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Welcome! Did you think this was about hunting
out-of-season?
Well, actually we are talking about moist heat cooking
methods. Moist heat cooking methods use liquid or
steam to transfer heat, thus cooking the product and
now we will focus on one particular type of moist heat
cooking - poaching.
Poaching is certainly less practiced today than the
methods covered in previous classes, sautéing and
grilling. But poaching is full of creative possibilities
and perfectly suited for today's busy lifestyles.
Poaching is fast as well as heart smart, since there is
no fat added to the cooking process.
The definition of poaching is "to cook an item by
submerging it in a liquid that is just barley simmering."
Poaching is not a rolling boil. Poaching, compared to
boiling, is a much gentler technique. The temperature
of the poaching liquid should be between 170 and 180
degrees. The surface of the liquid should be just
"shivering," as the French say. This temperature is
very important because boiling liquid toughens meat
and fish, and can make fragile products like eggs and
certain delicate fish disintegrate.
Besides proper poaching temperatures, special
consideration should be given to the composition of
the poaching liquid. This will flavor or at the very least
season whatever is being poached in it. If water alone
is used to poach, it should be well salted. If the water
is not salted, the item being poached will taste insipid.
(Poaching eggs is the one exception to this rule. The
water should not be salted, but rather lightly vinegared,
which helps the egg proteins to coagulate or "set"
quickly.)
One of the most common poaching liquids is called a
court bouillon. A court bouillon is best described as an
aromatic poaching liquid. It should be packed with
flavor which will in turn flavor whatever is being
poached in it. There are many different variations of
court bouillon. The liquid component can be water or
stock. This liquid can then be flavored with a multitude
of different ingredients like: celery, carrot, onion,
garlic, lemon, wine, herbs, and spices. A court bouillon
is prepared by simmering all of the ingredients until
the liquid is sufficiently perfumed.
Once you have the poaching liquid, or court bouillon,
ready and at the proper poaching temperature, the
procedure is simple. Simply drop into the liquid
whatever you wish to poach. As the ingredient cooks,
maintain the proper poaching temperature. (There are
some exceptions to this procedure. Some fish that
are poached whole and are intended to be served
cold are started in a cold instead of a hot court
bouillon. But that is for another day...)
The difficulty in poaching is knowing when the
ingredient is properly cooked. Unlike sautéing or
grilling, you can not simply touch the product as it
cooks to judge its doneness. Every time you want to
check the doneness of an item, you must gently
remove it from the poaching liquid using a slotted
spoon or slotted spatula. At first, it may seem
somewhat time consuming, but with practice, you will
get a feeling for about how long certain products take
to cook.
When an item is done, remove it from the poaching
liquid, drain it, and serve with the appropriate sauce or
condiment.
Poaching
