Cooking Proteins Review.pdf

Cooking Proteins Review Culinary Arts  Preparation and Seasoning Seasonings, Flavourings, and Marinades  Seasonings – products that help accentuate and bring out flavours that are already present in food.  Flavourings – tend to change or add other flavour e...

Cooking Proteins Review Culinary Arts  Preparation and Seasoning Seasonings, Flavourings, and Marinades  Seasonings – products that help accentuate and bring out flavours that are already present in food.  Flavourings – tend to change or add other flavour elements to the food being prepared.  Marinating – a method used to add or change the flavour or texture of the food being prepared. Seasonings  The aim of seasoning is to enhance the flavours that are hidden within the product.  The most important seasonings used in western kitchens include salts, peppers, and lemon juice.  Flavourings  The art of flavouring is to add to or alter existing flavours.  Some seasonings may also be used as flavourings, e.g. cayenne pepper  This is usually quantity dependent, i.e. a small amount will behave as a seasoning and a larger quantity will behave as a flavouring. Flavourings The main components recognized as flavouring include:  Herbs – leaves of plants (e.g. thyme/basil)  Spices – buds, fruits, flowers, barks, seeds and roots of plants or trees (e.g. cinnamon/anise)  Extracts – esters or essential oils extracted from roots, fruit, sap, bark, leaves or other parts of a plant (e.g. vanilla/orange oil)  Condiments – add enjoyment to foods (e.g. ketchup/Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, red pepper sauce)  Flavourings – Herbs and Spices General rules for use:  the finer the grind, the quicker the flavour will be released  they should not dominate the dish unless the dish calls for it (e.g. pesto)  when using fresh herbs, add them at or near the end of cooking; add dry herbs near the beginning of the cooking process  If a recipe calls for dried herbs and you are substituting fresh herbs, use approximately 3 times the quantity of dried that is called for.  Marinades  Primary purpose is to alter, enhance or change flavour profiles of a product  Secondary purposes:  tenderization  palatability  preservation Marinades Main components:  oils  acids  flavourings Four types:  oil and acid  oil and flavouring  acid and flavourings  dry marinades and rubs  Marinades – Types Wet Marinades  sometimes marinades are cooked and cooled before use. This helps the flavours infuse into the liquids faster  For safety, the marinade must be fully cooled before using. Brines  same as a wet marinade except they have more salt (3 – 5%) and often sodium nitrite is added as a preservative.  most bacon is wet cured in a brine with added sodium nitrite Taste  An important part of cooking is to maximize the palatability of an item.  A palatable dish is acceptable or agreeable to the palate or taste.  Things that affect palatability include:  appearance  taste  colour  texture  Taste The 5 Components of Taste:  sweet  sour  bitter  saltiness  umami Umami  difficult to describe  savouriness of an item  meatiness or richness of an item  products that have this taste provide us with the necessary fats and proteins required to maintain health. Cooking, Holding, and Serving Techniques Cooking, Holding and Serving Techniques Heat is transferred to food by 3 principles:  conduction  convection  radiation Conduction  heat is transferred from a hot source to food by direct contact  pan-frying, sautéing, grilling/griddling Convection  transfers heat through a medium of fat, air or liquid  it can be natural or mechanical  deep fat frying – natural  oil is heated from below and the heat circulates to the surface where cooking occurs  cooking in water or stock – natural  convection ovens – mechanical  uses fans to circulate heated air  Remember when using convection ovens, you must turn down the temperature 25 - 50°F  Radiation  food is not in direct contact with the heat source  broiling, spit roasting, baking, roasting  heat is absorbed into the food causing its molecules to become agitated and generate heat  microwave cooking uses radiation that agitates the water molecules to produce heat in the product Cooking, Holding and Serving Techniques  Characteristics of Meat  75% water  20% protein  5% fat  The greatest difference between different meats or different cuts of meats is the amount of connective tissues present.  Connective Tissues Collagen  white / breaks down in moist heat to form gelatin Elastin  yellow / does not break down when cooked  Elastin must be trimmed and any that remains may be mechanically broken down by grinding, e.g. hamburger.  Minced product containing some elastin can successfully be cooked using dry heat methods.  Ground meat (mince) is meat that has been ground into small pieces in order to break down connective tissue and increase tenderness.  Émincé is a French term that means to cut into thin slices or strips. These strips are usually sautéed, e.g. Beef Stroganoff. Cooking, Holding and Serving Techniques What happens when meat is cooked:  water evaporates – shrinkage  proteins coagulate – texture firms and colour changes  fat melts – increases juiciness, tenderness and flavour. The fat content or marbling of beef is what contributes the most to juiciness and flavour.  natural sugars in meat brown and build flavour. This small amount of carbohydrate is necessary for browning known as the Maillard reaction.  The Maillard reaction occurs with dry heat cooking methods.  