Types of Cooking: How to Choose the Right Cooking Method for Your Next Meal

How many different kinds of cooking methods do you know? I know a lot. That’s because preparing meals is not just about combining things—it is about knowing how to cook in ways to get the most desirable tastes and textures. It is art and science. The way in which you cook can entirely reverse the taste, smell, and even the nutrients in your dish.

Certain ways of cooking can draw rich, intense flavours, while others leave food airy and light. How you cook can decide the texture of food—crispy, tender, juicy, or soft.

So how do you determine which cooking technique to use? Pan fry your chicken breasts or bake them? Would boiling water be better work with your roots, or should you have a go at steaming food? Let’s get to grips with cooking basic methods and decide which is most suitable for your next dishes.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Cooking Method

Before cooking a meal, take note of several key factors. These factors will determine the most appropriate method to employ in cooking your ingredients.

Types of Cooking Food

Sure, you can use all the cooking methods for every type of food. But will you be satisfied with the results? Just as each cut of meat works best in a particular dish, there is a particular cooking method that will bring out its best sides.

Different foods respond differently to the type of heat and cooking method. Lean products like boneless chicken breasts cook quickly, but tough products like shoulder or shank of lamb take time. Slow cooking is appropriate for starchy vegetables, while greens respond better to short cooking methods, including steaming.

Desired Texture and Flavor

Admit it, do you prefer a crispy exterior, a tender interior, or something in between? Cooking methods like pan-frying and roasting produce intense, rich flavor results, while cooking methods that use moisture, including boiling and steaming, keep food juicy.

Health Considerations

Looking for healthier ways to cook meals? Using dry cooking methods like grilling and roasting, you can prepare food without extra fats. Poaching and steaming keep nutrients in meals with no added oil.

Available equipment

Your preference can also be determined by what is in your pantry. If you have no roasting pan to cook an entire bird in, it is not your option. If you have a slow cooker, cooking with low temperatures over several hours is an ideal method to obtain rich, developed flavours.

Time constraints

Some recipes take time. Slow cooking and braising take several hours to prepare, while stir-fries and deep-fries cook quickly in intense heat. When time is limited, choose an option that has little cooking time.

Overview of Different Types of Cooking Methods

Let’s take a look at the basic cooking methods and how they work. Here is my cooking methods list:

Dry Heat Cooking Methods

Dry heat cooking uses direct, indirect heat, or hot air to cook meals. Dry heat cooking is perfect in both flavor and texture.

Roasting and Baking – Makes use of heated air to cook food uniformly in an oven. Great for cooking root vegetables, whole birds, and prime rib. Roasting is typically done hotter to brown and caramelize, while baking is done in a lower oven setting to cook delicate items like pastries, casseroles, and cakes.
Broiling and grilling – Makes use of radiant heat to obtain intense temperatures. Broiling is done over an electric or an open-flame heating element, while grilling uses top-applied heat in an oven. Both cooking methods yield an aromatic browned crust on vegetables and meat.
Pan Frying and Shallow Frying – Makes use of a pan with minimal oil to brown food to achieve crisps on the outside while leaving juice inside. This is ideal for preparing chicken breasts, pork chops, and fish fillets.
Deep Frying – Submerges food in heated oil to an incredibly high level. Great to cook something such as green beans or fish in batter quickly. This cooking method quickly heats food to an incredibly high temperature while retaining moisture content inside and giving it crunch.

Searing and Stir Frying – Makes use of high temperatures with little oil to cook quickly. Stir frying in a wok is done continuously to avoid burning and to cook uniformly. This is perfect for cooking vegetables, lean meat, and tofu.

Moist Heat Cooking Methods

Moist heat cooking utilizes water, steam, or liquid to cook food gradually.

