Hey guys we will be talking about foodies this time.
Long before this decade, food have been eaten raw by early men known as primates (primitive men). This was principally because there was no idea on how food could be cooked, prepared for human consumption. Again, the level of technology at that time was nothing to write home about, it was describe as "stone age". The early men was moving from place to place, cultivating fruits and by eating and leaving the seeds by the mercy and rogueries of weather, which contributed in ensuring in germination. He never learned to cultivate, nor acquire the technology on how to cook, serve, and hygienically eat this food. Hence, the little food, fruit, vegetables, condiments etc were roughly eaten raw.
However, man's problems was how this food items could be prepared and evenly combined to achieve his aim for eating food which is for the mental and physical development. Man need nutrient for various purposes such as body maintains growth, repair and replacement.
Therefore, cooking is the preparation of food through the application of heat to make it palatable, attractive and safe for eating.
VARIOUS REASONS WHY FOOD IS BEEN COOKED
👉Cooking destroys some bacteria and parasites, presence in our foods due to the subjection of heat.
👉By cooking food strong joint of meat or any other food are soften to make easier for mastication or chewing.
👉The cooking of some food changes their colours to more attractive one which increases the appetite.
👉It makes food more palatable, since it in values changes in texture, addition of flavours and seasonings.
👉The chemical and physical change that occurs in the food during cooking assists for digestion.
METHOD OF COOKING
Food could either be eating raw or cooked. There are severed ways or methods of cooking and these are varied methods are done with the application of different temperature of heat.
These method are Boiling, poaching, baking, stewing and frying deep and shallow paper bag, microwave and pot roasting.
BOILING : This is the cooking of food which has been totally subjected to the action of heat in a boiling liquid.
POACHING: This is the subjection of food to the action of heat in the liquid of temperature 90-35 degree not reaching boiling point or the cooking of food in the required amount of liquid at just below point. Basically, there are two ways of poaching food. These are shallow and deep poaching.
STEWING: This is the slow cooking of food cut into pieces are cooked in the mini amount of liquid eg water, stack or sauce.
BRAISING: This is the method of cooking in the oven, unlike roasting or baking. The food is cooked in liquid and covered with pan, casserate or cocotte. In another way, braising is achieved by subjecting the food in an enclose container with liquid or sauce to the action of heat in the oven.
STEAMING: This is achieved by the subjection of food to the action of heat in the form of steam, under pressure which varies with types of equipments used. Steaming is the process of cooking food in moist heat by steam.
BAKING: This is the cooking of food by dry heat in an oven in which the action of the dry conversation of heat is modified steam. Worthy to mention about baking is oven, must be preheated prior to baking.
ROASTING: This is the subjection of food in front of open fire or by the action of heat in oven other wise called baking, fat and oil is used as roasting agent. It is a dry method of cooking. In another way, roasting is cooking dry heat with the aid of fat and oil in an oven or on spit.
GRILLING: This is a dry method of cooking by radiant heat or over a direct heat in front of smokeless fire or over a heated grill. It is a first method of cooking by radiant heat.
FRYING: frying is cooking food in a heated oil. Basically three types of frying. These are:- Sautê, shallow and deep frying.