|
Cooking is the act of preparing food for consumption. The term is often
used in the narrower sense of applying heat in order to chemically transform a food, thus changing its flavor, texture,
appearance, or nutritional properties. When humans mastered fire thousands of years ago,
cooking became a widespread cultural feature. Cooking is the method often used to improve the flavour of foods by using
combinations of ingredients to provide the most pleasing taste.
Effects of cooking
Heating can disinfect the food (depending on temperature, cooking time, and technique used), in addition to softening the food
by turning collagen into gelatin. 45 to
140°F (or the roughly equivalent range 4 to 60°C) is the "danger zone" in which many food spoilage bacteria thrive, and which
must be avoided for safe handling of meat, poultry and dairy products. Refrigeration and freezing do not kill bacteria, but slow
their growth.
Living foods diet adherents advise against the use of heat in
the preparation of food: they believe that temperatures above 106°F (41°C) destroy essential enzymes in the food, which they believe are necessary for proper digestion and nutrition.
Cooking techniques
Some major hot cooking techniques:
Other (cool) preparation techniques
See also
Specific techniques and ingredients are often regional. See Cuisine for
information about the many regional and ethnic food traditions. Please see food
writing for some authors of books on cookery, food, and the history of food.
For recipes, see the list of recipes and the list of cocktails. Also see staple (cooking).
External link
|