On food and cooking the science and lore of the kitchen ( PDFDrive ) 312

browning the meat on the stovetop in a hot pan), and then turning the thermostat down to cook the meat through more gently The Effects of Shielding and Basting At moderate and hot oven temperatures, the oven walls, ceiling, and floor radiate heat energy in significant amounts This means that if an object lies between the food and one of the oven surfaces, the food will receive less heat from that direction and will cook more slowly This shielding effect can be both a nuisance and a useful tool The pan underneath a roast slows the heating of the roast bottom, and the cook should turn the roast periodically to make sure that top and bottom receive equal amounts of heat But a sheet of aluminum foil deliberately placed over the meat will deflect a substantial portion of heat energy and thus slow the cooking of the whole roast So will basting with a water-containing liquid, which cools the meat surface as it evaporates The Challenge of Whole Birds Chickens, turkeys, and other meat birds are difficult to roast whole, because their two kinds of meat are best cooked differently The tender breast meat gets dry and tough if heated much above 155ºF/68ºC The leg meat is full of connective tissue, and is chewy if cooked to less than 165ºF/73ºC So usually the cook must choose: either the leg meat is sufficiently cooked and the breast meat dry, or the breast meat succulent and the leg meat gristly Cooks try to overcome this dilemma in many ways They turn the bird in various routines to expose the thigh joint to more heat They cover the breast with foil, or with wet cheesecloth, or strips of pork fat (“barding”), or baste it, all to slow its cooking They cover the breast with an ice pack and let the bird sit at room temperature for an hour, so that the legs start the cooking ... So usually the cook must choose: either the leg meat is sufficiently cooked and the breast meat dry, or the breast meat succulent and the leg meat gristly Cooks try to overcome this dilemma in many ways They turn the bird in various... are best cooked differently The tender breast meat gets dry and tough if heated much above 155ºF/68ºC The leg meat is full of connective tissue, and is chewy if cooked to less than 165ºF/73ºC So usually the cook must choose:.. .the meat surface as it evaporates The Challenge of Whole Birds Chickens, turkeys, and other meat birds are difficult to roast whole, because their two kinds of meat are best cooked differently