On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 319

don’tovercookbadly.Manyslowbraisesand
stewsarecookedinalowoven,buttheusual
temperaturesspecified—325–350ºF/165–
175ºC—arehighenoughthatthey’ll
eventuallyraisethecontentsofacoveredpot
totheboil.Unlessthepotisleftuncovered,
whichallowscoolingevaporation(and
concentratesandcreatesflavorattheliquid
surface),theoventemperatureshouldbekept
below200ºF.(TheoriginalbraisierinFrance
wasaclosedpotsittingonandtoppedwitha
fewlivecoals.)
Meatscookedinliquidshouldbeallowed
tocoolinthatliquid,andarebestservedat
temperatureswellbelowthecooking
temperature,around120ºF/50ºC.Thecapacity
ofthemeattissuetoholdwaterincreasesasit
cools,soitwillactuallyreabsorbsomeofthe
liquiditlostduringthecooking.
TenderMeats:SurprisinglyQuickCooking
Hotwaterissuchaneffectiveheattransmitter


that it cooks flat tender cuts of meat very
quickly. Chops, chicken breasts, fish steaks
and filets will all be done in just a few
minutes. If they’re browned first in a frying
pan to develop flavor, they may need only a
minute or two to finish cooking through. For
themostconsistentresultswithtendermeats,
bring the braising liquid to the boil, add the

meat to destroy surface bacteria, and after a
fewsecondsaddsomecoldliquidtocoolthe
pan to 180ºF/80ºC, so that the outer portions
of the meat won’t overheat and there is a
broader window of time during which the
centerisproperlydone.Iftheliquidneedsto
be boiled down to concentrate flavor or to
create a thicker consistency for a sauce,
removethemeatfirst.
FoodWords:Poach,Simmer,Braise,
Stew
These various terms for the same basic
process have wildly different origins.