Simmer, poach, boil, saute...all cooking terms we hear from early in the learning stages of cooking but what is the difference between them all? Read almost any stove top recipe which involves a liquid and you’ll likely see an instruction to simmer at some point in the directions. In order to know how to simmer one must understand what a simmer is. Simmering is a cooking technique which is gentler than boiling. It is a method of cooking food in a liquid of some type or cooking the liquid itself, depending on the recipe. The temperature for a simmer is lower than a boil but higher than poaching. A poaching method is done between 165 and 185 degrees, simmering is at the next increment of temperatures between 185 degrees and the 212 degree point of boiling. http://www.foodreference.com/html/a-simmering-101.html

Knowing the temperature of simmering seems simple but recognizing it may be a bit more difficult. A boil rolls and can be easily seem. A simmer is a gentler cooking of the liquid. It involves just a few bubbles coming through the liquid. The bubbles should come through every few seconds and if not the heat should be turned up a bit. This may mean reducing the heat of a burner from medium high where the boil occurred to a medium low, or in some cases all the way to a low point on the stove gauge. If the liquid continues to cook to hot, the pan may have to be adjusted in location and only heated by part of the burner.

Simmering is used to break down tougher meats and vegetables. t is not used for a thinner softer cut of meat or softer vegetables. Simmering of these foods would break them apart to quickly. Foods simmer in a liquid for a given reason, either to cook the tough food, or perhaps to reduce the liquid in volume amount or to develop a thickener once it is added to the liquid.

Hard root vegetables often need to simmer to be tender enough to eat. The same applies to tougher cuts of meats. The item itself determines how long the simmer needs to be. For instance, softer spinach does not simmer as long as collard greens which are tougher. A potato, if simmered, needs a longer cook time than a green bean but less than a pinto or a hard shelled bean. Meats of tougher cuts, need to be cut in smaller pieces for the simmer to be effective and help make them easier to consume by breaking down the connective tissue. http://www.foodreference.com/html/a-simmering-101.html http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-class-boiling-and-simmering-00400000001032/page2.html

Using simmering to cook tough proteins is a good solution to making them edible. While boiling can make tougher meats dry and even tougher to chew, simmering them slowly for an extended period and making sure the liquid keeps them covered can make the meats and fibrous vegetables tenderer and easier to consume.

Sauces are also often simmered for extending flavor and maintaining their heat until needed in a further recipe or serving event. Simmered fruits work with a prepared sauce as a liquid and may cook the liquid longer than the fruit itself. Cooking the fruit for an extended period may break the fruit down to much to serve.

A simmer usually follows a full boil. After boiling the heat is reduced until the liquid only shows bubbles coming to the surface every few seconds. If the liquid continues to bubble significantly it is still at a boiling stage and is to hot to accomplish the tenderizing and gentle cooking a simmer should offer. The heat must be further reduced or the pan shifted to not absorb so much heat.

A simmered liquid can be used to [[how to make a chicken stock|make a stock] by cooking meat and bones and removing the items as they float to the top. This simmering method separates the fat and the meat proteins which are broken down. These should be removed if the broth is to be used as they will make the broth cloudy and greasy. The break down of proteins in the meat is a part of the simmering process.

To learn to simmer, it is easiest to test your stove using a pot of water. This method doesn’t cost anything and allows you to test what temperature your stove should be set at to move from a boil down to a simmer and how long the reduction in heat takes. Gas burners cool down much faster than an electric one. If your stove is overly hot and will not reduce to a simmer, you may consider buying simmer rings which allow the heat to be diffused so the product being cooked does not over heat.http://www.amazon.com/Maxi-Aids-Flame-Tamer-Simmer-Ring/dp/B00012K5P2 http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-class-boiling-and-simmering-00400000001032/page2.html

Simmering food is cooked in liquid. The liquid may be water if the flavor of the food is to stand on its own or it can be other flavors to enhance the food. A vegetable or a meat can be simmered in a stock or a broth for more flavors. Before adding meat to a broth, start with a cold liquid. If you add meat to a hot liquid, it breaks down the proteins fast and makes your broth cloudy and will require straining and skimming to restore the appearance of the dish. http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking-101/techniques/cooking-class-boiling-and-simmering-00400000001032/page2.html

Juices make good simmering liquids for fruits and can be used as a part of the sauce for the fruit when it is served. For vegetables, a broth or stock with added herbs and seasonings are good. Soy sauce can be used as the liquid, apple ciders, vinegars, and even coke or sprite can be simmering liquids. Wines and beers can be used as simmering liquids. Alcohols may be used in recipes but the simmering is done to cook off the alcohol and leave the flavor with the food.http://simplycooking.wordpress.com/2008/02/10/simmering-a-technique-for-cooking-flavorful-vegetables/