Types of cooking methods
Types of cooking methods In considering the types of kitchen equipment that are needed for the various processes of cooking food, namely, boiling, roasting, baking, braising, grilling, stewing and frying, we must make as much use as possible of the equipment which is indigenous to India.
In the last few years, kitchen equipment has been modernized to a great extent. The different cooking methods are:
types of cooking methods
(i) Cooking by fire.
(ii) Cooking by oil.
(iii) Cooking by gas.
(iv) Cooking by electricity.
Cooking methods of fire
There are other fuels that can be used in addition to coal, for instance anthracite is a very good cooking medium and is very slow-burning; it gives off an intense and consistent heat.
Coke, which is simply coal from which the gas has been extracted, gives out intense heat, but is not steady and requires a considerable amount of draught.
Wood is widely used in India, but it is very wasteful and dirty; soft wood must be used for kindling and hard wood for burning.
Charcoal can also be used and in proportion to its weight gives more heat than the above-mentioned fuels; this
In India a large amount of cooking is done on braziers (sigrees) and mud stoves (chulas) and on all forms of open fires.
They not only help to conserve fuel but are also easier to maintain and keep clean.
They are also more attractive in design and appearance.
Cooking by oil
There are two types of oil which can be used for this purpose, kerosene and heavy diesel oil.
In the older type of oil burners a wick was used, but the more modern method uses an oil burner with a forced draught. Oil cooking is a clean method with very little waste.
The calorific value, however, varies and is lower than some other methods.
Cooking by gas
Gas cooking prepares food very quickly. In which the gas reaches the vessel through a small hole. So the food in the pan heats up very quickly are becoming increasingly available in the main cities; this is a first-class cooking medium, as its calorific value is considerably more than normal town gas.
A reasonable range of equipment is now being manufactured in India for using this medium for frying, baking and roasting of food.
By means of automatic regulators the cooking process can be done at a nominal cost; in addition to this, the price compares favourably with that of other cooking fuels.
Cooking by electricity
It is fortunate that electricity is readily available in India and the manufacture of electrical cooking equipment is increasing quite rapidly.
A considerable range of equipment necessary for the modern kitchen can now be obtained.
Hotplates, boilers, toasters, cooking ranges, skillets, rice cookers, ovens, rotisseries, etc., are some of the types.
The regulation of this medium is well advanced which enables the technique of modern cookery to be practised extensively.
Although the price of the cooking medium is higher per unit than the other cooking mediums, because of the construction of the cooking ovens (which require no outlet) a considerable part of the can be done by conserved heat, for example,
if a particular item needs 2 hours oven cooking with gas, only 1½ hours of electricity is needed, the other hour to complete the process can be done by conserved heat.
