New Word #43: Cooking Methods

ESL, vocabulary 2 Minutes

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grill vs barbecue

I never know what’s the difference between grill and barbecue. Some people told me barbecue is the sauce while grill is the method; some say grilled meat has less fat than barbecued meat. Still I don’t know the difference. Or probably they are the same.

grill: cook (something) using a grill, which is a metal framework used for cooking food over an open fire or a gridiron.

barbecue: a meal or gathering at which meat, fish, or other food is cooked out of doors on a rack over an open fire or on a portable grill.

broil vs boil

The two words are similar in spelling rather than meaning. Broil is similar to grill and barbecue, I guess.

broil: cook (meat or fish) by exposure to direct, intense radiant heat.

boil: cook or be cooked by immersing in boiling water or stock.

simmer vs. stew vs. poach

Simmer and stew are similar to each other.

simmer: (of water or food) stay just below the boiling point while being heated. I think there should not be visible bubbles in the pot.

stew: a dish of meat and vegetables cooked slowly in liquid in a closed dish or pan.

poach: cook by simmering in a small amount of liquid.

blanch vs blench

Blench is not related with cooking, but the spelling is very similar to blanch.

blanch: scald food in boiling water.

blench: become pale; make a sudden flinching movement out of fear or pain.

stir fry, pan fry, deep fry, air fry

Stir fry is similar to pan fry except that stir fry has more stir. Both can be oily, depending on how much oil is put in. Still they are not as oily as deep fry.

I have an air fry machine, which is very good at frying meat with no oil at all.

bake vs. roast

I don’t know the exact difference of the two words, but I know that bake is used with cookies or cakes while roast is used with meat.

bake: cook (food) by dry heat without direct exposure to a flame, typically in an oven or on a hot surface.

roast: cook (food, especially meat) by prolonged exposure to heat in an oven or over a fire.

casserole: a kind of stew that is cooked slowly in an oven.

sauté vs braise

sauté: to fry lightly and quickly by turning or tossing it over frequently in a hot pan

braise: fry (food) lightly and then stew it slowly in a closed container.

Double Cooked

I’ve seen these terms: double cooked, double steamed, double baked, double fried. However I am still trying to figure out how the cooking process is done and how it is doubled.

Other Cooking Methods

sous vide: a method of cooking in which food is placed in a plastic pouch or a glass jar and cooked in a water bath for longer than usual cooking times.

confit: duck or other meat cooked slowly in its own fat.

griddle: a heavy, flat iron plate that is heated and used for cooking food.

chaunk: a garnish made by frying mustard seed, asafoetida, and other whole spices in oil or ghee to release the flavors.

Published by haoyando

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34 thoughts on “New Word #43: Cooking Methods”

  3. I love cooking so this was super interesting for me. From what I know about double cooking things you just have to do the process twice- not sure if I’m correct but that’s my understanding of it. So it you’re double frying you have to fry it once, let it cool a little and fry it again.

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  6. Bbq is so many things regionally. Bbq to some is ground beef with sauce and onions in a bun, or a sauce or a way of cooking meat…because in Texas they don’t do sauce on their version of bbq, some bbq sauce is tomato based others are vinegar based…so many interpretations…is it any wonder someone learning American English is at times confused?

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    1. Wow, thank you for the explanation. You are right. It is so confusing what bbq really is since there are so many different versions. This adds to the confusion of those other aspects of the language. This is just another to show us how messy our language and our life is no matter how much we want to sort it out. LOL.

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  10. Most of the methods seem similar n last methods are really new. Double cooked 🤔 may be it’s kinda solid to liquid. Though I never tried new methods n lazy to cook regular foods itself 🥰 btw truly a good share Haoyan.

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    1. I haven’t the time to investigate double cooking methods, but I think I will in the future sometime. Thank you for enjoying it. Yes, me too. I am too lazy to cook too. LOL.

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    1. LOL. I have to say each frying method is different, but with similarities. LOL. I can imagine you and your girlfriend. LOL. What a lovely couple. If you enjoy discussing about such small things, you are making a wonderful couple. Wish you all the best.

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