BACK TO basics

From braising to blanching – brush up on your kitchen know-how with this essential guide to common cooking terms.

Whether you're a seasoned gourmet or totally new to the world of cooking, understanding the terms used in everyday recipes is really helpful for a successful end result. Here are some of the most common terms you'll find in recipes.

FRYING

Pan-frying means to cook food (such as a steak, chicken breast or fish fillet) in a tiny amount of hot oil or butter in a frying pan.

Stir-frying means to quickly cook meat and vegetables in a very hot, deep-sided wok. Because the wok retains heat well, the foods must be stirred regularly to stop them burning. Everything should be sliced thinly or chopped into bite-sized pieces so they cook quickly and evenly, and can be eaten from one bowl with chopsticks or a fork.

Shallow-frying means to cook meat, fish or vegetables in a heated frying pan, in a shallow (about 5mm deep) amount of hot oil.

Deep-frying means to plunge or quickly cook foods (often small pieces, battered or crumbed), in very hot oil, immersing them completely. Peanut, vegetable or rice bran oils are best for deepfrying, as they have a high smoking/heating point and tolerate the high heats required.

WATER

Boiling is heating liquid over a high heat until lots of bubbles pop and break on the surface (water boils at 100°C).

Simmering is gently heating the liquid, over a low enough heat, so that tiny bubbles just start to break on the surface (95°C-99°C).

Poaching means to gently cook foods, completely covered in liquid. The surface of the liquid should be just shivering, not bubbling.

COOKING