10 Essential Cooking Techniques

Sautéing

The definition of sautéing is to fry food in a small amount of fat. Sautéing involves the transfer of heat from the pan to food, usually lubricated by a thin coating of oil that both prevents food from sticking to the pan and aids in the conduction of heat, browning the surface of meat or vegetables. It’s a quick, high-heat method ideal for foods that only need brief cooking, such as tender vegetables, steaks, and chicken breast, and it’s also useful for browning aromatics before making a soup or stew, or meats before a braise. Learn more about sautéing in our complete guide here.

To make a quick zucchini sauté, heat chopped garlic in a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced zucchini to the pan, and turn to coat in oil. Let cook, only stirring occasionally, for a few minutes, until zucchini takes on a nice golden brown hue. Season to taste.

Stir-Frying

Stir-frying is a Chinese technique that involves cooking ingredients in a small amount of ripping hot oil in a wok—a deep, thin pan that conducts heat extraordinarily well. (If you don't have a wok, but want to make a stir-fry, sautéing is a suitable stand-in technique.) Think of true stir-frying as a high octane version of the sauté—the signature flip up the wok’s high walls guarantees an even, quick cook. Stir-frying is a skillet that is just pan-frying.

Stir-fry cubes of firm tofu (marinated in grated ginger and garlic, a dash of your chili sauce of choice, and soy/fish sauce) in a tablespoon of oil over high heat, shaking the wok to brown the tofu on all sides, then season to taste and serve with fresh rice, sliced scallions, and kimchi.

Searing

When grilling, braising, or sautéing, the surface of the ingredient is first seared at a high temperature to create a flavor-packed, caramelized, and browned crust. (This is also referred to as “browning.”) The key with searing is patience: it’s very tempting to move meat or fish around once it hits the pan, but give it a good uninterrupted chance to fully brown before turning it to the other side—it will lift and separate from the pan when it’s fully ready.

To pan-sear a whole fish, heat cooking oil in a large pan until nice and hot. Gently lay your fish (scaled, gutted, and seasoned; slits cut along both sides) in the center of the pan. Let the first side crisp up completely—4 to 5 minutes—before flipping and repeating on the second side. Serve with roasted lemons and chimichurri.

Grilling

Grilling is a method of cooking food on a metal grate directly over a heat source—a gas flame, burning coals, or firewood—which involves heat transfer via radiation. The high heat involved in grilling allows for very rapid browning, so it’s best for foods that don’t need prolonged cooking. Learn more about grilling in our complete guide here.

To make grilled skirt steak with any number of accompaniments, rub steak with a light coat of oil. Prepare a grill by lightly oiling grates or spraying with nonstick cooking spray. For a gas grill, preheat to medium-high heat. Cook steak until a deep brown crust forms, about 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. If you want medium well, cook for an additional couple of minutes per side. Let rest for 10 minutes and slice into thin strips. Serve with herb butter and roasted potatoes.

(Grilling isn’t just for the outdoors, either. Learn how to grill indoors on a hibachi in Chef Thomas Keller’s Master Class.)

Braising

Braising is a combination cooking method that starts with pan-searing followed by slow cooking in a liquid—usually in a Dutch oven or a slow cooker—until ingredients become tender. Learn more about braising in our complete guide here.

To add a bright, tangy kick to your braise, after you’ve browned bone-in chicken thighs or breasts in a Dutch oven, deglaze with ½ cup red or white wine vinegar then add any vegetables and aromatics you’d like, such as garlic and shallots or tomato and chili paste, to make a pan sauce. Cook until tender, then add stock or broth and return chicken to the pot. Cover, then lower the heat or transfer to a 300°F oven, and cook for 40-45 minutes, checking for doneness periodically. Or if you're looking for a vegetable-centric side dish, try Chef Thomas Keller's recipe for braised artichokes.

Stewing

A very close relative of the braise and a step away from a soup, stewing in the process of cooking solid ingredients in liquid until they turn melty and soft and infused with flavor. Because they usually feature a mix of vegetables and proteins, the texture is incredibly hearty and reminiscent of an indulgent gravy.

To make a basic stew, sauté aromatics like garlic and onion in olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add your vegetables and/or protein and allow to brown and soak up all the flavor you’ve built, then add 2 to 3 cups braising liquid (stock, wine, or water), depending on how saucy you’d like your stew to be. Season to taste, and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook until contents are tender and cooked to your preference.

Steaming

Steaming is one of the more elegant cooking techniques out there, it requires nothing more than a light touch and yields a delicate result. It’s one of the healthiest methods, too, known for retaining nutrition and flavor, since proteins like fish can cook in their juices. By keeping water at a rolling boil and trapping the steam, food is cooked by a gentle constant heat. You can steam using steamer baskets/inserts or by folding parchment paper into a packet, a technique known as “en papillote.”

To steam root vegetables—such as turnips—fill a saucepan with just enough water that it reaches the bottom of a steamer basket. Bring to a boil, add your vegetables to the basket. Cover, and steam for 3 minutes, then check their texture—you want something that gives easily to the tip of a paring knife, but isn’t mushy. Remove from the steamer and toss with a sauce or a tablespoon of butter with kosher salt and black pepper.

Baking

The process of baking surrounds food with low to medium dry heat for a set amount of time, usually in an oven. Things like bread and pastries are cooked from the outside in, creating a light crust around a soft, airy center. Quick bread like banana bread is easy to throw together and bake, but so is this low-and-slow take on short ribs.

Roasting

The main difference between baking and roasting is the temperature: while baked goods usually sit in the neighborhood of 350°F for prolonged periods, roasting uses high temperatures to create a crisp, golden-brown crust and penetrate more complex ingredients, like a whole roasted chicken.

Root vegetables, like these carrots from Chef Wolfgang Puck, along with things like brassicas, are particularly easy to roast: toss cut vegetables of choice—think sweet potatoes, carrots, broccolini, brussels sprouts, cauliflower—with a drizzle of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread vegetables on a baking sheet and roast for anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes, stirring halfway through to get an even crisp.

Broiling

One step above roasting is broiling: a concentrated, high-temperature blast of heat typically used as a finishing touch. Similar in execution to grilling, where the direction comes from below, broiling radiates down from the top of your oven (or, in older ovens, the pull-out drawer at the bottom).

Use the setting to bring out crackly bubbles on the surface of a frittata, toast the cheesy breadcrumbs on top of old-fashioned macaroni and cheese, or use it to sear meat just as you would on a grill—just keep an eye on it. Broilers will go rogue faster than you think.