The strategies of cooking with moist warmth, that’s, by way of the medium of water, are boiling, simmering, steaming, dry steaming, and braizing. In each one in every of these processes, the impact of moist warmth on meals is solely totally different from that of dry warmth. Nonetheless, the tactic to be chosen relies upon to an ideal extent on the quantity of water that the meals accommodates. To some meals a lot water have to be added within the cooking course of; to others, solely slightly or none in any respect. If meals shouldn’t be positioned instantly in giant or small portions of water, it’s cooked by contact with steam or in a utensil that’s heated by being positioned in one other containing boiling water, as, for instance, a double boiler.

As water is such an necessary think about cooking with moist warmth, one thing regarding its nature and use needs to be understood. Subsequently, earlier than contemplating the moist-heat cooking processes intimately, the operate of water within the physique and in cooking and in addition the sorts of water are mentioned.

FUNCTION OF WATER IN THE BODY.–Water provides no vitality to the physique, but it surely performs an important half in diet. In truth, its explicit operate within the physique is to behave as a solvent and a provider of nutritive materials and waste. In doing this work, it retains the liquids of the physique correctly diluted, will increase the movement of the digestive juices, and helps to hold off waste materials. Nonetheless, its means to carry out these crucial features in the best manner is determined by its high quality and its security.

KINDS OF WATER.–Water is both arduous or smooth. Because it falls from the clouds, it’s pure and smooth till it is available in contact with gases and solids, that are dissolved by it and alter its character. It’s positively recognized that the final of the water that falls in a bathe is a lot better than the primary, as the primary cleanses not solely the air, however the roofs and different issues with which it is available in contact. In passing by way of sure sorts of soil or over rocks, water dissolves a few of the minerals which might be contained there and is thus modified from smooth to arduous water. If sewage drains right into a properly or water provide, the water is liable to include micro organism, which is able to render it unfit and unsafe for ingesting till it’s sterilized by boiling. In addition to rain water and distilled water, there’s none that’s solely smooth; all different waters maintain sure salts in resolution to a better or much less diploma.

The standard of hardness, which is current in practically all water, is both momentary or everlasting. Water is quickly arduous when it accommodates soluble lime, which is precipitated, that’s, separated from it, upon boiling. Each housewife who makes use of a teakettle is accustomed to this situation. The lime precipitated day after day clings to the perimeters of the vessel through which the water is boiled, and in time they turn out to be very thickly coated. Everlasting hardness is brought on by different compounds of lime that aren’t precipitated by boiling the water. The one manner through which to melt such water is so as to add to it an alkali, reminiscent of borax, washing soda, or bicarbonate of soda.

USES OF WATER IN COOKING.–It’s the solvent, or dissolving, energy of water that makes this liquid beneficial in cooking, however of the 2 varieties, smooth water is preferable to arduous, as a result of it possesses better solvent energy. This is because of the truth that arduous water has already dissolved a specific amount of fabric and can subsequently dissolve much less of the meals substances and flavors when it’s used for cooking functions than smooth water, which has dissolved nothing. It’s recognized, too, that the flavour of such drinks as tea and low is commonly enormously impaired by means of arduous water. Dried beans and peas, cereals, and hard cuts of meat is not going to prepare dinner tender so readily in arduous water as in smooth, however the addition of a small quantity of soda in the course of the cooking of those meals will help in softening them.

Water is utilized in cooking mainly for extracting flavors, as within the making of espresso, tea, and soups; as a medium for carrying flavors and meals in such drinks as lemonade and cocoa; for softening each vegetable and animal fiber; and for cooking starch and dissolving sugar, salt, gelatine, and so forth. In undertaking a lot of this work, water acts as a medium for conveying warmth.