Simmering

Simmering is in effect much the same as poaching, but the term is used with regard to meat, and because of the coarser texture of meat it is often a prolonged operation. Simmering can take place on top of the stove or in a low oven, and is a term which applies equally to the slow process by which the juices are extracted from meat and vegetables in the preparation of broth, or the slow cooking which breaks down the fibres of meat in a stew or casserole, although this latter process is better known as stewing.