4
About the Amount of Liquid to Use
Use as little liquid as possible since foods cook as fast or
faster and better in small amounts of water. When food is
cooked, if there is some liquid left, serve it with the food
or save it to use in other cooking. Many vitamins dissolve
in the cooking water and are lost if it is discarded or
drained off.
About Covers
A good fitting cover makes a utensil perform better. It
keeps temperatures in the pan more even and holds in
heat, odors and steam. Food can be cooked with less
water and will retain more vitamins. Cover pans when-
ever you can, so foods can cook with maximum speed
and minimum cleanup.
Utensils
When you are buying pans, look for utensils that are well
balanced so they do not tilt when only partially filled.
Remember too, that utensils cook best when nearly full
so choose sizes to fit the quantity of food you cook. Just
be sure the pan is not so small that you risk a spill-over.
Pan Materials
Pan materials have certain basic characteristics, some
can be drawbacks. While these characteristics cannot be
changed, utensils can be modified by combining materi-
als, using special coatings or other techniques.
Also, a particular characteristic is important for one type
of pan and not another. Good heat conductivity is very
important in a skillet, for example, but matters little in a
coffee pot.
Since the utensil is important in top burner cooking,
perhaps some basic information will be helpful. Remem-
ber that good quality utensils are the least expensive in
the long run.
Combinations of Materials
Combination pans - copper and stainless steel, stainless
clad aluminum, for example - have some of the proper-
ties of both metals. Generally speaking, they will conduct
heat as well as the predominant material and will require
the same care as the surface material.
Cooking
Controls
The burner control dials for each of the top burners are
on the control panel beside the burners. The control
panel is marked to show which burners the dials control.
Flame
The gas flame can be set at any desired height. After
lighting the burner you can set the flame at high, medium
or low by turning to the desired click position. The dial
can also be set between the clicks for precise flames.
What is the Right Flame Height?
Proper flame height depends on the utensil size and
material, what you are cooking, and whether you are
cooking with liquid. Here are some basic rules for
selecting flame height.
1.
The flame should never extend beyond the bottom of
the pan. Any larger flame is wasted heat and only
serves to heat the pan handles and the kitchen as
well as the food.
2.
Utensils which conduct heat slowly (stainless steel,
cast iron, enamel, glass and glass ceramic) should
be used with a low or medium flame unless you are
cooking with a liquid. With no liquid, a high flame,
and a pan material which transfers heat slowly, pan
temperatures can be very uneven. The pan will be
hot where the flame touches, but much cooler in
other spots. At a lower flame, the same utensil heats
gradually and much more evenly.
As a general rule, to fry in pans which conduct heat
slowly, adjust the burner to a low or medium flame,
about 1/3 the diameter of the pan. This takes a little
longer, but gives the best results. If you are boiling or
simmering, the liquid helps to conduct heat and keep
pan temperature even. Then you can use a higher
flame, but never higher than the bottom of the pan.
3.
Foods cook just as quickly at a gentle boil as at a
furious rolling boil - in both cases the water tempera-
ture is 212
°
. A high boil only creates steam in the
kitchen and cooks away moisture, flavor and nutri-
ents. Avoid it except for the few cooking processes
which need a vigorous boil.
