All cooking requires heat, which has the following effects on food: • Bacteria are destroyed. • Protein coagulates (hardens), e.g. the white of an egg. • Colour changes, e.g. meat changes from red to brown or from pink to white. • Foods soften, making them easier to digest, e.g. potatoes and apples. • Water evaporates and food shrinks in size, e.g. meat and fish. • Flavours and aromas are developed, e.g. meat extractives released from meat fibres, improving the tastes and smells.
• Fat melts. • Starch grains swell, burst and absorb liquid, e.g. rice, pasta and sauces. • Some vitamins and minerals are lost.
Overcooking
Be careful not to overcook food, as it causes the following: • Loss of colour, flavour and texture • Some foods become tough and indigestible • More loss of vitamins and minerals • Fuel wastage
