Cooking is not just a procedure, but an art that can either make or break the deal. It has evolved into a form of craft, but little do we know about the approach to this art except using a chullah, oven, and steam cooking. There are different cooking techniques that have emerged due to terrain, regional reach, and climate. Some of these methods may sound or look weird, however, they were earlier or are still one of the most interesting and amazing works of the human mind. Here, we have listed some of the most unusual cooking techniques that are unique in their way. Read on to find more.
Different Cooking Techniques
Bamboo cooking- It is one of the most popular cooking techniques. A common practice in many places like Thailand, South Asia, and Nagaland; Bamboo cooking is a traditional method of cooking fish, rice, meat, etc. Bamboos are cut into 2 halves and a banana leaf is filled with cooking ingredients like meat, rice, and extra flavor of coconuts is stuffed inside.
Next, this is placed on hot coals. This not only helps in efficiently cooking the food, but it adds an earthy flavor to the food. The unique thing about bamboo cooking is you can use the bamboo halves as plates too. There are a few regions that use bamboos in the form of chopsticks to eat. It may sound strange to you, but it will help you save a lot of effort and time in cooking.
Hangi- This is one of the unusual cooking techniques that many of you might not have heard of before. The word, Hangi, means “stay rooted to the ground”! The Kiwis took this in a real sense. Hangi is a conventional method of cooking food that is still used in New Zealand for various occasions.
In this method, heated rocks are buried inside a pit oven. Later, baskets of foods are placed over the stone and are covered with more and more stones. After several hours, the entire pit is dug, where you can see your food being cooked. The same type of practices are observed in Hawaii as Kalua, Mongolia as Rosvopaisti, and Peru as Panchamanca.
Ironed cooking- Another one in the list of different cooking techniques is ironed cooking. In this style of cooking, you use an iron to cook your dishes. Usually used for cooking steak and making sandwiches, this method became quite popular in the States. It is as simple and fun as its name sounds. The food, say, for example, a sandwich is wrapped in aluminum foil, and then it is ironed. You are going to enjoy this one! Try once.
Now, this was about some unique cooking techniques that will surprise your guests. Now, let us dive into some unique cooking techniques that will make everyday cooking easier for you. Coming to this, most of you would agree that one of the common problems that almost all of us face in the kitchen is peeling boiled eggs.
If you are finding it difficult to peel boiled eggs, then vinegar is the solution for you. Many of you might know that adding vinegar to egg poaching water will help to coagulate the egg white. But how many of you knew that adding a dash of vinegar to the water while boiling eggs help the shell come off more easily?
Make the perfect steak- By following special cooking techniques you can make perfect steak without much fuss. Never fry meat that you have taken out of the refrigerator. Before cooking, leave it for an hour or so. Doing so will help you to cook the meat evenly, regardless of how you like to make your steak.
If you prefer a beautiful brown crust for your steak, then make sure all the moisture from the meat is taken out before you fry it.
How to make the juiciest meat- It takes much time to fry pork or chicken properly, and you can dry them quite easily. To avoid this, several European chefs use a simple trick. What they do is they keep the meat in saltwater. It is simple to make saltwater or brine.
Take 3 cups of water, add 1/4th cup of salt and ¼ cup of sugar. Pour the liquid on your meat so that the liquid covers the meat entirely and then put the bowl inside your refrigerator.
The total time of keeping the meat in salt water depends on the thickness of the pieces you have- nearly 1 hour for about 1 kg of meat.
Make sure you do not leave it in the brine for more than 8 hours. If you are cooking chicken wings, then the bringing time must be based on an average weight of 1 wing. Do not forget to dry the cops before you cook them.
Flavoring spices- This is another one in the list of unusual cooking techniques that will surprise you. To extract natural flavors and improve the taste of cumin or black pepper in your cuisine, toss them in a pan on medium heat, toasting them until they produce a nice fragrance.
Once done, you can use a mortar and pestle to powder your spices. Instead of ground black pepper, you can always use black peppercorns and crack its seeds. Once you add it to your dish, you will get a unique flavor and aroma.
Use egg yolks to create Parmesan-like discs that can be grated over soups, pasta, and salads- This is one of the unique cooking techniques that most of us don’t know. Chefs have been grating Parmesan over salads and pasta over the past few years from now- but now preparing them at home has become more popular.
You just need to bury egg yolks inside a sandy mixture made of sugar and salt. Keep the eggs like that for a few days and then use an oven to dry them. The result you will get is firm egg yolks that can be grated like Parmesan over your favorite food items.
Roast white sugar to get a subtle caramel flavor and use it in your favorite cuisines- Roasting white sugar gives a subtle caramel flavor and reduces its sweetness. However, the real reason which makes this technique so interesting is that roasted sugar can be used like regular sugar.
This means that now you can infuse your favorite baked goods with a caramel flavor without bringing any change to the recipe. It is a win-win situation.
How to chop onions without tears- Now, this one many of you will be interested to know. You must have heard that old onions make you cry more. To avoid this, try to use a sharp knife, freeze the onions, and cut them into pieces under running water.
Another technique that can help you out in such a situation is to wear a pair of goggles while cutting the onions. Yes, you will look funny, but yes, no more tears, and your kajal and eyeliner will be intact. What else you want?
Deglaze your pan- When we cook vegetables and meat in a hot pan, some remains stick to the bottom. These are known as “fond” in classical French cooking as they are the foundation of a pan sauce. Deglazing your pan using wine, juice, broth, brandy, or plain water is a simple method to infuse those incredible flavored nuggets into your dish.
Try these techniques and share your experience with us! If you want to know more cooking tips and techniques, then do let us know in the comments section.