Essential Cooking Techniques

The Fundamentals

Creating a flavorful brown crust through the Maillard reaction

Steps:

1. Pat protein completely dry with paper towels
2. Season generously with salt
3. Heat pan until very hot (stainless or cast iron)
4. Add high smoke-point oil, then protein
5. Don't move it—let the crust form (3-4 min)
6. Flip when it releases easily from pan

Used for: Steaks, chops, chicken thighs, scallops, fish fillets

Quick cooking in a small amount of fat over high heat

Steps:

1. Cut ingredients into uniform, small pieces
2. Heat pan over medium-high, add fat
3. Add ingredients in batches if needed (don't crowd)
4. Keep food moving by tossing or stirring
5. Cook until just done—vegetables should be crisp-tender

Used for: Vegetables, stir-fries, quick-cooking proteins

Low and slow cooking in liquid for tender, flavorful results

Steps:

1. Sear protein on all sides, remove from pot
2. Sauté aromatics (onion, carrots, celery) in the fond
3. Deglaze with wine or stock, scraping up brown bits
4. Return protein, add liquid to come 1/3-1/2 up
5. Cover and cook at 300-325°F for 2-4 hours
6. Rest meat, reduce sauce if needed

Used for: Short ribs, pork shoulder, chicken thighs, lamb shanks, pot roast

Dry-heat cooking in the oven for caramelization and even cooking

Steps:

1. Preheat oven (usually 400-450°F for vegetables, varies for meat)
2. Dry and season ingredients
3. Arrange in single layer on sheet pan
4. Don't crowd—air needs to circulate
5. Flip halfway through cooking
6. Rest meats before cutting

Used for: Vegetables, whole chickens, beef tenderloin, pork loin, fish

Using liquid to lift flavorful browned bits from the pan

Steps:

1. After searing, remove protein from hot pan
2. Keep pan over heat, add cold liquid (wine, stock, vinegar)
3. Liquid will bubble vigorously—this is good
4. Scrape bottom with wooden spoon to release fond
5. Reduce liquid by half or more
6. Finish with butter for glossy sauce

Used for: Pan sauces, starting braises, building stews

Combining fat and water-based liquids into stable mixtures

Steps:

1. Start with the water-based ingredient (vinegar, mustard, egg)
2. Add oil very slowly at first—drop by drop
3. Whisk constantly to break oil into tiny droplets
4. Once emulsion forms, can add oil faster
5. If it breaks, start new emulsion and whisk broken one in slowly

Used for: Vinaigrettes, mayonnaise, hollandaise, aioli, beurre blanc

Brief boiling followed by ice bath to set color and texture

Steps:

1. Bring large pot of heavily salted water to boil
2. Prepare ice bath (50/50 ice and water)
3. Add vegetables to boiling water
4. Cook briefly until crisp-tender and bright (1-4 min)
5. Immediately transfer to ice bath
6. Drain when completely cool

Used for: Green vegetables, peeling tomatoes/peaches, preparing vegetables for freezing

Evaporating liquid to concentrate flavors and thicken consistency

Steps:

1. Bring liquid to a simmer or boil
2. Cook uncovered to allow evaporation
3. Stir occasionally to prevent scorching
4. Watch carefully as it thickens—intensifies quickly at end
5. Test consistency on cold plate if needed

Used for: Sauces, glazes, soups (for body), stocks

Gradually bringing ingredients to similar temperatures to prevent curdling

Steps:

1. Have both hot and cold components ready
2. Add small amount of hot liquid to cold (eggs, cream)
3. Whisk constantly while adding
4. Repeat several times to raise temperature gradually
5. Now safe to add tempered mixture to hot liquid

Used for: Custards, cream soups, egg-thickened sauces, ice cream bases

Browning sugars through heat for complex, deep flavors

Steps:

1. For onions: slice thin, cook low and slow (45+ min)
2. For sugar: heat dry or with water until amber
3. Don't stir sugar caramel too much—causes crystallization
4. Watch carefully—goes from perfect to burnt in seconds
5. Remove from heat slightly early (carryover)

Used for: Caramelized onions, caramel sauce, crème brûlée, tarte tatin

Allowing cooked meat to redistribute juices before cutting

Steps:

1. Remove meat from heat at target temperature
2. Transfer to cutting board (not the hot pan)
3. Tent loosely with foil (optional—prevents crust from softening)
4. Rest 5-10 min for steaks/chops, 15-30 min for roasts
5. Juices will redistribute; less loss when cutting

Used for: All meat: steaks, roasts, chops, chicken, turkey

Gently combining light and heavy mixtures without deflating

Steps:

1. Lighten heavier mixture first (stir in 1/4 of light mixture)
2. Add remaining light mixture on top
3. Cut down center with spatula
4. Sweep along bottom and fold over
5. Rotate bowl 90° and repeat
6. Stop when just combined—some streaks OK

Used for: Soufflés, mousses, sponge cakes, folding egg whites into batters