Cooking with Heat

Lessons

1. 01

   The Centre Cooks Last

   See why heat reaches the middle of food last, check the thickest part properly and keep raw juices off food that won’t be cooked.

   13 steps
2. 02

   Three Ways Heat Gets In

   Tell conduction, convection and radiation apart by what they do to food, and use that to choose and control a cooking method.

   11 steps·Builds on The Centre Cooks Last
3. 03

   Cool, Store and Reuse

   Get cooked food cold quickly, know how long it keeps and reheat it once, properly.

   12 steps·Builds on The Centre Cooks Last, Three Ways Heat Gets In
4. 04

   Choosing a Pan

   Understand how a pan stores and spreads heat, pick the right one for the job and handle hot oil safely.

   10 steps·Builds on Three Ways Heat Gets In
5. 05

   Browning and Flavour

   Understand why browning needs a dry surface well above boiling, and use it for flavour without burning the food.

   10 steps·Builds on Three Ways Heat Gets In
6. 06

   Why Crowded Pans Steam

   See where the pan’s heat goes when food is wet, and get a steaming, crowded pan browning again.

   10 steps·Builds on Browning and Flavour
7. 07

   Controlling the Pan

   Start the pan right, read what it tells you as you cook, and use resting without counting on it for safety.

   9 steps·Builds on Choosing a Pan, Why Crowded Pans Steam, The Centre Cooks Last
8. 08

   Low and Slow

   Understand why tough cuts need hours of gentle heat, why a simmer beats a boil, and why dried kidney beans need a hard boil first.

   10 steps·Builds on Browning and Flavour, Why Crowded Pans Steam, The Centre Cooks Last
9. 09

   Salt Moves Water

   Use salt to pull water out of food when you want it gone, and hold back when you don’t.

   8 steps·Builds on The Centre Cooks Last, Why Crowded Pans Steam
10. 10

    Salting Meat Ahead

    Understand what salt does inside meat over hours in the fridge, when salting ahead helps and when to skip it.

    10 steps·Builds on Salt Moves Water, Why Crowded Pans Steam, The Centre Cooks Last
11. 11

    Oil, Water and Emulsifiers

    Understand why dressings split and what holds them together, from mustard in a vinaigrette to butter in a warm sauce.

    10 steps·Builds on The Centre Cooks Last
12. 12

    Rescuing a Split Sauce

    Tell a split sauce from a thinned one, rebuild it from a fresh base, and keep a warm butter sauce from breaking.

    8 steps·Builds on Oil, Water and Emulsifiers, Cool, Store and Reuse
13. 13

    Cook Once, Eat Twice

    Batch-cook a bean chilli with rice on Sunday and get three good, safe meals from it, from the first fry to Wednesday’s lunch.

    11 steps·Builds on The Centre Cooks Last, Three Ways Heat Gets In, Cool, Store and Reuse, Why Crowded Pans Steam, Salt Moves Water, Low and Slow