Introduction

Cooking is the application of heat to food for the purpose of making it more digestible, safer to eat, more palatable and to change its appearance. In the cooking processes heat breaks down the cellulose in plant foods, softens some of the connective tissues of meat, breaks down and gels starches present, changes and bends flavours within the food, destroys bacteria and makes food more acceptable to humans and human digestion. Cooking may include a process of extraction, leaching and steeping by which soluble materials are removed from a food for use as flavouring medium. E.g. when bones are simmered to produce stock the soluble compounds in the bones are extracted and passed into simmering water. Stock can then be used in soup and sauce making. While the application of heat to food materials is the principal action taking place in cooking, other things are done to enhance the flavour, and spices, seasoning and sauces are added. The food may be marinated before cooking; it may be cooked in wine. Fat may be added before, during or after cooking. Flavours and colours may be added. Different foods are blended together to produce new flavours and appearances. Some foods such as raw fish are made palatable by marinating in lime juice. The acid in the juice breaks down the connective tissues of the fish and inhibits bacteria. The baking of pies, cakes, cookies and dough is also cooking in the sense that heat is applied to food material. In most baking the leavening action takes place. Air, steam or carbon dioxide stretches the gluten in the dough to expand it.

Aims of Cooking:
Sterilization: It is the process of killing pathogenic bacteria and worms present in the food. Boiling and freezing are two popular methods of sterilization. Preservation: Cooking also helps to preserve the food for a longer time with the help of spices, oils and sugar syrups, etc., mixed with it while being processed. Digestibility: Cooking also helps in digestibility of certain vegetables and raw food which cannot be digested if taken uncooked. Appetizing: Cooking gives an appearance to the food which makes it presentable and also appetizing. On application of heat, the red coloring matter such as hemoglobin in meat decomposes and changes the red color to brown. Flavours are developed, which stimulate the digestive juices. The colours of vegetable are brightened. Enhancement of nutritive value: Though cooking may destroy certain vitamins it usually enhances its nutritive value by breaking up heavy materials like fat into digestible particles. . Variety: Cooking produces variety from the same ingredients. Several type of preparation can be made from one raw ingredient.

Objectives of Cooking: Retaining nutritive value of the food. Retaining the original colour of the food. .Prevent clash of flavours. To improve taste and flavor. To make food more digestible. To kill harmful bacteria and germs present in the food. To enhance palatability.

Heat Transfer
Cooking, there are three general ways that heat can be transferred from one material to another. All three play a role in cooking, but depending on the cooking method, only one or two may be important. Before looking at how they apply to cooking, let me briefly define each: 1. Conduction - this is heat transfer due to contact of molecules. Thermal energy, which can be thought of as the vibration of molecules in place, is transferred directly from one material into another in contact with it. If you touch a hot pan, your hand gets hot too (don't do that!). A temperature gradient forms from hot to cold - the bigger the temperature difference, the faster the conduction. The kinds of materials matter too some materials (e.g. metals) conduct heat better than others (e.g. air). 2. Convection - this is heat transfer due to the bulk movement of molecules. Molecules move - changing places, not just vibrating in place - and take their heat with them. When heating a pot of water, before it boils, conduction will make the water nearer the heat source will be warmer than water far away. When you stir the pot, the hotter molecules move away from the heating source, taking their heat with them, and are replaced with colder ones. 3. Radiation - this is heat transfer due to energy waves emitted by another object. Energy in the form of electromagnetic radiation (as distinguished from 'nuclear radiation', which is completely different) is absorbed by food. The two most common types of radiative energy in cooking are infrared waves ('heat waves') and microwaves. Unlike conduction and convection, radiation doesn't require a medium to be between the heat source and the food (in fact, the medium just gets in the way). The energy is literally 'beamed' directly to the food.

Methods of Cooking
Cooking can be classified into four major methods and they are: A. B. C. D. Water Media (Moist Heat Method) Fat Media Dry Media (Dry Heat Method) Others

