Cooking

Cooking is generally understood to be the transfer of heat into food items to render
these more palatable, easier digestible and overall speaking, to improve their
bacteriological and tasteful aspects.
There are four important reasons why we cook food:
To improve the appearance, flavor and taste of food and also helps to develop,
blend or alter flavors
To bring about structural changes in food. Meat fibers are tenderized and the
cellulose in vegetables and fruits is softened so that they are easier to chew and
digest
To stimulate the appetite and the digestive juices. It gives food an attractive
appearance, aroma and taste
To improve the keeping quality of food. It destroys some of the harmful microorganisms such as yeasts, and bacteria that are naturally present
Heat Transfer
In order for food to be cooked, heat must be transferred from a heat source (such as
a gas flame or an electric element) to and through the food.
Heat is transferred in three ways:
Conduction - Heat conducted by fire, hot plate, griddle plate, pot/pan, or grill.
Convection - Heat conducted by hot air, dry and wet steam, water, and oil, as in a
steamer or convection oven.
Radiation - Heat conducted by infrared heat or microwaves, as in a broiler,
salamander, or microwave oven.
Cooking Methodology
Cooking methods are classified as moist heat and dry heat.
Moist heat methods are those in which the heat is conducted to the food product by
water (including stock, sauces, etc) or by steam.
Dry heat methods are those in which the heat is conducted without moisture that is
by hot air, hot metal, radiation or hot fat.
Moist-Heat Methods
There are number of Moist-Heat Methods. The following section will describe some
of them one by one.
Boiling
To boil means to cook the product fully submerged in liquid that is bubbling rapidly
and is greatly agitated. Boiling is generally reserved for certain vegetables and
starches. The high temperature would toughen the proteins of meats, fish and eggs
and the rapid bubbling breaks up delicate foods.
Poaching
To poach means to cook in a liquid, usually a small amount that is hot but not
actually bubbling. Temperature is about 71 C to 82C. Poaching is used to cook
delicate foods in a minimum amount of liquid in order to conserve flavor and
nutritive value such as fish and eggs out of the shell.
Stewing
This is the slow cooking of food (simmering) in the smallest quantity of water, stock
or sauce in a pan with a tight fitting lid. The cooking temperature is in the range of
120 C - 140 C for better uniformity in cooking, the food is always cut up into small

equal sizes and the liquid is always served together so as to provide moisture and
taste.

Let us have a look at the Dry Heat cookery methods.

Dry heat Cookery Methods

In dry heat cooking methods, the food being cooked does not use water to cook the food. The food
is left dry and heat is applied to cook the food. Such methods of cooking are: baking, steaming,
grilling, and roasting. When heat is applied to the food, the food cooks in its own juice or the water
added to the food during its preparation evaporates during the heating process and this cooks the
food. Heat is applied directly to the food by way of convection thus making the food to get cooked.
The action or movement of air around the food, cooks it. Let us now have a look at each of these
cooking methods

Baking

In baking method of cooking, the food is cooked using convection heating. The food is put into an
enclosed area where heat is then applied and the movement of heat within the confined space, acts
on the food that make it get cooked.

Steaming

To steam food, water is added to a pot and then a stand is placed inside the pot. The water level
should be under the stand and not above it. There is no contact between the food and the water that
is added to the pot. Food is then placed on the stand and heat is applied. The hot steam rising from
the boiling water acts on the food and the food gets cooked. It is the hot steam that cooks the food,
as there is no contact between the food and the water inside the pot. This method of cooking for
vegetables is very good as the food does not lose its flavour and much of the nutrients are not lost
during the cooking.

