Experiment with a New Cooking Method!

Cooking at home can be a great way to eat healthy and save money. Reinvent your meals at home by using a variety of cooking techniques!

There are a countless ways to prepare and cook your meals – just think about the different methods you can use to cook an egg! An egg can be poached, hard boiled, soft boiled, fried, scrambled, sunny side-up or even made into an omelet! Each method offers a unique texture, appearance, and overall taste. Similarly, we can do this when we prepare and cook our meals. Experiment with new cooking techniques to find the best method to cook your family’s favorite dish!

There are two main types of cooking methods: dry heat cooking and moist heat cooking. 

Dry heat cooking uses the circulation of hot air or the heat from a pan or grill as the primary cooking technique. This includes searing, baking, barbecuing, grilling, pan frying, stir- frying, sautéing, and roasting.

Examples of dry heat cooking to try at home include:

• A stir-fry with a  mixture of colorful seasonal vegetables for a delicious side dish.  Add your favorite protein and turn your stir-fry into a quick and easy meal!
• Roasting or grilling your vegetables with a light drizzle of heart-healthy oil and a seasoning of your choice to create a new flavor for your next dish.

For a meal that uses dry heat cooking, try cooking this delicious citrus chicken recipe by coating the chicken in seasoning and baking until it is tender and golden brown. This healthy recipe packed with flavor and provides a great source of protein.

Moist heat cooking utilizes steam or liquids to cook foods. This type of cooking includes stewing, steaming, pressure cooking, blanching, simmering, boiling, and poaching. 

Examples of moist heat cooking to try at home include:

• Steaming your vegetables, like asparagus and green beans, with sesame oil and red pepper flakes to add a kick of flavor, while also retaining the nutrients, flavor, and color of the vegetables.
• Blanching your vegetables, like broccoli and carrots, by placing them in boiling water before running them under cold water for an even softer texture.  

For a meal that uses moist heat cooking, try cooking this tasty bronco bean recipe by combining a variety of seasonings and beans together in a pot and bringing them to a boil. This is the perfect warm dish that could be eaten alone or added to another meal.

Incorporate a new cooking method into your next meal to see which technique works best with the foods you enjoy the most! To learn more about cooking basics and understand culinary lingo, visit the SNAP-Ed Purdue Extension resource here: https://www.eatgathergo.org/eat/cooking/cooking-basics-tips/