What Food Can You Use For Poaching?

What food can you use for poaching?

If you are interested in healthy home cooking you already know that this cooking method yields healthy food. By cooking in a poaching pan or in a pressure cooker, you can bring out the natural flavors in most any type of food. Here are some suggestions for healthy food that can be cooked in a poacher.

Chicken and Fish Poaching

For proteins such as chicken and fish, try using a stock. Stock can be prepared in many ways, but you can make it using fresh herbs and high heat. Many people have a great fondness for stock. In this case it can be used as a stock in which to cook stock in. Use a covered dish, such as a baking dish, or pot, and place the lid so that the steam can be pulled up from the ingredients and served hot.

Poaching With Red Wine

For some foods, especially red wine or sauerkraut, cooking liquid can add flavor. This can be a delicious addition to soups, stews, and even chili. You can add wine to your cooking liquid in a couple of different ways. You can either let the liquid add flavor to the food to be cooked, or you can add the liquid directly to the food.

When using wine as a poaching agent, remember to keep internal temperatures high. Internal temperatures that are too high can scorch the outside of the chicken, while liquids that are too low can cook the insides of the bird, making them soft and fluffy. To avoid scorching, keep internal temperatures high and add liquids only to the center of the chicken, not to the drippings.

Poaching Eggs

In addition to adding flavor to the food, poaching eggs is also a great way to make an easy dinner. If eggs are not being used in the sauce, they can always be poached separately. The whites will still have a little bit of shape remaining, so you can use a fork to crack them. If using an egg poaching recipe, poaching eggs should take about twenty minutes. For a chicken meal, this time will vary, but you should keep an eye on the time to make sure your poached eggs are cooked through.

Vegetables Poaching

Some common foods that can be poached are vegetables. Because the liquids in which these foods are cooked are already flavorful, poaching them makes it easy to extract the wonderful flavors. Vegetables such as carrots can be soaked and shredded for added flavor, and also vegetables with green leaves can be added, as well. Even fruits can be added into a poaching process. Apples and pears work great, especially if they are frozen beforehand.

Tricks Of Poaching Cooking Method

It’s important to realize that poaching foods will usually result in an increase in temperature, which means cooking time may be increased. You will also want to pay attention to checking and removing any excess liquid before turning the heat on fully. Remember to follow all of the precautions listed in your cookware, including ensuring proper heat placement and waiting until the cooking temperature is achieved before testing to ensure that your foods are completely cooked through.

In order to get the most from your steaming or moist heat cooking, you will want to be sure to have your containers tightly sealed. You should also use a food thermometer to gauge the internal temperatures of the foods that you are planning to cook, because moisture will expand when heated, while solid food will contract. Keep in mind that you will likely need to cook foods on the bottom or inside of the container, so keep your hot objects on the side or top of the container. This will ensure that the best flavor will be released while still retaining the nutrients that were within the original package.