Grilling

There are two methods of grilling that are used these days. One type of grilling is the one that is
commonly used by the people in the village. This is when food is cooked over hot charcoal on an
open fire. The food is placed on top of the burning charcoal. Sometimes people improvise by using
wire mesh and place it over the open fire to grill fish or vegetables. The other method is using grills
that are inbuilt in stoves. In this method, the griller, which has a tray, is heated up and the food is
placed on the grill tray to cook. The heat can be gas-generated or electric-generated depending on
the type of stove used. The food is again left to cook on the grill with the doors of the grill open.
People who can afford to buy a stove would use the grilling part to grill their food. What happens in
this type of cooking is the heat seals the outside part of the food and the juice inside the food cooks
it. The flavour of the food is not lost and much of the nutrients are not lost either. Food is frequently
turned over to prevent it from burning and to ensure that equal heating and cooking time is applied to
both sides of the food. By doing this, the food is cooked evenly and thoroughly.

Roasting

With roasting, direct heat is applied to the food. The heat seals the outside part of the food and the
juice inside the food cooks the food. Roasting is mainly used when cooking fleshy food like fish,
meat or chicken. When heat is applied to the outer covering of the food, it seals it up thereby
trapping all the juices inside the food. The action of direct heating, heats up the juices inside the
food, which then cooks the food. Again there is very little nutrient lost and the flavour is not spoilt.
Food is frequently rotated over the spit so that there is even heating applied to all parts of the food.
This is so that heat is applied evenly to the food to make it get cooked properly.
Moist Heat Cookery Methods In moist heat cookery methods, liquid is used as a medium to cook
the food. Such medium could be water, coconut cream or oil. These liquids are added to the food
before heat is applied to it or sometimes heat is applied to the liquid before the food is added into the
cooking utensils to be cooked. The moist heat cookery methods include: boiling, stewing, shallow
frying, deep frying, barbequing and basting. All these moist heat cooking methods use liquid to cook
the food in.

Boiling

This is the most common method of cooking and is also the simplest. With this method of cooking,
enough water is added to food and it is then cooked over the fire. The action of the heated water

makes the food to get cooked. The liquid is usually thrown away after the food is cooked. In the case
of cooking rice, all the water is absorbed by the rice grains to make it get cooked. During the heating
process, the nutrients can get lost or destroyed and the flavour can be reduced with this method of
cooking. If you over cooked cabbage, all the nutrients can get lost.

Stewing

In the process of cooking using the stewing method, food is cooked using a lot of liquid. Different
kinds of vegetables are chopped, diced or cubed and added to the pot. Sometimes pieces of
selected meat, fish or chicken is also chopped and added to the stew. The liquid is slightly thickened
and stewed food is served in that manner. This method is also used when preparing fruits that are
going to be served as desserts. With this cooking method, every food is cooked together at the same
time in one pot. The flavour, colours, shapes and textures of the different vegetables that are used,
makes stewing a handy method of cooking. The only disadvantage is that some of the vegetables
might be overcooked and thus the nutrient content becomes much less. It is therefore important that
the vegetables that take the longest to cook to be put into the pot first and the ones that need least
cooking to be put in last. In this way much of the nutrient contents of the food does not get lost.

Frying

When food is fried using oil or solid fat it is important that you observe some rules in handling oil or
fat. Simple rules to follow when frying: 1.Make sure there is enough oil or fat put in the frying pan or
a deep frying pan. 2.The food to be cooked must not have water dripping from it. This is because
when water comes into contact with hot oil or fat, you will have the oil sizzling and spitting out of the
pan, which could burn your skin if you are not careful. 3.Put the food into the hot oil carefully. Try not
to make a big splash as the oil could burn your skin. 4.The oil of fat should be heated to the right
temperature before putting food into the pan to be fried. If the food is put in when the oil or fat is not
heated to the right temperature, the food will soak up the oil and you will have food that is all oily or
greasy. If the oil or fat is over heated, you will end up with food that is burnt. Sometimes the food
especially doughnuts will turn brown on the outside but the dough inside is uncooked. To cook food
using the frying method, there are two ways of doing it. There is the shallow frying and the deep
frying methods.

Shallow Frying

In shallow frying, food is cooked in a frying pan with a little amount of oil or fat. The oil or fat is
heated to the correct amount and the food is put into the heated oil. The food is turned over a few
minutes or is stirred around a couple of times before it is cooked and dished out. If patties, potato
chips or coated foods are fried, it is best to put a piece of brown paper or paper napkin inside the
tray to soak up any oil from the food before serving it.

