Boiling as a cooking method......

We talked about the many different cooking methods used in preparing food, like baking, frying, braising and many others. But one that is overlooked alot, but is used alot of times, is boiling. In cooking, boiling is the method of cooking food in boiling water, or other water-based liquid such as stock or milk. Simmering is gentle boiling, while in poaching the cooking liquid moves but scarcely bubbles. Lets take a look at the different types of boiling and examples of use.
 Boiling is broken down into many catergories:  Blanching - Braising - Coddling - Double steaming- Infusion - Poaching - Pressure cooking - Simmering - Steaming - Steeping - Stewing - Vacuum flask cooking.


Blanching is a cooking process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process.

The meaning of blanching is "to whiten", but this is not always the purpose of blanching in cooking. Food is blanched to soften it, or to partly or fully cook it, or to remove a strong taste (for example of bacon, cabbage, or onions)

Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to break down the tough connective tissue collagen in meat, making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. Many classic braised dishes such as coq au vin are highly evolved methods of cooking tough and otherwise unpalatable foods. Pressure cooking and slow cooking (e.g., crock pots) are forms of braising.

Most braises follow the same basic steps. The food to be braised (meat, poultry, but also vegetables or mushrooms) is first seared to brown its surface and enhance its flavor. If the food will not produce enough liquid of its own, a small amount of cooking liquid that often includes an acidic element, such as tomatoes, beer, or wine, is added to the pot, often with stock. The dish is cooked covered at a very low simmer until the meat is fork tender. Often the cooking liquid is finished to create a sauce or gravy.

Sometimes foods with high water content (particularly vegetables) can be cooked in their own juices and no extra liquid is required.

A successful braise intermingles the flavours of the foods being cooked and the cooking liquid. This cooking method dissolves collagen from the meat into gelatin, to enrich and add body to the liquid. Braising is economical, as it allows the use of tough and inexpensive cuts, and efficient, as it often employs a single pot to cook an entire meal.

Coddling: In cooking, to coddle food is to heat it in water kept just below the boiling point. The term comes from the English verb to coddle, meaning to treat gently or pamper.

In the culinary arts, the word coddling refers to a cooking technique, usually involving eggs, in which the egg is cracked into a small buttered dish or ramekin, along with seasonings, and then partially immersed in a hot water bath (or bain-marie) for several minutes.

Another technique for coddling involves immersing the whole egg, in its shell, in boiling water for a short time.

Coddled eggs are a traditional ingredient in the classic Caesar Salad recipe. Note that coddled eggs are not fully cooked and thus present a risk of Salmonella poisoning. Therefore, when preparing coddled eggs, it's a good idea to use pasteurized eggs.

Steaming:   works by boiling water continuously, causing it to vaporize into steam; the steam then carries heat to the nearby food, thus cooking the food. The food is kept separate from the boiling water but has direct contact with the steam, resulting in a moist texture to the food. This differs from double boiling in which contact with steam is undesired.

Double steaming, sometimes also dubbed double boiling, is a Chinese cooking techniques to prepare delicate food such as bird nests, shark fins, etc. The food is covered with water and put in a covered ceramic jar and the jar is then steamed for several hours. This technique ensures there is no loss of liquid or moisture (its essences) from the food being cooked; hence, it is often used with expensive ingredients like Chinese herbal medicines

Double Boiling: If we try to melt chocolate in a pot over direct heat, the temperature goes up too high and burn the chocolate before melting it properly. The correct way to melt chocolate is to place the pot of chocolate bar or chips over another pot of boiling or hot water where the heat is lower. The chocolate will then melt evenly without burning.

In the same way, to double boil a soup mean to place the soup pot over another pot of boiling water and let everything cook slowly at a lower temperature.

The soup is cooked using the heat from the boiling water and not directly from the original heat source.

Infusion: An infusion is very simple chemical process used with herbs that are more volatile or dissolve readily in water, or release their active ingredients easily in oil. Boiling water (or water of the appropriate temperature) is poured over the herb and allow to steep for a time. The amount of time the herbs are left in the water depends on what purpose the liquid is being prepared for. Usually 15 to 30 minutes, or until the mix cools, will create a beverage for enjoyment. Four (4) hours is the appropriate time for full herbal potency, if health benefits are the priority. The mix is then strained, bottled, and refrigerated for future use. Quantities of the herb/water or oil mix will vary according to the herb or how strong the infusion is required to be. A common proportion used is 28 g (one ounce) of herb to 0.5 L (one pint) of liquid. Soaking tea leaves in hot water to extract the flavor of the tea is an example of Infusion.

Poaching: is the process of gently simmering food in liquid other than oil, generally milk, stock or wine.

Poaching is particularly suitable for delicate food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out. For this reason, it is important to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a bare minimum, which will also preserve the flavor of the food.

Next, we will look at pressure cooking, simmering, steaming, steeping, stewing and vacuum flask cooking.

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