Types of Cooking Methods

What Are Cooking Methods?

A cooking method is the way heat is transferred into food to cook it. Cooking methods fall into three groups: dry-heat methods, which cook with hot air, hot metal, radiant heat, or fat; moist-heat methods, which cook with water, steam, or another liquid; and combination methods, which use both.

The biggest difference between them is temperature. Water tops out at 212ºF (100ºC) at sea level, while an oven, grill, or pan of hot oil can get much hotter. That’s why dry heat browns food and builds a crust, and moist heat cooks it gently without browning.

Cooking Methods at a Glance

How Heat Moves Into Food

Every cooking method moves heat into food in one or more of three ways. Most methods use more than one.

Conduction

Heat passes directly from something hot into the food it touches, like a skillet into a steak or boiling water into pasta. Searing, sautéing, and pan frying rely mostly on conduction, which is why good contact with the pan matters.

Convection

Moving hot air or liquid carries heat around the food. A hot oven, a pot of boiling water, and a pot of frying oil all cook by convection. A convection oven adds a fan, so food cooks and browns faster.

Radiation

Heat travels as energy from a very hot source, like the glowing element of a broiler or the coals of a grill, straight to the food’s surface. That’s why broiling and grilling brown food so quickly.

Moist-Heat Cooking Methods

Moist-heat methods cook food in water, broth, or steam. Because the liquid can’t get hotter than its boiling point, food cooks gently and evenly, stays tender, and doesn’t brown.

Poaching

Food cooks fully or partly submerged in liquid held below a simmer, so the surface barely moves. Best for: eggs, chicken breasts, fish fillets, shrimp, and pears. See my guide to poaching.

Simmering

Food cooks in liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles breaking the surface now and then. Best for: soups, sauces, stocks, beans, and grains. See my guide to simmering.

Boiling

Food cooks in water at a rolling boil, with large bubbles across the entire surface. Best for: pasta, potatoes, eggs, and rice. See my guide to boiling.

Steaming

Food cooks above boiling water in a covered pot, heated by the steam that condenses on it. Best for: vegetables, fish, dumplings, and buns. See my guide to steaming.

Blanching

Food cooks briefly in boiling water, then goes into an ice bath to stop the cooking. Best for: green vegetables, peeling tomatoes and peaches, and prepping vegetables for freezing. See my guide to blanching.

Dry-Heat Cooking Methods

Dry-heat methods cook with hot air, hot metal, radiant heat, or hot fat, with no water involved. The surface gets hot enough for the Maillard reaction and caramelization, which create a golden-brown crust and deeper flavor. Sautéing, pan frying, stir frying, deep frying, and searing are dry-heat methods that use fat, because oil gets much hotter than water.

Roasting

Food cooks uncovered in hot oven air, browning on the outside while the inside cooks evenly. Best for: whole chicken and turkey, large cuts of meat, and vegetables. See my guide to roasting.

Baking

Food cooks in an enclosed oven, where batters and doughs rise, set, and brown. Best for: cookies, cakes, breads, pies, and casseroles. See my guide to baking.

Sautéing

Small pieces cook quickly in a thin film of hot fat in a wide pan, tossed or stirred so they brown evenly. Best for: tender vegetables, mushrooms, shrimp, and thin cuts of meat. See my guide to sautéing.

Pan Frying

Food cooks in a shallow layer of hot oil that comes partway up the sides, then gets flipped. Best for: breaded cutlets, fish fillets, crab cakes, and fritters. See my guide to pan frying.

Stir Frying

Small, evenly cut pieces cook over high heat in a wok while you stir and toss them constantly. Best for: thinly sliced meat, shrimp, crisp vegetables, noodles, and fried rice. See my guide to stir frying.

Deep Frying

Food cooks fully submerged in hot oil, turning crisp and golden on the outside. Best for: battered chicken and shrimp, egg rolls, and doughnuts and churros. See my guide to deep frying.

Grilling

Food cooks on a hot grate over a gas flame, charcoal, or wood fire for smoky char and grill marks. Best for: steaks, burgers, chicken, fish, and vegetables. See my guide to grilling.

Broiling

Food cooks under intense heat from the top of the oven, like an upside-down grill. Best for: salmon, meatballs, thin steaks, and melting cheesy toppings. See my guide to broiling.

Searing

Food browns in a very hot pan to build a flavorful crust, then often finishes in the oven or a braise. Best for: steaks, chops, chicken, salmon, and scallops. See my guide to searing.

Combination Cooking Methods

Combination methods use dry heat first to brown the food, then moist heat to cook it low and slow in a covered pot. They’re the best way to turn tough, inexpensive cuts into tender, fall-apart meat.

Braising

Large pieces are seared, then partly covered with liquid and cooked slowly in a covered pot. Best for: chuck roast, short ribs, pork shoulder, lamb shanks, and chicken thighs. See my guide to braising.

Stewing

Small, evenly cut pieces are browned, then fully covered with liquid and simmered until tender, and served in their sauce. Best for: beef stew, chili, curries, and bean stews. See my guide to stewing.

How to Choose a Cooking Method

Start with the food and the result you want. These guidelines cover most situations:

• For a browned crust: Use dry heat, like roasting, searing, grilling, or broiling.
• For tough cuts of meat: Use a combination method, like braising or stewing, so the collagen has time to break down.
• For tender, delicate proteins: Use gentle moist heat, like poaching or steaming, so eggs and fish stay moist.
• For quick weeknight meals: Use fast dry heat, like sautéing or stir frying, for small pieces that cook in minutes.
• For a crisp coating: Use pan frying for thin cutlets and fillets, or deep frying for battered foods.
• For bright, crisp-tender vegetables: Use blanching or steaming, then finish with a quick sauté if you like.

Essential Tools for Every Cooking Method

• Instant-read thermometer: The most reliable way to know when food is done, whatever method you use.
• Cast iron skillet: Holds heat well for searing, sautéing, pan frying, and going from stovetop to oven.
• Rimmed sheet pan: For roasting vegetables, baking, and broiling.
• Large stock pot: For boiling, blanching, simmering stocks, and steaming with a basket.

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