Deep Frying

This is when a lot of oil or fat is used in cooking the food. The oil or fat is usually put into a deep pan
and is heated to boiling point. Food is then put into the hot boiling oil and is cooked in that way. Such
food as fish fingers, potato chips, meat balls, and dough nuts to name a few, are cooked using the
deep frying method.

Barbequing

The method of cooking food by barbequing is usually associated with fund raising activities, parties
or picnics. It is most suitable to cooking meat cutlets, fish or chicken pieces. The food is usually
marinated with spices and tenderizers (for meat cuts) for sometime before it is cooked. With this
method of cooking, a sheet of metal with stands is heated up and oil is used to cook the food. A
sufficient amount of oil is heated up and food is added. The food is then turned over a couple of
times before it is dished out.

Basting

This method of cooking is usually associated with roasting. The juice or liquid that comes out of the
meat being cooked is spooned over the roast frequently while it is being roasted. The outer part of
the meat is moistened frequently during the cooking process with the juice that is being spooned
over. Usually, the extra juice from the cooked meat is added to a mixture to make the meat sauce.


Wooden Spoon
Used for mixing and when cooking and stirring
hot foods

Slotted Spoon
Used to stir foods that are in liquids and to
separate the solid foods from the liquids when
serving

Wire Wisk
to whip eggs or cream or add air to a batter. Not
used with thick mixtures


Rubber Scraper or Rubber Spatula
Used for mixing, folding soft ingredients and to
remove ingredients from a bowl or plate

Turner or spatula
used to flip flapjacks or burgers or serve bars and
cake

Peeler
Tool to remove the outer layer of fruits and veg

Chef's Knife
All purpose large knife used to slice, mince, chop,
cube and dice.

Paring kife
All purpose small knife used as an extension of
the hand for small cuts, garnishes, paring or
coring

Butcher's Knife
specialty knife used when cutting meats because
of its thicker broad blade

Serrated Knife
knife that has a carved or hollowed out blade
edge for use in cutting foods that are firm on the
outside yet soft inside


Pastry Blender
Hand held utensil used to "cut" firm shortening or
butter into small pieces while mixing with flour
mixtures which is the first step in making most
pastry

Rotary Mixer or beater

tool used to speedily mix or whip ingredients. ...
the fore-runner of the electric mixer

Rolling Pin
tool used to flatten dough for rolls, pizza, cookies
or crusts


Pizza Cutter
cutting tool useful for cutting noodles, doughs,
cooked pizza, etc

2 or 3 tined fork or Barbeque Fork

Large fork with a heavy handle used for
skewering meats or large pieces of food while
they are hot

Metal Spatula
small utensil like a knife but used often to spread
frosting, level dry ingredients when measuring or
slice butter


can opener
device used to cut open metal cans using 2
blades and a rotating handle device

Strainer or Sieve
wire mesh container that is used to strain liquids
away from solid ingredients or to separate and
aerate dry ingredients like flour and powdered
sugar

Colander
A bowl with holes to allow liquids to pass through.
Used for separating solid materials from liquids
and washing veg and fruits


Cookie Scoop
size of scoop used for making drop cookies, mini
muffins or cupcakes.

Pastry Brush
tool used for basting baked goods with melted
butter or brushing on glazes

Measuring spoons
utensils for measuring small amounts of both dry
and liquid ingredients accurately


Dry Measuring Cups
utensils for measuring various amounts of dry or
sticky ingredients accurately. They must be filled
to the top and leveled off.

