BREAD BUFFET

        SLOW COOKING OR LOW TEMPERATURE COOKING

OBJECTIVE

 With the fast paced life that the present generation  demands and the technological advances made in

 every sector …. Food which is the biggest necessity has also gone into various changes over time. It’s a world full of fast foods. The Objective behind this project is to understand the changes in food products on application of heat and  learn the benefits of slow cooking .

THE DEVILS ADVOCATE

When you order a   restaurant , here’s is what you are likely to get      

                                                                                     

A paper cup full of carbonated water, ice, sugar, corn syrup, food coloring and “natural flavor”.

Frozen fries that were flavored with chemical additives, reheated in hydrogenated vegetable oil, salted then placed beneath a heat lamp.

A thin, frozen ham burger patty containing meat from hundreds of different cattle, raised in as many as five different countries, ground together in gigantic vats at a distant processing plant – reheated on an automated grill.

WHAT IS SLOW COOKING?

Slow foods are mainly peasant foods – dishes and ingredients that have been prepared the same way for centuries. They are time- tested. They spring directly from regional cultures and cuisines. The change from disposable society to a sustainable one begins with the first bite.

Low-temperature cooking is a cooking technique using temperatures of 45 to 85 °C (113 to 185 °F) for a prolonged time to cook food. Low-temperature cooking methods include sous – vide cooking, slow cooking using a slow cooker, cooking in a normal oven which has a minimal setting of 70 °C (158 °F), and using a combi steamer providing exact temperature control.

HISTORY

Slow cooking itself has been around for thousands of years in the form of cauldrons over fire pits and other low heat cooking methods. 

Low-temperature cooking has been used for a long time; evidence of its use can be found in indigenous cultures

Samoans and Tongans slow-cook meat in large pits for celebrations and ceremonies.

However, the technique was not scientifically examined until the 18th century, when Benjamin Thompson "described how he had left a joint of meat in a drying oven overnight and was amazed when, the next morning, he found that the meat was tender and fully cooked

Professor Nicholas  Kurti from the  University of  Oxford repeated these experiments in 1969, and

 showed that the temperature of Thompson's trial never exceeded 70 degrees Celsius. 

THE THEORY

Meat is cooked for four reasons:

—  to tenderise it,

—  to provide additional flavours,

—  to kill harmful bacteria, and

—  to kill parasites such as Trichinella Spiralis and Diphyllobothrium

 

All four can be achieved by cooking meat at high temperature for a short time,and also by cooking at low temperature for a long time. Each goal is achieved at a different temperature, and takes a different time to

achieve. The lower the temperature used, the longer the cooking time.An example of slow, long cooking is Southern pulled pork BBQ.

THE THEORY

THE  THEORY

Bacteria

Bacteria are typically killed at temperatures of around 68 °C (154 °F).

Most harmful bacteria live on the surface of pieces of meat (assuming the meat has not been ground or shredded before cooking). As a result, for unprocessed steaks or chops of red meat it is usually safe merely to bring the surface temperature of the meat to this temperature and hold it there for a few minutes.

Gravy

     Low-temperature cooking reduces the amount of fat and juices, normally used to make gravy, rendered  

out of the meat.

METHODS OF SLOW COOKING

Earth oven, ground oven or cooking pit is one of the  simplest and most  ancient cooking structures. At its most basic, an earth oven is a pit in the ground used to trap heat and bake, smoke, or steam food. Earth ovens have been used in many places and ultures in the past. Earth ovens remain a common tool for cooking large quantities of food where no equipment is available. They have been used in various civilizations around the world and are still  commonly found in the Pacific.

SLOW COOKER

Saves Time: One of the greatest benefits of cooking with a slow cooker is that it saves you time! You do not have to be cooking for hours to make a delicious meal. Simply place all the ingredients into the slow cooker, and let it do the magic while you carry about your daily business.

More uniformly cooked food: The food is more uniform in color and more juicy throughout; whereas at a higher temperature, the food is more gray and dry at the surface, there being a sharper contrast between the food near to the surface and that at the center of the cut.

SOUS VIDE

Sous-vide is a method of cooking in which food is sealed in a vacuum-s sealed plastic pouch then placed in a  water bath or in a temperature-controlled steam environment for longer than normal cooking times (usually 1 to 7 hours, up to 48 or more in some select cases) at an accurately regulated temperature much lower than normally used for cooking, typically around 55 to 60 °C (131 to

 140 °F) for meat and higher for vegetables. The intent is to cook the item evenly, ensuring that the inside is properly cooked without overcooking the outside, and retain moisture.

BARBEQUE

Barbeque is both a cooking method and an apparatus. Barbecuing is done slowly over low, indirect heat and the food is flavored by the smoking process, while grilling, a related process, is generally done quickly over moderate-to-high direct heat that hardly produces smoke.Barbecuing is usually done outdoors by smoking the meat over wood or charcoal.

MAORI HANGI

Hāngi is a traditional New Zealand Maori  method of cooking food using heated rocks buried in a pit oven. It is still used for special occasions.To "lay a hāngi" or "put down a hāngi" involves digging a pit in the ground, heating stones in the pit with a large fire, placing baskets of food on top of the stones, and covering everything with earth for several hours before uncovering (or lifting) the hāngi.

KALUA

Kālua is a Traditional Hawaiin cooking method that utilizes an imu, a type of underground oven. The word kālua, which literally means "to cook in an underground oven", may also be used to describe the food cooked in this manner, such as kālua pig or kālua turkey, which are commonly served at luao feasts.

