Braising

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Braising

Braising (from the French

French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
“braiser”), is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavour. Braising of meat is often referred to as pot roasting, though some authors make a distinction between the two methods based on whether or not additional liquid is added.

Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to successfully break down tough connective tissue and collagen

Collagen

Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content....
s in meat

Meat

In modern English usage, meat most often refers to animal biological tissue used as food, mostly skeletal muscle and associated fat, but it may also refer to offal, including livers, skin, brains, bone marrow, kidneys, in some countries lungs, and a variety of other internal organs as well as blood....
; making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts.

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Braising (from the French

French language

Collagen

Collagen is the main protein of connective tissue in animals and the most abundant protein in mammals, making up about 25% to 35% of the whole-body protein content....
s in meat

Meat

Coq au vin

Coq au vin is a France fricassee of rooster cooked with wine, lardons, Edible mushroomss, and optionally garlic. Older roosters are traditionally used because they contain a lot of connective tissue, which creates a richer broth when cooked....
are highly-evolved methods of cooking tough and otherwise unpalatable foods. Pressure cooking and slow cooking (e.g., crockpots) are forms of braising.

Most braises follow the same basic steps. The food to be braised (meat, poultry

Poultry

Poultry is the category of domesticated birds which some people keep for the purpose of collecting their egg , or kill for their meat and/or feathers....
, but also vegetables or mushrooms) is first seared in order to brown its surface and enhance its flavor. If the food will not produce enough liquid of its own, a small amount of cooking liquid that often includes an acid

Acid

An acid is traditionally considered any chemical compound that, when dissolved in water, gives a solution with a hydrogen ion Activity greater than in pure water, i.e....
ic element, such as tomato

Tomato

The Tomato is an herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, as are its close cousins Nicotiana, potatoes, aubergine , chilli peppers, and the poisonous Atropa belladonna....
es, beer

Beer

Beer is the world's oldest and most widely consumed alcoholic beverage and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and Fermentation of starches, mainly derived from cereal?the most common of which is malted barley, although wheat, maize , and rice are widely used....
, or wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage often made of fermentation grape juice. The natural chemical balance of grapes is such that they can ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes or other nutrients....
, is added to the pot, often with stock

Stock (food)

Stock is a flavoured liquid. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces. Stock is prepared by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following:...
. The dish is cooked covered at a very low simmer

Simmering

Simmering is a cooking technique in which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept at or just barely below the boiling point of water , 100Celsius ....
until the meat is fork tender. Often the cooking liquid is finished to create a sauce

Sauce

In cooking, a sauce is liquid or sometimes semi-solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not normally consumed by themselves; they add flavor, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish....
or gravy

Gravy

Gravy is a sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking. It is a smooth, non-chunky liquid. Ready-made bouillon cube and powders can be used as a substitute for natural meat or vegetable extracts....
.

Sometimes foods with high water content (particularly vegetables) can be cooked in their own juices and no extra liquid is required.

A successful braise intermingles the flavours of the foods being cooked and the cooking liquid. Also, the dissolved collagens and gelatin

Gelatin

Gelatin is a translucent, colorless, brittle, nearly tasteless solid, derived from the collagen inside animals' skin and mostly bones. It has been commonly used as a gelling agent in food, pharmaceutical, photography, and cosmetic manufacturing....
s from the meat enrich and add body to the liquid. Braising is economical, as it allows the use of tough and inexpensive cuts, and efficient, as it often employs a single pot to cook an entire meal.

Familiar braised dishes include pot roast

Pot roast (beef)

File:Seasoned_Pot_Roast.jpg#fileFile:Potroast.JPG#filePot roast is a braised beef dish. Pot roast is typically made by browning a roast-sized piece of beef to induce a Maillard reaction, then slow-cooking in an Acidulated water in a covered dish....
, beef stew, Swiss steak

Swiss steak

Swiss steak is a method of preparing meat, usually beef, by means of rolling or pounding, and then braising in a cooking pot, either on a stove or in an oven....
, chicken cacciatore, goulash

Goulash

Goulash is a dish, originally from Cuisine of Hungary, a stew or a soup, usually made of beef, red onions, vegetables, spices and ground paprika powder....
, Carbonade Flamande, braised tilapia

Tilapia

'Tilapia' is the Common name#Biological common names for nearly a hundred species of cichlid fish from the tilapiine cichlid tribe . Tilapias inhabit a variety of fresh water and, less commonly, brackish water habitats from shallow streams and ponds through to rivers, lakes, and estuaries....
, beef bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon

Beef Bourguignon is a well-known, traditional French cuisine. It is essentially a stew prepared with beef braised in red wine and beef broth, generally flavoured with garlic, onions, carrots, and a bouquet garni, and garnished with pearl onions and mushrooms....
and Moroccan tajine

Tajine

A tajine or tagine is a type of dish found in the North African cuisines of Morocco, which is named after the special pot in which it is cooked....
s, among others. Braising is also used extensively in the cuisines of Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, particularly Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine originated from the various regions of China and has become widespread in many other parts of the world ? from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa....
.

Braising

See also