Simmering and Boiling – Makes use of boiling water to cook starchy vegetables, pasta, or tough slices of meat. Boiling is carried out at raised temperatures, while simmering is softer to prevent overcooked outcomes.
Poaching – Poaches delicate foods, including fish and eggs, in warm water or liquid slightly below-boiling temperatures. Poaching is perfect to maintain moisture in the food.
Steaming – Uses steam to cook fish, dumplings, and greens while locking in nutrients. Steaming is an efficient way to cook food in order to avoid nutrient loss in cooking liquid.

Braising and Slow Cooking – Low temperatures and liquid are employed to soften toughened meat portions, including shoulder of pork and lamb shank. Braising includes first searing the meat before cooking it in liquid over low temperatures. Slow cooking is done over extended periods in a slow cooker to obtain full flavour development.
Pressure cooking – Makes use of both pressure and steam to cook food in minimal time, making this an especially good technique to soften tough cuts of meat and speed cooking beans and grains.

Modern Cooking Methods

Technology has brought new cooking techniques to the kitchen.

Sous Vide – This method involves gradually heating food in a vacuum bag in warm water until it is fully cooked. Ideal for getting perfect chicken breasts, steaks, or fish.

What is Combination Cooking Method

Sometimes, cooking in several ways provides both flavor and texture. Using several methods in combination allows you to gain increased efficiency while producing an overall better dish. Try these combinations to get underway:

Pan-Searing & Roasting – Brown in skillet over high heat to caramelize & achieve rich flavor, then cook through in oven. This is perfect for roasted chickens, beef tenderloins, & pork chops.

Boiling & Roasting – Partially cook starchy vegetables like potatoes or carrots by boiling them in water before roasting. This reduces cooking time while giving a crunchy exterior with a soft interior.
Steam & Grill – Grill fish or shrimp to achieve a smoky flavor, and then steam to keep moisture intact. This reduces dehydration and enables nutrients to be retained.
Braising & Searing – Braise short ribs or shank of lamb until tender before searing over high heat to caramelize. This creates both depth of flavour and crunch in texture.
Sous Vide & Searing – Sous vide cook steak or chicken breasts to an exact internal temperature and briefly sear in olive oil in a skillet to get an intense crust.

Broil & Slow Cook – Slow cook the meat in a cooker for several hours to soften it, then briefly broil to get an exterior crunch. This is perfect for beef brisket or pulled pork.

Mastering these pairings can take cooking to a whole new level and have you cooking restaurant meals in your own kitchen.

How to Choose the Best Methods of Cooking Food

Meat and Poultry

Whole birds and large portions: Roasting in a pan adds to the flavor.
Lamb shank and pork shoulder: Slow cooking or braising makes both tender.
Pan-fry or grill to seal in juices: lean chops (pork chops, chicken breasts).
Delicate fish (fish, shellfish): Poaching in liquid helps avoid drying.

Veg

Potatoes (root vegetables) and carrots: Natural sweetness is emphasized through roasting.
Leafy greens (kale, spinach): Steaming is beneficial in retaining nutrients.

Starchy vegetables (such as corn, sweet potatoes): Softened by boiling water while retaining taste.
Green beans and asparagus: Quickly stir-fry in a pan over high heat to get slightly crunchy.

Baking and Pastries

Breads, cookies, and cakes: Softness or crunch is achieved by applying dry heat in baking.
Cheesecakes and custards: Water bath to avoid cracks

Time-Saving vs. Slow Cooking

In short supply of time, opt for stir-fry, pan-fry, or deep fry.
If you want rich, deep flavors, slow cooking or braising is the way to go.

Conclusion

The secret to cooking perfect meals lies in choosing an appropriate cooking method. Roasting, grilling, steaming, or frying—every cooking process has something to present in the form of unique tastes and textures. Experiment with cooking methods every now and then, and lo! cooking perfect meals is in your hands. So now go ahead and decide what to cook next!

And if you want to become a super-pro, welcome to the 4-step cooking method, my online course. Learn and use all my secret tips in your kitchen!