Dry Heat Cooking Methods  These methods expose food to hot, dry heat in an oven or over an open flame  Pan frying/sautéing – product is partially submerged in fat and deep frying – product is fully submerged in fat are also dry heat cooking methods because the food is not exposed to water, stock or other liquids while cooking takes place  Dry Heat Cooking – Types  Roasting  Baking  Broiling  Grilling  Deep-Frying  Pan Frying  Sautéing  Dry heat cooking is suitable for tender cuts of meat such as steaks, roasts cut from the rib area, and minced products such as hamburger. Dry Heat Cooking – Roasting  Carryover cooking happens during the resting phase when juices are redistributing throughout the muscle.  Roasting at lower temperatures will result in less carryover cooking.  For a true roast, meat must not be covered, nor sit in its own juices. If this occurs, you are changing the cooking method from roasting to steaming or braising. Dry Heat Cooking – Baking  Same general principle as roasting, the difference is the type of product being cooked.  Ham and meatloaf are two common baked protein items Dry Heat Cooking – Broiling  Uses heat from above  usually used for tender items  commercial broilers are called salamanders  Often used for gratinating, a finishing technique where cooked or partially cooked product is browned under a broiler (e.g. Eggs Benedict) Dry Heat Cooking – Grilling  Uses heat from below.  heat source is usually gas, charcoal, or electric  requires a metal or ceramic grate that allows radiant heat to directly cook the product at the same time as heat is conducted from the grate or bars (e.g. BBQ).  Cooking time for items that you grill, e.g. steak, depends on the temperature of the grill and also the thickness of the steak. Steaks of equal weight will have different cooking times depending on their thickness. Dry Heat Cooking – Deep Frying  Heat is transferred through liquid fat.  temperature range - 150°C (blanching) - 175°C (cooking most products)  3 methods:  basket method – wire basket holds the product for immersion  swimming method – product floats in the hot oil (battered products)  double basket method – small floating items in a basket are held down using a second basket  Dry Heat Cooking – Deep Frying  Food can absorb 7% - 35% of their weight in oil.  Because of this, avoid using proteins that are naturally fatty when deep frying.  e.g. When making fish and chips, it is best to use lean fish such as Cod, Halibut, or Haddock  The original smoke point of the oil used for deep-frying should be 232°C/ 450°F. Dry Heat Cooking – Pan Frying  Moderate amount of fat – medium heat – larger pieces of meat (usually breaded) Dry Heat Cooking – Sautéing  Small amount of fat – high heat – smaller pieces of meat (not usually breaded)  Works best with thinly sliced, boneless, tender cuts of meat  Moist Heat Cooking  These are methods that cook using heat that is transferred by liquid.  The temperature is usually low, not exceeding 100°C.  Heat penetration is fast because water and steam (especially) conduct heat rapidly.  Moist Heat Cooking Types and Temperatures:  boiling - 100°C  simmering - 85°C - 95°C  poaching - 70°C - 85°C  steaming - 100°C Blanching and Par-Cooking  Blanch – immerse in boiling liquid for a short time to partially cook it  Par-cook – cook it a bit longer  Blanching and par-cooking are more commonly used in vegetable and starch cookery.  Products are blanched or par-cooked in order to remove impurities, set colours, soften textures, and reduce cooking times.  Simmering  85°C - 95 °C  you should see a gentle bubbling action as the product cooks  simmer for extended periods of time to break down connective tissues by converting collagen into gelatin and to not break up the texture of the food. Poaching  70°C - 85 °C  good for delicate products such as fish, chicken and eggs  may be fully immersed (submersion poached) in liquid  may be partially immersed (shallow poaching) and covered with a cartouche or lid Steaming  100°C  steaming penetrates and cooks items faster than boiling even though temperature is the same  minimizes loss of flavour and nutrients  Steam products that are naturally high in moisture by wrapping them in foil or parchment and cooking them in a hot oven.  Steaming in parchment paper or aluminum foil is termed en papillote  Combination Cooking  uses both dry and moist heat cooking techniques  browning an item using dry heat, followed by cooking in its own or added juices, covered, using moist heat.  if lots of browning – brown braise dish  if little or no browning – white braise dish  Combination cooking methods are used to increase tenderness of tougher cuts of meat. These products are slow cooked to well-done, in order to breakdown collagen. Combination Cooking Braising  Braised dishes use less tender cuts of meat and are usually cooked to well done.  In general, the liquid you add should reach about 1/3 to 1/2 the height of the meat  e.g. Swiss steak (individual portions) or Pot Roast (large cuts)  The braising liquid is flavourful and nutritious and is served along with the protein as a sauce.  Combination Cooking Stewing:  Uses small cubes of meat.  Some stewed dishes are not initially browned because the desired end- product has an ivory coloured or clear liquid sauce  Some examples are:  Fricassee – stewed meat in a thick white sauce  Blanquette – white meat in a white sauce  Irish Stew – made with lamb or mutton and vegetables with a pale thin sauce Resting  Allow hot cooked proteins to rest (sit out at warm kitchen temperatures) for a brief time period before carving or serving.  This allows the internal temperatures to equalize with external temperatures.  It also allows the juices to redistribute evenly within the protein.  