Boiling

This is the simplest method of cooking: all that is required is a pot of water, often salted, or a flavoured liquid, such as stock, and a heat source. When boiling, the surface of the food is totally surrounded by a rapidly moving liquid at 100°C. This is the most efficient method of cooking vegetables, but is unsuitable for meat, poultry and fish, all of which require a slower injection of heat to break down their fibres.