly to radiant heat. It requires high heat either from a flame or a hot food surface to char your ingredients. Some ovens come with a broiler so all you need to do is place your ingredients (whether they be meat, fruits, or veggies) in the right pan and place them under the broiler. 

It’s easy to burn food under a broiler so pay close attention to your food while it cooks! 

 

Roasting

Roasting is a very popular cooking technique that cooks food at a very high temperature in an oven (usually 400F or hotter). It’s a type of dry heat cooking that requires little effort from you – all you need is a good roasting pan and an oven!  

 

Sauteing 

Sauteing comes up in a lot of different recipes but a lot of recipes don’t actually explain what this cooking technique is or how to do it. 

It’s a type of dry heat cooking that uses a very hot cooking pan and not a lot of fat. The ingredients (usually vegetables or meat) are added to the hot pan with a little bit of cooking fat and tossed around until they are brown. 

All you need for this cooking technique is a large pan or specialized sauteing pan, a cooking implement (like a spoon or spatula), and your ingredients. It’s easy! 

 

Searing

This cooking technique exposes your food to a direct high temperature in order to crisp and brown its exterior, sealing in any juices. It’s a fast method of cooking that is usually used to cook meats like steaks, ribs, and chops.  

To sear, you will need a hot pan with a dry surface. Place your ingredients directly onto the hot pan’s surface and move the ingredients around quickly so they brown but don’t burn. You need to be fast! 

 

Simmering 

Simmering is often mixed up with boiling but these are two very different cooking techniques. Simmering is very gentle as it keeps the water in your pan just below boiling so the surface of the liquid slowly moves and shimmers. 

Temperature control is vital for maintaining a simmering pan. Because heat builds, it’s very easy for a simmer to turn into a boil so you need to pay close attention to your pan and maintain an even temperature below boiling point. 

 

Steaming

This cooking technique requires the use of boiling water as the steam it emits is used to heat and cook your food. It’s considered to be one of the healthiest ways to cook ingredients like vegetables and meats like ham or chicken. It’s a moist method of cooking that doesn’t submerge your food in water so it’s pretty unique. 

All you need to do is boil some water in a pot and place your vegetables in a steamer. Lower the steamer over your hot and cover – the heat and steam will slowly cook your ingredients over time. 

 

Final Thoughts

There are lots of cooking techniques out there but these are some of the most commonly used in lots of different recipes. So, they are essential for you to learn! 

 

 

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