Chapter 2

• Why is food cooked?

  1. make food safe to eat
  2. improve shelf life
  3. develop flavours
  4. improve texture
  5. give variety in diet
• How does cooking improve texture?

  1. cooking usually makes it easy for us to chew, swallow and digest our food
  2. some food become softer when there cooked. Eg: rice and pasta swell as their starch molecules soften
  3. meats become more tender as solid fats in the food melt and proteins soften
  4. other foods become firm when they’re cooked. Eg: proteins in egg whites coagulate - this turns food opaque and more solid
  5. However meats can be tough and egg whites rubbery if they are overcooked
  6. change in texture make it nicer eg roast potatoes have soft centre but crispy outside
• How does cooking develop flavour?

  1. chemical reactions take place during cooking that change the flavour of the food. Eg: caramelisation can occur when onions are cooked, making them taste sweeter
  2. roasting meats and vegetables creates more intense flavours. The food becomes browner and crispier with more fat added to it and as water evaporates from inside the food
  3. cooking also allows the flavours of different foods to combine eg: when braising meat in a pot of liquid and veg
• How does cooking improve shelf life?

  1. when foods are cooked at high temperature, bacteria and mould are destroyed
  2. this is one of the ways that food can be preserved during manufacturing processes
  3. eg milk is pasteurised (heated to a high temperature and cooled) this helps it stay fresh for longer