Every Cooking Method Explained: Roast, Braise, Saute and More

The Two Families of Cooking Methods

Every cooking technique falls into one of two categories: dry heat and wet (moist) heat. Understanding which family a method belongs to tells you almost everything about how it works, what it does to food, and when to use it.

Dry heat methods cook food by surrounding it with hot air, hot fat or direct radiant heat. They promote browning and caramelisation through the Maillard reaction. Think roasting, grilling, sauteing and frying.

Wet heat methods cook food in or with liquid or steam. They are gentler, produce tender results from tough ingredients, and do not create the same kind of surface browning. Think braising, poaching, steaming and boiling.

A third, smaller group combines both: braising, for instance, starts with a dry-heat sear and finishes with wet-heat simmering.

Dry Heat Methods

Roasting

Roasting uses the oven's radiant and convective heat to cook food from all sides. It is best for large, tender cuts of meat (whole chicken, beef rib, leg of lamb), root vegetables and some fruits.

Temperatures: Low roasting (120-150C) is used for large joints where you want even doneness throughout, such as a beef fillet. Standard roasting (180-200C) suits most poultry and vegetables. High roasting (220-240C) is for crisping skin, such as roast potatoes or the initial blast on a chicken before reducing the heat.

Key tips:

• Bring meat to room temperature for 30-60 minutes before roasting for more even cooking.
• Roast vegetables in a single layer with space between pieces. Overcrowding creates steam rather than browning.
• Rest meat for at least 15 minutes after roasting. A large joint benefits from 20-30 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute.

Grilling (and Griddling)

Grilling cooks food with intense direct heat from above (under a grill/broiler) or below (on a barbecue or griddle pan). The high temperature creates rapid browning and a charred exterior while keeping the interior relatively moist.

Best for: Steaks, chops, chicken pieces, fish fillets, halloumi, courgettes, aubergines, peppers.

Temperatures: Most grilling happens at 230-290C. Preheat your grill or griddle pan thoroughly; a cold surface will steam the food rather than sear it.

Key tips:

• Oil the food, not the grill grate, to prevent sticking.
• Do not move the food constantly. Place it down and leave it until it releases naturally, which indicates proper browning.
• For thick cuts, sear on high heat then move to a cooler zone (indirect heat on a barbecue, or a lower oven) to finish cooking through.

Sauteing

Sauteing means cooking food quickly in a small amount of fat over medium-high to high heat, tossing or stirring frequently. The word comes from the French "sauter," meaning to jump. It is one of the most versatile techniques in the home kitchen.

Best for: Diced or thinly sliced vegetables, chicken breast strips, prawns, mushrooms, greens.

Method: Heat the pan first, then add the fat (butter, olive oil, or a combination). When the fat shimmers (for oil) or foams and subsides (for butter), add the food in a single layer. Toss or stir every 30-60 seconds.

Key tips:

• Do not overcrowd the pan. If there is too much food, the temperature drops and the food steams instead of browning. Cook in batches if necessary.
• Pat food dry with kitchen paper before sauteing. Surface moisture is the enemy of browning.
• Use a wide, heavy-bottomed pan. A 28cm skillet is ideal for most home cooking.

Pan-Frying

Pan-frying differs from sauteing in that the food is cooked in more fat (enough to come halfway up the item) and is not tossed or stirred. Instead, it is placed in the fat and turned once. Think breaded chicken, fish fillets, or potato rosti.

Temperatures: Keep the oil at around 170-180C. If you do not have a thermometer, drop a small cube of bread into the oil; it should sizzle immediately and turn golden in about 40-50 seconds.

Deep-Frying

The food is fully submerged in hot oil, typically at 170-190C. The high temperature instantly vaporises surface moisture, creating a crisp crust while the interior steams and cooks. Chips (thick-cut, twice-fried at 130C then 190C) and battered fish are classic examples.

Key tips:

• Never fill a pan more than one-third full with oil.
• Use an oil with a high smoke point: vegetable, sunflower or groundnut oil. Olive oil is not suitable for deep-frying.
• Fry in small batches. Adding too much cold food drops the oil temperature and results in greasy, soggy food.
• Drain fried food on a wire rack, not kitchen paper, which traps steam against the food and softens the crust.

Baking

In culinary terminology, baking refers specifically to cooking in the oven with dry heat where the structure of the food changes through chemical leavening or protein coagulation, as with bread, cakes and pastries. The distinction from roasting is largely traditional: we bake bread and cakes but roast meat and vegetables.

Wet Heat Methods

Boiling

Boiling means cooking food fully submerged in liquid at 100C (at sea level). The aggressive bubbling is useful for pasta, potatoes and green vegetables where you want fast cooking.

Key tips:

• Use a large pot with plenty of water. Pasta needs about 1 litre per 100g to cook evenly and not stick.
• Salt the water generously. It should taste noticeably salty, like the sea. For pasta, about 10g of salt per litre.
• Green vegetables should be added to rapidly boiling water. This preserves colour and reduces cooking time. Do not cover the pot, as trapped acids will dull the colour.

Simmering

Simmering is a gentler version of boiling, with the liquid held at 85-95C. Small bubbles break the surface occasionally but the liquid does not roll. It is the correct technique for soups, stews, sauces, stocks and cooking pulses.