Traditionally, a fire using 'Iliahi (sandalwood) is built in a dirt pit called the imu. The pit is usually about 6 feet (1.8 m) long, 4 feet (1.2 m) wide and 3 ft (90 cm) deep. Rocks are then placed in the pit to retain cooking heat long after the flames have burned down. Once the rocks have become extremely hot, the hole is lined with traditional vegetation, such as banana leaves.

 The meat to be cooked is salted, stuffed with more hot rocks, then wrapped with the banana leaves. To maintain even heating and to retain the meat's natural moisture, the meat is covered with wet burlap, then with a layer of sand or soil.

The meat is then left to cook in the pit for six to seven hours, absorbing smoke and steam from the koa wood and banana leaves. When the meat is fully cooked, it is removed from the imu and shredded. This is done to allow the melted fat to mix with the meat to help maintain its uniform consistency and flavor.

 DUM PUKHT

This is the frequently used method in Awadhi Cuisine. “DUM” literally means Breath and the process involves placing the semi-cooked ingredients in a pot, sealing the utensil with a flour dough and applying very slow charcoal fire on the top by placing live charcoal on the lid and some from below. This method is followed for a number of delicacies such as Pulao and Biryani.

Red cooking or Chinese stewing,red stewing, red braising and

 flavour potting,is a slow braising chinese cooking technique

 that imparts a red colour to  the prepared food.

There are two types of red cooking:

—  Hongshao  can be done in less than 20 minutes and usually does not require much water

—  Lu : usually requires prolonged cooking of up to several hours and the items must be submerged in the cooking liquid.

—  Soy Sauce, fermented bean paste,red fermented tofu or caramelised sugar is commonly used to give an appetising reddish brown hue and flavour to the items being cooked. Food coloring is sometimes added for a more intense red. Both lu and hongshao are forms of stewing and braising and are characterised by the use of soy sauce,rice wine (Shaoxing wine, huangjiu etc.) and caramelised sugar. Whole spices or five spice powder are crucial elements in these dishes.

—  Red-cooked stews may be heavy in meat content or contain a variety of meats, vegetables, and hard boiled eggs.

WEDDING  CABBAGE

Wedding cabbage , svadbarski kupus is a traditional Serbian dish. The main ingredients are cabbage and a meat, which could be pork, bacon , lamb or mutton. This dish is typically prepared by cooking it slowly for many hours in a big crock. It is traditionally served at weddings and other major events.

Slow Cooking Today

  

Slow cooking is more popular than its ever been. People are finding out that it is a very convenient way to eat healthy. In addition to this very slow cooking method, people are also finding out that they can make delicious food. By cooking the food slowly and covered, the juices and flavor don’t have a chance to escape. As a result the food is irresistibly tasty.

Slow Food organization was founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986.

SLOW FOOD MOVEMENT

Slow Food began in Italy with the founding of its forerunner organization, Agricola, in 1986 to resist the opening of a McDonald's near the Spanish Steps in Rome.

In 1989, the founding manifesto of the international Slow Food movement was signed in Paris, France by delegates from 15 countries.

At its heart is the aim to promote local foods and traditional gastronomy and food production. Conversely this means an opposition to fast food, industrial food production and globalisation.

AN INTERVIEW

Ø  Slow food preparation can be an additional burden to whoever prepares food?

A)That’s a Myth. People generally find reasons for not able to do things properly. As the name itself says, it definitely takes time, however, you are not needed to be there standing and watching it continuously. You can probably do a lot of your other things while the food is getting slow cooked. Its all about your time management.

AN INTERVIEW

Critics of slow food claim that it is elitist and effete, too expensive for ordinary people, just the latest trend among foodies and gourmands?

A) Well , you need to have the taste to eat good food. Its not about the trend or fashion. Good food is about using good ingredients, following the right recipes, cooking it in a way that we preserve the flavours, nutrition and get the right textures out. Slow food hasn’t started today but generations back. And yes ! Quality comes with a price. Its up to an individual to pay less and eat junk food or wait a little longer but eat a meal that he will remember for a life time.

VIEW POINT

Going to Bishop Cotton School, Shimla, India he never thought he would become a celebrity Chef, General Manager / VP of Tuli Group of Hotels. He has been dedicated to his profession for last 35 years starting from Taj Hotels.
He’s a graduate from Pusa, Delhi. He lives to eat, and is God for those who love to eat. He has been in the food industry for more than 35 years. Chef Khosla is a teacher,a chef a General Manager & Vice President  and Director Food of Hyderabad House.
As a new development in the food arena, he plans to share his multitude of ideas with Nagpur Today. We now have a way to access food wonders with the help of Chef Khosla’s most delicious recipes with the section called ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’.

WHY SLOW FOOD? – a conclusion

The Dangers of Cooking Food at a High Temperature

—  Scientific evidence shows that cooking various foods at high temperatures (as in grilling or frying) can remove the nutrients. This alteration of your food can ultimately make it toxic and create a potential for cancer if you eat that way regularly. Nevertheless, it hasn’t stopped the popularity of grilling and frying that we see at so many family barbecues. Many people simply don’t want to have to cook food for an extra half hour or an hour, particularly when there’s a family gathering.

—  Those who’ve tried slow cooking, however, will note that it better retains texture and flavor of the food.

Slow preserves the authenticity and originality of civilizations keeping in mind of the fast pace of modernization of the present century.

We believe that those things worth having are worth the wait.