This week’s theme in the Back to Basics Cooking Series is simmering, a technique with which I am not very familiar.
“Simmering and poaching are methods of cooking in liquid over low heat. When food is poached, it cooks delicately over the gentlest heat; not a bubble breaks the surface of the liquid in the pan. An egg is sublime cooked this way; so is a piece of salmon.” — Alice Waters, The Art of Simple Food.
Several weeks ago when I made an herbal iron syrup, I remember reading that I was to simmer a pot of water until it was half the volume. I was thoroughly confused–wouldn’t that take forever? Yes, yes it did. At least 4 hours. But it DID eventually get done, which shows that slow and steady does actually cook things.
In fact, according to Waters, a “boiled dinner” creates deep-flavored broth and lusciously tender meats. Back in October of 2010, DH and I were stumped when trying to make Summer Poached Halibut. We had never poached anything, and the instructions were not very clear. We ended up searching the internet for how to simmer and poach things. It turned out, luckily, which gives me hope for using this technique in the future.
I’m also intrigued by the boiled dinner idea, since it seems very flexible and Waters suggests using some of the more “trendy,” inexpensive cuts such as brisket, beef cheeks, shanks, oxtail, chuck, beef tongue. You need to plan ahead though, as the meat is best when seasoned a day or two before cooking, and the actual simmering takes a couple of hours.
This gentle cooking technique is one that I definitely want to explore. Here are some articles if you’d like to learn along with me:
Cooking Class: Boiling and Simmering (Cooking Light)
Poaching vs. Simmering vs. Boiling: Moist Heat Cooking – Cooking in Hot Water or Stock (What’s Cooking America)
How to Poach Eggs (Eating Well)
Do you poach or simmer? Please share your tips!
What's on your mind?