1. Cooking Methods
Heat Transfer: conduction, convection, radiation
Conduction: when heat moves from one item to something touching it.
when heat moves from one part of something to an adjacent part
of the same item.
Convection: when heat is spread by the movement of air, steam, or liquid.
1. Natural – hot liquids and gases rise
while cooler ones sink.
2. Mechanical – convection ovens and
steamers, and stirring.
Radiation: when energy is transferred by waves from the source to the food.
1. Infrared – broiling
2. Microwave
Cooking methods: Moist-heat methods and dry-heat methods
Moist-heat cooking: poach, simmer, boil, blanch, steam, etc.
1. Boil – to cook in a liquid that is
bubbling rapidly and is greatly agitated. (212°F at sea level,
202°F above 5000 ft.)
2. Simmer – to cook in a liquid that is
bubbling very gently. (180°F - 190°F)
3. Poach – to cook in a small amount of
liquid that is hot but not actually bubbling.
4. Blanch – to cook an item partially
and briefly in highly salted, greatly agitating water.
5. Steam – to cook foods by exposing
them directly to live steam.
6. Braise – to cook covered in a small
amount of liquid after preliminary browning.
7. Pressure cooking – to cook with
steam at very high temperatures and pressured in a
specialized container.
Dry–heat cooking: roast, bake, BBQ, broil, smoke, etc.
1. Roast – usually applies to meats;
cooking uncovered, surrounding the product with hot, dry
air usually in an oven.
2. Bake – usually applies to breads,
pastries, vegetables, fish, by surrounding the product with
hot, dry air usually in an oven.
3. BBQ – to cook by covering and
slowly cooking on a spit or in a pit, using hot coals or
hardwood as a heat source.

2. 4. Broil – to cook with radiant heat
from a source above the product.
5. Smoke – to cook with dry heat in a
closed container utilizing wood/wood chips to create
smoke. Product may be brined or dry-rubbed.
Dry – heat cooking with fat: sauté, pan-fry, deep-fry, pressure fry
1. Sauté – translates “to jump,” to cook
in a small amount of fat over high heat.
2. Pan-fry – to cook in a moderate
amount of fat over moderate heat.
3. Deep-fry – to cook a product
submerged in hot fat.
4. Pressure-fry – to cook a product
submerged in hot fat under pressure.