Preparing and Cooking Meat

• Preparing and Cooking Meat

Marinades

• Marinades add flavor and make meat more tender and juicy
• Making a marinade is very simple and comprised of three basic components:
  • Acid (e.g., lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, or wine)
    • Breaks down meat and tenderizes it
  • Oil
    • Protects and preserves food while marinating and cooking
  • Herb and/or spice
    • Gives a marinade its unique flavor and zest
    • Experiment by grouping one or more ingredients from each component

General Guidelines for Marinating

• Meat and poultry are generally marinated for 2 hours up to 2 days
• Seafood and fish should be marinated for no longer than one hour
• Use a non-reactive container, avoiding aluminum, copper, or cast iron
• Cool marinade before pouring over the meat
• Always refrigerate meat while marinating
• Never reuse marinades

Effects of Heat on Meat

• Tenderizes connective tissue if moisture is present and cooking is slow
• Coagulates protein
  • Meats low in connective tissue can be tough and dry if cooked at excessively high heats for too long
• High heat toughens and shrinks protein, causing excessive moisture loss
• Roasts cooked at low temperature shrink less and lose less moisture
• Moist heat penetrates meat quickly
  • To avoid overcooking, meat should be simmered, never boiled

Methods of Cooking Meat

• Dry heat cooking:
  • Roasting
  • Broiling
  • Sautéing
• Moist heat cooking:
  • Braising
  • Steaming
  • Poaching

Dry Heat Cooking

• Refers to any cooking technique where heat is transferred without using moisture
• Typically involves high heat, with temperatures of 300°F or hotter
• Browning of food (Maillard reaction) can only be achieved through dry-heat cooking
• Examples of dry-heat methods:
  • Roasting and Baking: Uses hot, dry air to cook food
    • Browns the surface of the food, developing complex flavors and aromas
  • Grilling and Broiling: Relies on heat being conducted by air from open flame
    • Produces browning reactions
    • Encourages the development of complex flavors and aromas
  • Sautéing and Pan-Frying: Uses a very hot pan and small amount of fat to cook food quickly
    • Browns food's surface as it cooks and develops complex flavors and aromas
    • Requires a very hot pan
  • Deep-Frying: Submerging food in hot, liquid fat

Moist Heat Cooking

• Includes any technique involving cooking with moisture, such as steam, water, stock, wine, or another liquid
• Cooking temperatures are much lower, from 140°F up to a maximum of 212°F
• Examples of moist-heat cooking methods:
  • Simmering: Cooking liquid is a bit hotter than poaching, ranging from 180°F to 205°F
    • Bubbles form and gently rise without reaching a full rolling boil
    • Cooks food very evenly due to constant temperature
    • Excellent choice for culinary preparations including stocks, soups, and starchy items
  • Boiling: Water reaches its highest possible temperature of 212°F
    • Least likely of the three stages to be used for cooking, as the rolling boil can be too rough on food, often damaging it
  • Steaming: Employs hot steam to conduct heat to the food item
  • Braising and Stewing: Involves partially covering food in liquid and simmering slowly at a low temperature

Factors Affecting Choice of Cooking Methods in Meat

• Cuts of meat:
  • Tender cuts (ribs and loin) are used for roasting, broiling, and grilling
  • Less tender cuts (leg or round) are used for braising
  • Tougher cuts (chuck or shoulder) are usually braced
  • Least tender cuts (shanks, breast, brisket, and flank) are cooked by moist heat
  • Ground meat and cubed meat (usually made from trimmings) can be cooked by dry or moist heat
• Fat content:
  • Meats high in fat are cooked without added fat (e.g., roasting or broiling)
  • Meats low in fat are often cooked with added fat to prevent dryness (e.g., sautéing, pan frying, or braising)
• Desired quality:
  • Tenderness isn't the only goal
  • To develop flavor and appearance is also one of the objectives to get the desired quality