POACHING

POACHING

Definition

Poaching is the cooking of foods in the required amount of liquid at just below boiling point.

Purpose

The purpose of poaching food so that it is:

# Easy to digest

# A suitable tender texture

# Safe and pleasant to eat because , where appropriate, an agreeable sauce is made with the cooking liquid.

Methods

There two ways of poaching : shallow and deep.

# Shallow poaching: foods to be cooked by this method, such as cuts of fish and chicken, are cooked in the minimum of liquid, that is, water, stock, milk or wine. The liquid should never be allowed to boil but kept at a temperature as near to boiling point as possible.

Effects of poaching

Poaching helps to tenderise the fibrous structure of the food, and the raw texture of the food becomes edible by chemical action

Temperature and time control

# Temperature must be controlled so that the cooking liquor does not fall bellow, or exceed, the correct degree required:

1, Shallow poaching is just below simmering point.

2. Deep poaching is just below gentle simmering

# Time is important so that the food is neither undercooked, when it will break up and also lose nutritive value

# The various types and qualities of food will affect both time and temperature, needed to achieve successful poaching.

Safety

# Select suitable sized pans to prevent spillage and possible scalding.

# Move tray, etc. carefully on and off the stove, or from the oven, as tilting or jarring may cause spillage.

#Carefully place food in the pan when adding to simmering liquid

# When a hot container is removed from the oven, sprinkle with a little flour to warn that it is hot

Module 7

The transference of heat to food

All methods of cooking depend on one or more of the following principles.

RADIATION

Heat passes from its source in direct rays until it fall on an object in its path such as in grilling.

CONDUCTION

This is the transferring of heat through a solid object by contact. Some materials for example, metal used for pans, transfer heat more quickly than, say, wood used for wooden spoons. Conduction is the principle involved in the solid electric ranges.

CONVECTION

This is the movement of heated particles of gases or liquids. On heating, the particles expand, become less dense and rise. The colder particles sink to take their place, thus causing convection currents, which distribute heat. This principle is used in heating a gas oven and in heating of liquids.

BOILING

Definition

Boiling is the cooking of prepared foods in a liquid at boiling point. This could be water, court bouillon, milk or stock.

Purpose

The purpose of boiling is to cook food so that it is:

Ø Pleasant to eat with an agreeable flavour,

Ø Of a suitable texture, tender or slightly firm according to the food,

Ø Easy to digest and safe to eat.

Methods

There are two way of boiling:

Ø Place the food into boiling liquid, re-boil, then reduce the heat for gentle boiling to take place, this is know as simmering.

Ø Cover food with cold liquid, bring to the boil, and then reduce heat to allow food to simmer.

Effects of boiling

Gentle boiling helps to break down the tough fibrous structure of certain foods, which would be less tender if cooked by other methods.

Advantages of boiling

Ø Older, tougher, cheaper joints of meat and poultry can be made palatable and digestible.

Ø It is appropriate for large-scale cookery and is economic on fuel.

Ø Nutritious, well-flavoured stock can be produced.

Ø Labour saving, as boiling needs little attention.

Ø Helps to tenderise the fibrous structure, extract starch and flovour from certain foods.

Ø Can avoid damage to foods, which would lose their shape if added to boiling liquid.

Ø Is suitable for green vegetables as maximum colour and nutritive value as retained, provided boiling is restricted to the minimum time.

Ø Seals in the natural juice as with meat.

Time and temperature control

Temperature must be controlled so that the liquid is bought to the boil, or re-boil, then adjusted in order that gentle boiling takes place until the food is cooked to the requires degree.

General rules

Ø Select pans, which are neither too small nor too large.

Ø When cooking in boiling liquid ensure there is sufficient liquid and that it is at boiling point before adding food.

Ø Frequently skim during the cooking.

Ø Simmer whenever possible so as to minimise evaporation, maintain volume of liquid and minimise shrinkage.

Safety

Ø Select containers of the right capacity - if they are too small there is danger of boiling liquid splashing over, forming steam and causing scalds.

Ø Always move pans of boiling piqued on the stove with care.

Ø Position panhandles so that they do not protrude from stove of become hot over the heat.

Ø Extra care is required when adding or removing foods from containers of boiling liquid.