Water Media 1. Boiling: This is the most common method of cooking and is also the simplest. Boiling is cooking food in boiling water, which has a temperature of about 212 F (100 C). 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 flavor can be reduced with this method of cooking. There are three way of boiling, they are: i. Blanching: It is simply the fast boiling method of cooking foods with the application of high heat i.e. 100. It is a cooking process wherein the food substance, usually a vegetable or fruit, is plunged into boiling water, removed after a brief, timed interval, and finally plunged into iced water or placed under cold running water (shocked) to halt the cooking process. The meaning of blanching is "to whiten", but this is not always the purpose of blanching in cooking. Food is blanched to soften it, or to partly or fully cook it, or to remove a strong taste (for example of bacon, cabbage, or onions). When almonds or pistachios are blanched, the skin of the nut (botanically the seed coat surrounding the embryo) softens and can be easily removed later. Simmering: It is cooking food in water that is just below the boiling point. Such foods as eggs and meats should be simmered rather than boiled. Cooks often use covered saucepans to simmer foods. Slow cookers are electric appliances that simmer foods at low temperatures for 4 to 12 hours. A cook puts the food and some water in a slow cooker and sets the temperature. Health experts recommend caution when using a slow cooker for meat and other foods prone to bacterial growth at warm temperatures. Use sanitary methods in preparing the food and keep it refrigerated until just before cooking. Parboiling (or leaching): It is the partial boiling of food as the first step in the cooking process. The word is often used when referring to parboiled rice. Parboiling can also be used for removing poisonous or foul-tasting substances from foodstuffs. The technique may also be used to soften vegetables before roasting them.

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2. Steaming: It is a method of cooking using steam (120-140). Steaming is considered a healthy cooking technique and capable of cooking almost all kinds of food. The food to
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be cooked is surrounded by steam from water directly or indirectly by having the food item being placed in direct contact of steam. Basically there are two types of steaming, they are: i. Direct Steaming: In this method, foods are cooked by the contact of direct steam. E.g. Momo. Indirect Steaming: In this method, foods are cooked inside a closed pot with plenty of steam pressure and heat coming from the fast boiling water. E.g. Steamed rice. 3. Poaching: It is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally milk, stock or wine. The poaching liquid is called court bouillon and a classical court bouillon consists of an acid (wine, lemon juice) and aromatics (bouquet garni and mirepoix). The liquid should ideally be around 160185 F (7185 C), but when poaching chicken, it is vital that the chicken reach an internal temperature of at least165 F (74 C) in the core, in order to be ingested safely. Poaching is particularly suitable for delicate food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out. For this reason, it is important to keep the heat low and to keep the poaching time to a bare minimum, which will also preserve the flavor of the

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4. Stewing: A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables (such as carrots, potatoes, beans, peppers and tomatoes, etc.), meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef. Poultry, sausages, and seafood are also used. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, wine, stock, and beer are also common. Seasoning and flavorings may also be added. Stews are typically cooked at a relatively low temperature (simmered, not boiled), allowing flavors to mingle. Stewing is suitable for the least tender cuts of meat that become tender and juicy with the slow moist heat method. This makes it popular in low-cost cooking. Cuts having a certain amount of marbling and gelatinous connective tissue give moist, juicy stews, while lean meat may easily become dry. 5. Braising (from the French braiser) is a combination cooking method using both moist and dry heat; typically the food is first seared at a high temperature and then finished in a covered pot with a variable amount of liquid, resulting in a particular flavor. Braising of meat is often referred to as pot roasting, though some authors make a distinction between the two methods based on whether additional liquid is added. Braising relies on heat, time, and moisture to break down the tough connective tissue collagen in meat, making it an ideal way to cook tougher cuts. Many classic braised dishes such as coq au vin are highly evolved methods of cooking tough and otherwise unpalatable foods. Pressure cooking and slow cooking (e.g., crock pots) are forms of braising.

