Sautéing
One of the easiest things to learn is the method used in cooking is called sautéing. Using a skillet with high temperatures and very little cooking oil, usually olive oil, both meats and vegetables can be sautéed quickly and easily. Using the sauté method of cooking helps to preserve the natural flavors of the foods you are cooking, as well as capturing the nutrients in food. By simply adding some herbs and spices you can create many different flavors in your dish.
Searing
The practice of searing meat before it is cooked is used to seal the outer edges of the meat on all sides to keep the flavorful juices inside as the meat is baked or roasted. Using a hot skillet and a touch of oil, you essentially brown the meat on every side. This cauterizes the meat and seals the natural flavors inside. This can be done with beef, pork, chicken, venison and most other kinds of meat. This is the best way to ensure your cut of meat is moist and tasty after it is fully cooked and it arrives on your dinner table.
Roasting
Often after searing meat it is usually roasted to finish cooking through to your desired doneness. Roasting is usually done in the oven and depending on the size of the cut of meat and type of meat you are using, it can take a long time to bake. A slower cook time produces a perfectly finished main dish, and because it has been seared, it is usually very moist and delicious. Using a very heavy roasting pan, such as one made from cast iron will help keep the meat moist during the longer baking time. Additionally, when roasting meats you can add several vegetables to the roasting pan and cook them all together. The vegetables soak in the juices that do escape from the meat to give them a meaty flavor.
Broiling
Another very popular cooking technique that can be very fast and it can turn a good cut of meat into a delicious dinner, is broiling. Broiling will usually involve marinating the meat in a flavor rich sauce for as little as two hours but can be soaked for as many as twenty-four hours. Marinades can be made from almost any flavorful spice, herb or sauce and is usually a combination of all of them. Stabbing the meat with a fork will allow the flavors to completely infiltrate the meat and help it maintain the flavors in your marinade. To broil is to cook with high heat from a source above the meat. Meat broils very quickly and needs to be watched very carefully.
These are the most common ways of cooking and are also among the easiest ways to prepare a meal. Hopefully these cooking methods will get you well on your way to making wonderfully delicious meals for your family and friends.