An Overview Of Cooking
Cooking literally stands for the process of preparing different kinds of foods with the use of mild to intense heat. Cooking techniques are different across the world, while cooks vary in training and skills. It is not very clear when humans began to cook their food. However, scientists are inclined to think that humans first used fire with the intention of frying meat some 250,000 years ago.
Most of the things that we consider foods are, in fact, living organisms – whether you think of animals or plants. Vegetables and fruits come from plants, while eggs and meat come from animals. The main substances that are present in the foods we cook and eat are carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, minerals and, of course, water. A healthy diet includes all of these elements on a daily basis.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates interact with heat in a very complex way. Sugar molecules, commonly referred to as long chain sugars, are usually broken down into simple sugar molecules during the process of cooking.
Sugars
Simple sugars are turned to syrups, when they are cooked at high temperatures. If the heating of these sugars continues, the process of caramelization starts. The water of crystallization is completely eliminated and the sugar starts to thermically decompose. The final result is caramel.
Vegetable oils
Vegetable oils, such as sunflower and olive oils, are considered to be fats, as well as lard or butter. All fats, regardless of their origin, reach temperatures that are much higher than the boiling point of water. Therefore, fats have the ability to conduct heat through other ingredients. You can see this when you are frying something.
Protein
Protein is present in foods of animal origins, such as muscle, eggs and milk. Meat and eggs contain the highest levels of protein – these amounts are substantial. As you may already know, protein that is derived from raw meats is virtually of no use to the human body, because only a small amount can pe absorbed effectively.
Cooking meat
Cooking the meat, whether by frying, baking or boiling, changes the structure of the protein. As a following, the human body can easily absorb it and stay strong and healthy. Protein is an essential component of our muscles – that is why cooked meat was the first cooked dish that mankind ever knew.
Together with carbohydrates and protein, water is the third essential part of any cooking process and, therefore, for any healthy person. From a scientific point of view, water is the main ingredient in most of the foods that we consume. Aside from this, water also makes it possible for us to cook our foods, mainly by boiling them.
Water makes it possible for a wide variety of foods to be cooked without destroying the molecular structure of carbohydrates and protein. Because water evaporates rapidly, the nutrients that are present in the cooked dish are easily combined. As a consequence, a variety of tastes and flavors occur.
Heat kills germs and bacteria
The key factor of cooking remains heat. It is so important, because heat actually kills germs and bacteria that may be present in the foods we are about to eat. If the process of preparing food lacks heat, harmful organisms, such as a wide variety of parasites, can seriously affect your health.
Cooking has a sterilizing effect on the food. However, the effectiveness of this effect depends on temperature. Mostly, the foods we eat are cooked at high temperatures, which make them safe for our health.
Nonetheless, there are some potentially harmful bacteria that can form spores. By doing this, the organisms survive even the highest temperatures. They reactivate once the cooked dish starts to cool. Therefore, it is advised that you do not reheat your food more than once, as these bacteria may multiply and reach dangerous levels.
There are also foods that do not require cooking before they are eaten. Most fruits are concentrated in vitamins and minerals that are easily destroyed in a process that involves intense heat.
The debate about cooking
Cooking is submitted to great debate among scientists, as some believe that most nutritional substances are destroyed or altered in the process. Others state that cooking actually prepares those essential nutrients for an easier absorption by our bodies.
Cooking is an activity that became characteristic only to human societies. It allows us to eat a wider variety of foods and live longer, healthier lives.