Fat Media 1. Frying: It is the cooking of food in fat, such as butter or vegetable oil. Frying adds fat and calories to food because the food absorbs some of the fat in the pan. There are two main methods of frying: i. 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.
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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. Shallow frying can be further divided into two types: a. Pan Frying: In pan frying, also called sauting, the food cooks in a small amount of fat, usually in a skillet. Chicken, eggs, fish, and red meat are often pan fried. b. Stir Frying: In stir-frying, meat or vegetables cook in a skillet or in a wok, a large, thin metal pan with a round bottom. The food is cut into small pieces and cooked in an extremely small amount of fat. The cook fries the food at a high temperature for only a few minutes and stirs it constantly with a tossing motion. 2. 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 flavor 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. 3. Grilling: It is a form of cooking that involves dry heat applied to the surface of food, commonly from above or below. Grilling usually involves a significant amount of direct, radiant heat, and tends to be used for cooking meat quickly and meat that has already been sliced (or other pieces). Food to be grilled is cooked on a grill (an open wire grid with a heat source above or below), a grill pan (similar to a frying pan, but with raised ridges to mimic the wires of an open grill), or griddle (a flat plate heated from below). Heat transfer to the food when using a grill is primarily via thermal radiation. Heat transfer when using a grill pan or griddle is by direct conduction. In the United States and Canada, when the heat source for grilling comes from above, grilling is termed broiling. In this case, the pan that holds the food is called a broiler pan, and heat transfer is by thermal convection.
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Gridiron: It is the cooking of meats or other foods using a grill suspended above a heat source. Grilling is often performed outdoors, using charcoal (real wood or preformed briquettes), wood, or propane gas. Food is cooked using direct radiant heat. Some outdoor grills include a cover so they can be used as smokers or for grillroasting/barbecue. The suspended metal grate is often referred to as a gridiron. Outdoor grilling on a gridiron may be referred to as "barbecue", though in US usage, the term barbecue referred to the cooking of meat by indirect heat and smoke (see below). Barbecue has several meanings and may also be used to refer to the grilled food itself, to a distinct type of cooked meat called Southern barbecue, to the grilling device used to cook the food (a barbecue grill), or to the social event of cooking and eating such food (which may also be called a cook-out or braai). Stove-top pan grilling: It is an indoor cooking process that uses a grill pan - a cooking pan similar to a frying pan but with raised ridges to emulate the function or look of a gridiron. In pan grilling, heat is applied directly to the food by the raised ridges, and also indirectly by heat radiating off the lower pan surface via the stove-top flame. Stove-top grill pans can also be used to put sear marks on meat before it is finished via overhead radiant heat. When cooking leaner meats, oil is often applied to the pan ridges to aid in food release. Some griddles designed for stove-top use also incorporate raised ridges in addition to a flat cooking area. These are either on half of the cooking surface, or, in the case of reversible two-sided griddles, on one side with the flat surface on the other. Foods termed "grilled" may actually be prepared on a hot griddle, or flat pan. The griddle or pan may be prepared with oil (or butter), and the food is cooked quickly over a high heat. Griddle-grilling is best for relatively greasy foods such as sausages. Some griddle-grilled foods may have grill marks applied to them during the cooking process with a branding plate, to mimic the appearance of charbroil-cooked food. Flattop grilling: A flattop grill is a cooking appliance that resembles a griddle but performs differently because the heating element is circular rather than straight (side to side). This heating technology creates an extremely hot and even cooking surface, as heat spreads in a radial fashion over the surface. Char broiling, or char grilling (outside North America): It refers to grilling on a surface with wide raised ridges, to the point of having the food slightly charred in texture. The phrase "put it in the broiler" is translated as "put it over/under the grill." Overhead grilling (In the United States): It is an oven pan broiling refers to a method of cooking on a broil pan with raised ridges, inside an oven, when the heat can be applied from either above or below. In gas and electric ovens, this is accomplished with a heating element and a broil pan. Sometimes, the food is placed near the upper heating element to intensify the heat. The lower heating element may or may not be left off and the oven door is sometimes opened partially. Gas ovens often have a separate compartment for broiling, sometimes a drawer below the bottom flame.

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Two-sided grilling: Some commercial devices permit the simultaneous grilling of both sides of the meat at the same time. It works by moving meat patties along a chain conveyor belt between top and bottom burners, grilling both sides of the meat patty at the same time. Stone grills: Sometimes a stone is used to grill foods. Stones in these cases can store temperatures up to 450 C (842 F). Foods grilled on stone involve no fats or oil and are considered a healthier alternative. 4. Broiling: The food lies directly under a continuous heat source. Meat can be broiled by placing it on a rack in a shallow broiler pan. The surface of the meat lies 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13 centimeters) under the flames in a gas range broiler or below the broiler heating unit in an electric oven. Leave the door open slightly when broiling in an electric oven to prevent the air in the oven from becoming too hot.

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. Dry Media 1. Baking: In this 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. Food is baked by cooking it in an oven. In most cases, the oven temperature ranges from 300 to 450 F (149 to 232 C). The word baking usually refers to the cooking of foods made from a batter or dough. Such foods include breads, cakes, cookies, and pastries. However, casseroles, a few vegetables and fruits, and some cuts of meats can also be baked. Others 1. Microwave Cooking: Another fast method of cooking uses microwaves (short radio waves). Microwave ovens heat small amounts of foods much faster than gas or electric ovens or cook tops do. Microwave ovens are especially useful for thawing frozen foods and heating soups, vegetables, and leftovers.

Pictures
Water Media 1. Boiling Blanching Simmering Par boiling

2. Steaming Direct Indirect

3. Poaching

4. Stewing

5. Braising

Fat Media 1. Frying Deep Frying Shallow Frying

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2. Roasting

Grilling

Broiling

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Dry Media 1. Baking

Others 2. Microwave Cooking

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References
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooking http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/224/Heat-Transfer-and-Cooking http://wikieducator.org/Different_methods_of_cooking http://genevrelow.multiply.com/journal/item/30/Why_Food_is_Cooked

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