Additionally, carryover cooking will occur, raising the internal temperature by 5°C - 10°C.  Carryover cooking time varies depending on the cooking temperature and the size of the product.  Holding  With the exception of rare or medium-rare meat products and some delicate fish preparations, product that is being rested should not be allowed to cool to a temperature of less than 60°C for food safety reasons. Doneness – Internal Temperature  For larger thicker items it is best to use a probe thermometer to measure the internal temperature  larger thicker items – temp the center of the thickest part of the muscle  poultry – temp the inner thigh muscle, because dark meat takes longer to cook than white meat Doneness – Visual Changes  To evaluate the doneness of thinner and single-portion items, visual, textural or timing clues will be useful.  As a product cooks its colour changes  red meats change from red (raw) to greyish (fully cooked)  white meats change from translucent pink (raw) to opaque white (fully cooked) Doneness – Beef and Lamb CFIA Degree of Customer Muscle Colour  The difference between Doneness Preferred CFIA recommendations Not Blue Rare Thin brown surface, minimal and customer preference Recommended greying, 95% raw reddish colour is that the CFIA is throughout concerned about safety 60°C Rare 50°C Greyish surface with thin pink and the customer is outer layer, 75% raw reddish colour throughout; red juices concerned about taste. Medium 55°C Greyish surface, slightly thicker pink outer layer, 60% raw reddish Rare colour throughout 68°C Medium 58°C Greyish surface, rose pink interior, 25% raw reddish colour in the (at point) middle, pink juices Medium 65°C Primarily greyish throughout, 25% pink in the middle Well 77°C Well 67°C Greyish throughout, no pink colour, clear juices Doneness – Pork and Veal  some pink colouration in pork and veal is acceptable  generally not served less than medium (58°C)  Doneness – Poultry  red or pink colouration in cooked chicken and turkey is unacceptable as these colours indicate undercooked poultry  The Alberta Health Code requires that poultry products be cooked to an internal temperature of 77°C in order to destroy salmonella bacteria.  colour will change from translucent pink to opaque white  juices should be clear and colourless Doneness – Fish and Shellfish  The internal temperature of cooked fish and shellfish is lower than that of meat and poultry.  Fish and shellfish cook quickly because they do not have a lot of connective tissue.  Cooked temperature ranges from 50°C to 65°C.  Doneness – Fish and Shellfish  Colour change is an accurate way to determine doneness of fish.  White fleshed fin fish will change from translucent white-pink to opaque white.  Pink fleshed fin fish will change from translucent pink, orange or red to opaque pink, orange, or red. Doneness – Textural Changes  as meat cooks, the proteins coagulate  this makes the meat firmer  overcooking may firm fibres to the point that the product becomes rubbery and tough Doneness – Textural Changes Braised Meats  Meats cooked by moist heat are cooked well done and actually beyond well done.  Doneness is indicated by tenderness.  Piercing with a meat fork is the usual test for doneness.  When the prongs of the fork go in and slide out easily, the meat is done. Steak  Textural firmness is often used to determine the doneness of steaks.  The “Touch Method” is used in order to avoid piercing the meat and losing juices.  Doneness – Textural Changes - Poultry  Poultry flesh firms as it cooks, but that is not useful to determine doneness.  Cooked juices will pool at the joints and should be clear, not red or cloudy when fully cooked.  Cooked poultry meat will tend to separate from the bones and joints will become loose and flexible.  It is best to use a thermometer to determine poultry doneness.  77°C is the minimum safe temperature for cooked poultry.  When the meat starts to separate from the bones and the joints become loose, the temperature is greater than 77°C. At this stage, the poultry is actually overcooked, so it is best to use a thermometer. Doneness – Textural Changes - Fish  Doneness of fish is often judged by the tendency for the flesh to flake when cooked. Flaking will occur when the flesh is still moist and juicy.  Bones will easily separate from flesh in fully cooked fish.  Most fish are cooked to internal temperature of 57°C although CFIA recommends 60°C.  Fish will dry out and break apart when overcooked. Carving and Slicing Meat  Beef, pork, and lamb are popular meats that are carved and sliced for service.  It is important to carve meat across the grain.  This results in short strands of muscle that, when chewed, are perceived to be more tender.  Additionally, thinly sliced meats are perceived as more tender. Carving and Slicing Meat General Tips:  Ensure that the muscle has been properly cooked and rested.  Remove excess fat and sinews from the surface and remove any strings or netting.  Identify the direction of the meat grain.  Use a sharp knife and make thin slices across the grain. Presentation Techniques  There are 2 basic techniques for service of protein items: Buffet Service  Slices should be arranged in a way that allows the customer to easily select their portion without disturbing the other portions. This is termed ‘reverse overlapping’. Plated Service  The focal point of plated presentation should be the protein item. Presentation Techniques Poultry  Whole chickens are cooked by roasting or by the use of a rotisserie.  The chicken is tied or trussed prior to cooking for two reasons:  to promote even cooking and doneness  to enhance visual presentation.