Welcome back to our comprehensive guide on How To Be A Master Chef for beginners and food enthusiasts! In today’s posts, we’ll go over proper braising & stewing techniques, as well as how to properly spice your foods. If you’ve ever wanted to be a master chef, the time is now, so let’s get started!
Did you miss our previous section? Catch it here: How To Sauté & Make Super Sauces!
Braising & Stewing
Like most people in the world, you may not have much time to dedicate to cooking a meal. If this is you, braising and stewing may be the techniques you want to take advantage of. These cooking methods allow the cook to toss his or her ingredients into a pot, put the heat on low, and leave it for a couple of hours. Through this style of cooking, flavors are infused and intensified, making great meals with minimal effort. If you enjoy this style of cooking, we recommend you invest in a good slow cooker! There are tons of recipes for this style of cooking that will free up your time and result in delicious meals.
Beginners Braising & Seductive Stewing
Braising and stewing cook food for a long time in liquid. When braising, the food is only in a couple of inches of liquid. The food is not being submerged or covered, allowing the food to steam and stew simultaneously. When stewing, the food is completely submerged in liquid and left to simmer for an extended period of time.
Braising
When braising, you will be using large cuts of meat. Stewing typically involves meat that is already cut up. Cubed beef is stewed while a pot roast may be braised. The end result of both of these techniques is tender and delicious meat. Prior to braising, you will want to brown the meat in hot oil. This will add some texture and color to your meat.
Braising vegetables is also a possibility. When a vegetable holds a lot of moisture, it cooks faster. This means when cooking spinach, you'll need to use little or no liquid. You can also add a bit of olive oil. Greens such as mustard greens, kale, and collard greens are tough and dry, meaning you should braise them in chicken or vegetable stock. Make sure to remove the stems of these greens!
Stewing
Stews can be very economical. If you're looking to stretch your proteins, do it through stewing. You can even add some more expensive ingredients to make it seem as though it is more luxurious than it actually is. We have seen chefs add crab, shrimp, or fish into their stews to bring a flavor that makes it seem like an expensive meal. Chicken, turkey, pork, or sausage can also be thrown into the mix.
Spicing Sparingly
Don't be afraid to toss in a blend of herbs and spices! Braising and stewing are nothing without herbs and spices, meaning most recipes call for a bunch of them. Don't overdo it though! Use these add-ons sparingly. If you don't know much about your herb or spice, try solely using that herb or spice in your braising or stewing concoctions. Once you learn about your spices and herbs, you'll understand how much and which ones to use.
When using your dried herbs, make sure to crush them up prior to adding them in to avoid having too much in one bite. This will also allow more of the flavor to be released into the dish. Some herbs and spices will be used at the end of the dish because they can overpower the meal. Also, they can add a bunch of color to your meal!
Don't miss the series; catch the rest of our guides below:
Chapter 1: Be A Master Chef in 10 Days
Chapter 2: Kitchen Storage Ideas
Chapter 2.1: Main Kitchen Appliances
Chapter 2.2: Creating a Safe and User-Friendly Kitchen
Chapter 2.3: Essential Pots, Pans and Cookware
Chapter 3: How To Organize and Stock Your Kitchen Pantry
Chapter 4: How To Buy and Use Your Kitchen Knives
Chapter 4.1: Knife Cuts – Chopping, Dicing and More
Chapter 5: How To Steam, Boil, Poach and More
Chapter 6: How To Saute and Make Homemade Sauces
Chapter 7: How To Braise Meat and How To Make Stew
Chapter 8: How To Roast Meat, Veggies and Poultry
Chapter 9: How To Grill Steak, Chicken and Veggies
Chapter 10: How To Bake Goods and Desserts From Scratch
Chapter 10.1: How to Make Pie Crust, How To Bake Cakes and More!
Chapter 11: Cooking for Beginners – Breakfast
Chapter 11.1: Breakfast Bread – How To Make French Toast, Pancakes & Waffles
Chapter 13: How To Cook Perfect Pasta and Hearty Grains
Chapter 14: How To Make Sauces From Scratch
Chapter 15: Easy To Make Homemade Desserts For Beginners
Chapter 16: How To Make Single-Pot Recipes From Scratch
Chapter 17: Thinking Like A Chef – Cooking Tips for Beginners
Don’t forget to catch the next part of our guide to How To Be A Master Chef In 10 Days! We love hearing your feedback and comments, so let us know if you have any other tips for beginner cooks or your thoughts on this series. HomemadeRecipes.com was founded to create an online community where foodies, epicureans and chefs can share recipes and learn new ones! We need your help, however, in creating this community where you can come, share and learn. If you love to cook, love food or have some great recipes and ideas you’d like to share with us, shoot us an email and make sure to stay in touch on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest! We’re always looking for contributors and want to hear from you.
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