About Steve Hanagan Expertise My emphasis is on selecting the highest quality ingredients and preparing them to perfection. Meat specialties include beef, pork, chicken, turkey, and lamb.
Experience I am a self-taught chef who continues to upgrade my skills in all aspects of food preparation. Though I have never worked professionally, I have 20 years of extensive experience in serving crowds from 6 to 125.
Question How do you cook fish without using heat?
Why do we marinate meat in vinegar?
How do you cook without heat?
Answer You don't "cook" without using heat. However, as you are clearly implying, you can prepare some foods by use of common food acids. Ceviche (Seveche or Seviche by some), refers to a style of food preparation using citric acid found in limes and lemons and which is sometimes used with vinegar to prepare seafood dishes. It doesn't really "cook" the food, but the chemical reaction that occurs does make the food appear to be cooked as if by heat.
You marinate meat in vinegar (and other acids like the limes and lemons) to either flavor the food, or to help break down the chemical structure of the food in order to help different texture in the meat or, in some cases, help tenderize it.
