In the Kitchen: Cooking Basics

kitchen counter with cutting board, knife, and ingredients

Cooking Basics

If you’re interested in trying a new cooking method, make sure you pick ingredients that will cook well for that style. You can’t bake a cake on the stovetop, after all! Here are some of the ways you can prepare foods, and which foods would work best.

2. Boiling
To boil a dinner, you simply heat a pot of water and place your food in the water to cook. Many types of meat and dense vegetables can be boiled. Pot roasts, soups, and stews are dinners that require boiling.

3. Baking & Roasting
Baking and roasting are both methods that cook food using hot, dry air, usually in an oven. Baked goods like bread or muffins, casseroles, or roasted veggies and meat are cooked in the oven.

4. Sautéing
Sautéed foods are cooked in pans on the stovetop using fat, like olive oil. Sautéed vegetables is a popular side dish.

5. Slow cooking
Simmer foods at a lower temperature to cook them over a longer period of time in a slow cooker. It’s best done with dinners you might boil. However, slow cooking allows you to leave the slow cooker unattended. Many families find it convenient to prepare dinner in the morning, and let it cook over the course of the day while everyone is busy at work or school.