Kitchen Shears
tool used to cut foods and materials used in the
kitchen

Liquid or Glass Measuring Cup

utensil to accurately measure liquid volume of
ingredients. Often in both metric and American
units


Custard Cup
small glass bowl handy in the kitchen for
breaking an egg, holding small amounts of
ingredients or for small mixing jobs

Sifter
small device used to move dry ingredients across
a screen area to remove any lumps and mix and
aerate them

Grater

A cutting tool used to shred or grate foods like

potatoes, cabbage, cheese or if the surface is
fine, to zest lemons or ginger

Blender
electric piece of cooking equipment used for fine
chopping, grinding and liquifying ingredints

Potato masher
manual tool used to smash cooked fruits or
vegetables into a puree, as for mashed potatoes,
pumpkin, apples, etc.

tongs
utensil used to lift and hold foods while they are
being cooked or served


Meat Tenderizer
Hammer-like device used to pound thick portions
of meat till they are thinner and more tender

Pastry Wheel
utensil used to both cut and or seal edges of
pastry foods

Cheese Slicer
simple device to create evenly sliced pieces

Melon Baller
spoon-like utensil to make circular shapes from
melons of all kinds as well as scooping and
forming balls of various foods

Egg Slicer
handy slicing device for hard cooked eggs,
mushrooms, strawberries, etc. to ensure even
slicing

Cookie Cutter
metal or plastic tool created to cut all sorts of
shapes of doughs for interesting presentations

Mixer
electric device that can vary the speed at which
ingredients are mixed. Some models have
specialized attachments for other tasks such as

making pasta, grinding meat and freezing ice

creams.

Mixing Bowls
these basic kitchen utensils have varying sizes
and can be in metal, plastic or glass/ceramic

Cookie Sheets
Thin, flat metal pan with no or only shallow sides
used to bake a variety of foods.

Cake Pan
pan with taller sides which can be round, square,
rectangular or have special shapes primarily used
for preparing cakes and other desserts


Pie Plate
metal or glass or ceramic pan shaped slightly
larger at the top than the bottom for easier
removal of a fruit filled pastry

Spring-Form Pan
two-piece round baking pan that is useful for
cheese cakes and thick cakes because the
bottom and sides separate from one another

Wok
traditional oriental cooking pot with sloping sides
and wide top for easy stirring while frying,
steaming etc. Can be electric or stove-top
models.


Double Boiler
pan used to gently cook foods in an upper pan
while it sits above another pan of hot to boiling
water.

Electric Skillet
useful appliance when space is not available for a
stove top, or to give another cooking area in a
kitchen. Can come with non-stick coating inside
for easy clean up. Use for frying, steaming,
warming and baking.

Saute Pan
smaller skillet used for cooking onions, garlic,
peppers, mushrooms, etc in butter or oil or for
making omlets


Loaf Pan
baking pan traditionally used for breadbaking,
but also useful for meatloaf, loaf cakes and
banana bread. Can be meatal, glass or ceramic

Sauce Pan
basic cooking pan with one handle and can come
in many sizes and materials such as stainless
steel, aluminum, cast iron, glass and glass
ceramic

Pot
larger sized cooking container for stove top and
oven. Usually has two smaller handles and a
heavy lid. Great for "pot roast"


Tea Kettle
Vessel used to hold hot water for making and
pouring tea. Can be of metals, ceramic or glass

Muffin or Cup-cake Pan

pan that is divided into many smaller sized
compartments to hold foods so that they bake
evenly and quickly; Often lined with paper liners.

Jelly Roll Pan

larger, flat baking pan with shallow sides used for
making sheet cakes, bars and jelly roll cakes


Cooking Thermometer
useful device for determining cooking done-ness,
especially in meats. Can be metal and inserted
and read while cooking or an instant-read type.
Categories include Candy, Meat, Oven and
refrigerator for food storage.

Knife Sharpener
device to ensure that all blades are sharp for
easy cutting and few accidents due to dull knives.

Cutting Board
Protective tool for cutting. This way counter tops
are not marred. It can be sanitized and stored in
a dry place.


Pot Holder or oven mitt
Keeps the cook's hands safe from hot pots and
pans.

Casserole Dish
Glass or ceramic baking container, often with a
matching lid

Cooling Rack
metal or wood device to raise hot foods from the
counter top so that they will cool or dry more
quickly due to the air circulation

Pizza Pan
Specialty pan used for baking larger round dough
creations.


Skewer or Kebab Stick
Long cooking rods used for impaling meats, veg
and fruits