Key tips:

• After bringing a liquid to the boil, reduce the heat until only a few bubbles rise to the surface every second or two.
• Vigorous boiling toughens meat proteins and can break delicate foods like fish or dumplings apart.
• A heavy-bottomed pan distributes heat more evenly and makes maintaining a steady simmer easier.

Poaching

Poaching cooks food gently in liquid held at 70-85C. The surface of the liquid barely trembles, with no visible bubbles. It is a delicate technique suited to eggs, fish, chicken breasts and fruit.

For poached eggs: Bring water to a bare simmer, add a splash of white vinegar (which helps the white coagulate), create a gentle whirlpool with a spoon, and slide in a fresh egg. Cook for 3-4 minutes for a runny yolk.

For chicken breast: Place in cold, seasoned liquid (stock or water with aromatics), bring slowly to 75-80C, and hold at that temperature for 15-20 minutes for a medium breast. The result is incomparably moist compared to most other methods.

Steaming

Steaming cooks food suspended above boiling water, using the steam (which is actually hotter than the water at 100C and above) as the cooking medium. It is excellent for preserving nutrients, colour and texture.

Best for: Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, green beans, pak choi), fish fillets, dim sum, puddings.

Key tips:

• Do not let the water touch the food. The bottom of the steamer basket should sit above the water level.
• Keep the lid on. Lifting it releases steam and significantly increases cooking time.
• Steamed vegetables should be slightly underdone when removed, as they continue cooking in residual heat.

Braising

Braising is a combination method: food is first browned in dry heat (searing), then cooked slowly in a small amount of liquid with the lid on. This is the technique behind beef bourguignon, coq au vin, osso buco and lamb shanks.

Best for: Tough, collagen-rich cuts of meat (shin, cheek, shoulder, oxtail) and dense vegetables (red cabbage, fennel, chicory).

Method:

1. Pat the meat dry and season generously with salt and pepper.
2. Sear in a hot, heavy pan (a cast-iron casserole dish is ideal) in a small amount of oil until deeply browned on all sides. Do not rush this step; it takes 8-10 minutes.
3. Remove the meat. Saute aromatic vegetables (onion, carrot, celery) in the same pan.
4. Deglaze with wine, stock or another liquid, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom.
5. Return the meat, add enough liquid to come one-third to halfway up the sides, bring to a simmer, cover, and transfer to a 150-160C oven for 2-4 hours depending on the cut.

Key tips:

• The liquid should simmer gently, never boil. If it boils, the meat fibres contract sharply and become dry even in liquid.
• Allow braised dishes to cool and refrigerate overnight. The flavour improves dramatically the next day, and you can easily remove solidified fat from the surface.

Stewing

Stewing is similar to braising but the food is cut into smaller pieces and fully submerged in liquid. The distinction is practical: a braise partially submerges a large piece of meat, while a stew submerges smaller pieces entirely.

Best for: Chunky beef stew, lamb tagine, chicken casserole, ratatouille, bean stews.

Key tips:

• Cut meat and vegetables into evenly sized pieces for uniform cooking.
• Add tender vegetables (peas, spinach, herbs) in the final minutes so they do not overcook.
• Thicken the stew at the end, if desired, by removing the lid and simmering to reduce the liquid, or by stirring in a slurry of cornflour and cold water (1 tablespoon of cornflour mixed with 2 tablespoons of cold water per 500ml of liquid).

Choosing the Right Method

The right cooking method depends on three things: the ingredient, the result you want, and the time you have.

Tender, quick-cooking ingredients (fish fillets, chicken breast, prawns, most vegetables, eggs) suit dry heat methods like sauteing, grilling and roasting, or gentle wet methods like steaming and poaching.

Tough, collagen-rich ingredients (beef shin, lamb shoulder, pork belly, oxtail) need long, slow wet heat to convert collagen into gelatine, which gives braised and stewed dishes their rich, unctuous body. Applying dry heat to these cuts for a short time will produce a chewy, unpleasant result.

When you want browning and flavour: Dry heat methods win. The Maillard reaction and caramelisation only occur above about 140C, which means food cooked in water (capped at 100C) will never develop that roasted, charred character.

When you want to preserve nutrients and colour: Steaming is the clear winner, followed by quick boiling (blanching). Slow, prolonged boiling leaches water-soluble vitamins into the cooking water.

Temperature Reference Table

Combining Methods for Better Results

The best cooks routinely combine methods within a single dish. A roast chicken might start at 220C for 20 minutes to crisp the skin (dry heat, high temperature), then finish at 180C for the remaining time (dry heat, moderate temperature). Braised short ribs begin with a hard sear (dry heat) before the long, gentle braise (wet heat). Even a simple stir-fry combines the principles of sauteing (high heat, small amount of fat, constant movement) with a brief steam when a splash of liquid is added and the wok is covered for 30 seconds to finish cooking dense vegetables like broccoli.

Understanding these methods as a toolkit rather than a rigid set of rules gives you the freedom to adapt. Once you know that browning requires high, dry heat and tenderising requires low, moist heat, you can troubleshoot and improvise with confidence.