What is the primary method of cooking used in Étuver?

Étuver is a French cooking technique that involves gently cooking foods—typically vegetables, meats, or fish—with a small amount of liquid in a covered pot. The primary method of cooking in this technique is steaming, which allows the food to cook slowly and preserves its moisture and flavor without losing nutrients.

This method is characterized by low heat and minimal added liquid, leading to a tender result without the food being submerged in the cooking medium. The steam generated from the small amount of liquid helps to cook the food uniformly while also imparting flavors if herbs or aromatics are included. This is fundamentally different from methods such as boiling, where food is cooked in a large volume of water, or roasting and baking, which involve dry heat and higher temperatures. Thus, steaming is the most accurate choice to describe the primary cooking method in Étuver.