Wednesday, October 1, 2014

The Culinary Arts: Moist Vs. Dry Heat

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By Katie Onson


To put it simply, the culinary arts is broad but it may be difficult to break up certain methods. If this is the case, you can rest easy knowing that they can be transitioned into either dry or moist heat cooking. Both of these are essential for the culinary arts and I believe that anyone who has knowledge in this field will be able to agree. With this in mind, in order to understand what it is that helps these methods to stand out, there are many details worth going over.

If you are talking about dry heat cooking alone, chances are that you are going to focus on methods like broiling and roasting. Methods like these are similar in that they are able to transfer heat to meals without having to implement any kind of moisture. In addition, the level of heat is much higher than moist heat, which we'll get into later. As a result, there is a greater level of safety that must be implemented if you want to become as learned about dry heat cooking as possible.

Moist heat cooking, on the other hand, is one that can be associated with methods along the lines of braising and poaching. Unlike dry heat, the idea of moist heat cooking is done with the transmission of moisture, which also plays into the lower temperatures needed. Even though one of the more common liquids is water, others might be used when needed; stock and sauce come to mind. Regardless, if you want to work with less heat, moist heat is the process to look into.

With these ideas in mind, you may ask the question, "Is dry heat or moist heat cooking the better endeavor?" For many, this is dependent on the types of food that you're looking to prepare, since you're not going to prepare a dish like stew through dry heat cooking. In addition, preferences can shift from one cook to the next, so it's not like there is a one-size-fits-all rule to be seen. The only way you can determine which one is "best" is to experiment.

I believe that there is a tremendous amount of importance when it comes to the subject of dry vs. moist heat cooking. As a result, if you want to specialize in cooking, you have to make sure that you understand these categories to the greatest of degrees. The learning process may prove to be daunting but do not feel as though you are without help. There is plenty of assistance that you gain from cooking school, so make sure that you take advantage of this.




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