Various cooking techniques, from beginner to advanced are available to make delicious dishes for the family to enjoy. Each technique is different. Although the principle of applying heat is quite common to them, there are different ways of applying heat to produce various results from appetizer to dessert. Boiled water, for example may be used for blanching (usually as a preliminary step to cooking hard vegetables) or boiling food for soup or tenderizing meats. It may also be placed in a dish and separated from the food being cooked and the moist heat cooks the food without the addition of salt. This process is known as steaming.
Chocolate chip cookies, cakes, muffins, and pies coming from the oven are happy memories a child may have, having them as snacks after school, preparing the treats for Santa Claus, or trying to smuggle a nibble from the pie mom left out to cool. The technique called baking (i. e. cooking food using dry heat from an oven) does not merely apply to favorite desserts and breads. It also applies to meals. Lasagna, another popular pasta dish is done by baking. Seafood like mussels, oysters, fish, and scallops may also be baked. This dry heat produces a different result that moist heat (i. e. steaming) in the texture of the food.
Other techniques involve open fire such as grilling or roasting, where the food is heated using live coals or open fire, such as roasting marshmallows on the campfire to make smores. The technique of letting the food come in contact with open fire produces a different result, sometimes not just a different texture or look but also a different flavor. Notice how barbecued shrimp tastes differently (usually with that “smoky” flavor) than boiled shrimp or steamed shrimp served for shrimp cocktail.
There are techniques from beginner to advanced level cooking, so to start cooking your own meals, you don’t have to be a culinary degree holder. There are easy techniques to produce meals in 30 minutes or less, like stir-fried vegetables or baking cream dory in a toaster oven, a perfect dish for those pressed for time. Several gourmet dishes may be even modified for beginner-level cooking skills. For those who have more time in their hands. Advanced preparation methods may be needed for making more complicated dishes, sometimes a combination of one or two (even more) techniques are needed to make that dish. Either way, whether beginner or advanced, there are a lots to try to produce healthy and delicious meals to enjoy.
