Good Living

  Foods that are pressure cooked are cooked in steam under pressure. The temperature is above the boiling point of water. The food cooks very fast, this ensures that more of the valuable nutrients are retained. Also, cooking time, is saved to a very great extent.

  Baking is a way of cooking through heat in an enclosed space.  The enclosed air is heated and the hot air cooks the food. In most cases, an oven is used for baking. General Rules for Baking 1) Heat the oven to the right temperature before putting food in. 2) Do not congest the oven. This would prevent the hot air from circulating. 3) Do not bake foods that give out moisture, e.g. meat, with foods that should be crisp when baked, e.g. pastry. The moisture softens the pastry and this negatively affects the end result. 4) Close the oven door gently, to prevent cold air from getting in.

  Roasting is a method of cooking food: 1) In an open pot over a glowing fire, e.g. roasted groundnuts. 2) On a grid over smokeless cinders or charcoal, e.g. roasted plantains. 3)In hot ash or sand, e.g, toasted sweet potatoes or cassava. 4) In a little oil in a pot(pot roasting, e.g. chicken, whole piece of meat. Grilling Grilling is a method of cooking under, in front or over an open smokeless fire, from an electric element or gas burner directed down on to the food. It is a quick way of cooking. Grilling is mostly used for meat and fish.  General Rules for Roasting and Grilling 1) Only the best quality food should be used. 2) Use only tender cuts of meat and pieces of fish. 3) Using a hot, glowing, smokeless fire to brown the food quickly. 4) Heat the grid before using it; this helps to brown the food quickly. 5) Grease wet food before placing it on the grid, e.g, fish and meat. This prevents them from sticking  and also drying up. 6) Turn foods repeatedly to prevent o...

Boiling Boiling is a method of cooking food in boiling water; the water covers the food, e.g boiling plantains, or rice. The Purpose of Boiling: 1) To soften food such as root vegetables, cereals and grains. 2) To extract nutrients from foods such as bones, calves' feet, meat etc. 3) To preserve the nutrients in food. When cooking food to soften it, place the food in boiling water and continue to boil gently for a short time so that it will not break. Hard boiling breaks delicate food. When cooking food to extract nutrients, cut it into small pieces to expose as much of the inside as possible. Put it in cold water, heat slowly to boiling point and cook for a long time. If nourishment is to be preserved, place the food directly in boiling water. The heat of the boiling water seals the surface and coagulates the outside proteins of meat and keeps the nourishment and flavor in the food. Advantages of Boiling 1) Boiling is a quick and easy method. 2) Boiling makes food easy to diges...

Stewing Stewing is a method of cooking food slowly and for a long time in a little liquid, in a well covered pan. Reasons for Stewing 1) To keep the food tender, usually tough pieces of meat, dried meat or fish, old and fibrous vegetables or hard under-ripe fruits are used. 2) By slow, gentle, moist heating, the connecting tissues of meat become gelatinized and fall apart. 3) The protein coagulates without over-hardening. 4) The soluble nutrients and flavor come into the liquid that is served with it. General Rules for Stewing 1) Cut food in small pieces in order to expose as much surface as possible. 2) Use a saucepan with a cover to prevent evaporation and loss of flavor. 3) Bring to boiling point then reduce heat and allow to simmer : never let it boil. 4) Use just enough liquid to last throughout the cooking. 5) Avoid uncovering the saucepan frequently, in order to prevent the flavor from escaping. 6) Season well. Advantages of Stewing 1) Stewing is the most econom...

General Rules for Frying 1) Use clean oil or fat 2) Heat the oil to the proper temperature before putting in the food to be fried. If the oil is over-heated it will spoil the color and flavor of the food. 3) Oil is at its proper temperature when it ceases to sizzle and a light blue haze appears over the pan. 4)Fry only a small quantity at a time. 5) Dry such foods as fish, meat and plantains before frying to avoid mixing cold water with the hot oil. 6) When possible, coat the protein foods before frying to seal in the juices. 7) Avoid frequent stirring of food as this causes it to break. 8) Re-heat the oil and bring it back to the proper temperature before frying the next quantity. 9)Drain the food first in the frying pan, then in crumpled kitchen paper or in a sieve, to get rid of the excess oil, which makes fried foods unattractive and indigestable, and also to save the oil. 10) Fried food should be served hot as the flavor deteriorates when it becomes cold. 11) If fried food is cov...

Frying Frying involves cooking in hot oil. It requires constant and careful attention. It is, therefore not an easy method, but it is very quick and not suitable for tough meat. 1)Shallow Frying a) Just enough fat is used to cover the surface of the frying pan and to prevent burning. The food needs turning. This method is sutibale for frying pan cakes, lver, omellettes, fish, plantain, meat etc. b)For sauteing, a small amountof fat is used. The fat will be absorbed by the food which is lightly tossed into it. This method is used for the preliminary cooking of soups, stews and sauces. 2) Dry Frying This is suitbale for oily food which gives out enough of its own oil heated, e.g bacon. 3) Deep, French or wet Frying A deep strong sauce pan is usedf and the fat should be enough to cover the food to be fried. As the oil seals up the outside, it also prevents it from becoming falored. This methdo ensures that the food is evenly cooked.