The Choice of Technique. Notwithstanding

Thomas’s cautionary advice about abnormal stimulation, most cookery has two simple goals: to control the temperature and to control the moisture content of foods to attain a desired result. Before considering the equipment and technique to be used, the cook must assess the characteristics of the raw ingredients. Only then can the cook decide, first, whether to use wet or dry heat and, second, whether to apply that heat directly (by submersion in a liquid or by contact with a heat-conducting metal) or indirectly (by contact with heated air). The answers dictate the cooking technique.