Concentration

When meat cooks by concentration, the juices are sealed inside. Roasting, sautéing, and grilling (covered in Session 8) are all methods of cooking by concentration. The meat must never be pricked or punctured when cooking or the essential juices will be released and the flavor and texture will be compromised.

When grilling, the grill must be absolutely clean, very hot, and lightly oiled. The item to be grilled should also be oiled to prevent sticking. Grilled items are usually marked with crisscross grill marks (quadrillage). This is accomplished by placing the item on the hot grill at a 30 degree angle, toward the right. The item is grilled without moving for a few minutes, or just until the grill marks are seared into the meat (or other item). The item is then turned at a 30 degree angle to the left and grilled without moving, just until the grill marks are seared into it. The process is then repeated on the opposite side of the item. Meat to be grilled should be brought to room temperature before being placed on the grill to ensure that it is does not remain cold in the center when cooked to rare and that the intense heat does not cook the exterior before the interior reaches the desired degree of doneness.