A method of cooking food in a closed vessel with very little liquid at a low temperature and for a long time. Braising is used mostly for the tougher cuts of meat, certain vegetables (cabbage, chicory (endive), artichokes and lettuce) and large poultry.

Baising is also the method of cooking certain firm-fleshed fish (monkfish, carp and salmon): the fish is poached in the oven, in a small amount of liquid containing herbs and basted during the cooking.

The purpose of braising is to cook meat that is too tough to roast but does not need to be cut into small pieces. Also to tenderise vegetables which contain tough cellulose. Braising like stewing is a long slow process which converts and softens the collagen, it also retains water soluble vitamins and minerals. Rice can be braised when the liquor eg stock is to be absorbed. Large cuts of offal are also appropriate for braising.

There are two main methods of braising: Brown Braising where the food is browned beforehand and dark ingredients such as brown stock or other red meat, or red wine are used; White Braising where the food is blanched, refreshed and cooked in a white liquid such as white stock.

Braising joints are often ready barded or pricked and marinated beforehand. First of all the joint is fried in fat and sometimes allowed to brown. It is then cooked with a mirepoix. The initial frting concentrates the juices in the joint and the subsequent addition of liquid the allows them to draw out. Because the cooking takes place in a closed vessel and the action of the heat is long and continuuous, a concentrated sauce is obtained that is full of flavour.

When the food to be braised contains a lot of water (particularly vegetables), it cooks in its own juices and no extra liquid is added.

The cooking liquid is chosen according to the type of food that is to be braised: it may be a strained marinade, white wine (for fish), red wine (for red meat), or meat or fish stock. Sometimes a few chopped tomatoes alone provide sufficient moisture for braising. However, the liquid added at the beginning is not sufficient to maintain the level of humidity required for long cooking (sometimes joints of meat require a cooking time of five to six hours). In this case, liquid must be added during cooking: it must be at the same temperature and should be added gradually and in small quantities, so that the joint does not "drown" (in which case it would begin to boil).

Attention Points:
1. Use thick bottomed pans or ovenproof dishes with tight fitting lid. Bratt pans and jacket boilers are sometimes used.
2. Preheat oven - braising takes place at about 170°C.
3. Prepare the base Vegetables (Mirepoix).
4. Add carefully prepared main food item (if brown braising vegetables and meat are browned beforehand) then add liquid to ... of height of food.
5. Bring to boil, skim, cover, and transfer to oven.
6. Baste as appropriate checking temperature and quantity of liquid.
7. When cooked remove food, place in warm oven/hot cupboard, strain cooking liquor, thicken if white braising with cornflour, arrowroot, or beurre manié. correct seasoning, degrease.
8. Carve Meats in 5cm (1/4 inch slices), arrange in serving dish or on plate and lightly cover with sauce to prevent drying out.

When cooking was carried out directly on the hearth, braising meant cooking slowly in the hot embers. The cooking container had a lid with a rim on which embers could be placed, so that the heat came from both above and below.