On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 318

were right that searing makes delicious
meat.
BreadingsandBattersNearlyallmeatsthat
areshallow-ordeep-friedarecoatedwitha
layerofdrybreadingorflour-basedbatter
beforethey’recooked.Thesecoatingsdonot
“sealin”moisture.Instead,theyprovidea
thinbutcriticallayerofinsulationthatbuffers
themeatsurfacefromdirectcontactwiththe
oil.Thecoating,notthemeat,quicklydries
outintoapleasinglycrispsurface,andforms
apoorlyconductingmatrixofdrystarchwith
pocketsofsteamorimmobilizedoil.Because
raremeatthatstillexudesjuicewouldquickly
makethecrispcrustsoggy,oil-friedmeatsare
generallycookeduntilbubblingintheoil
ceases,asignthattheirjuiceshaveceasedto
flow.
HotWater:Braising,Stewing,
Poaching,Simmering


Asamediumforcookingmeat,waterhas
severaladvantages.Ittransmitsheatrapidly
andevenly;itsowntemperatureiseasily
adjustedtothecook’sneeds,anditcancarry
andimpartflavorandbecomeasauce.Unlike
oil,itcan’tgethotenoughtogenerate
browningflavorsatthemeatsurface;but
meatscanbeprebrownedandthenfinishedin
water-basedliquids.

Thereareseveralnamesforthesimpleand
versatilemethodofheatingmeatinthese
liquids,whichmaybemeatorvegetable
stock,milk,wineorbeer,pureedfruitsor
vegetables.Themanyvariationsinvolve
differencesinthecookingliquidused,thesize
ofthemeatpieces,therelativeproportionsof
meatandliquid,andinitialprecooking.
(Braisesandpotroastsinvolvelargercutsand
lessliquidthandostews.)Inallofthem,
however,thekeyvariableistemperature,
whichshouldbekeptwellbelowtheboil,
around180ºF/80ºC,sothattheouterportions