8.
Methods of cooking
Q.1.Write the aims and objectives of cooking food.
There are a lot of food items that can be eaten raw such as carrots, onions, cucumber, all
the fruits etc. Raw fruits and vegetables majorly form the salad course or are used as
garnishes. Most of our food is cooked.
Objectives of cooking food are:
To make the food more palatable
To help in the digestion process since the food components are broken down by the
effects of heat.
It kills the bacteria and keeps the food sterile.
It improves the eye appeal of the food.
Multiple ingredients used in cooking enhance the nutrition value of the dish.
Different methods of cooking changes the texture of the food which brings flavour
and aroma.
Cooked food can be stored for a longer time.
Q.2. Differentiate between the following :
CONDUCTION CONVECTION
i. In conduction, heat transfer i. In convection, the heat transfer
occurs between objects by direct takes within the fluids.
contact.
ii. The heat transfer takes place due ii. Heat transfer occurs due to the
to the difference in temperature. difference in density.
iii. Heat transfer occurs through a iii. Heat transfer occurs through
heated solid object. intermediate objects. For
example, heat transfer between
air and water.
BOILING SIMMERING
i. Boiling involves bringing liquids to i. Simmering requires lower
the boiling point (100°C) temperatures.
ii. It causes rapid bubbling and ii. It removes moisture without
evaporation. evaporating too much of the
liquid.
iii. It helps in softening hard grains iii. It helps in thicken sauces or make
like pasta and rice. reductions
BRAISING STEWING
i. It uses liquid to partially cover the i. It uses liquid to cover the food
food. totally.
ii. Cooks large cuts of meat and ii. cooks smaller and uniform cuts of
vegetables. meat and vegetables.
iii. The liquid can be added after iii. The cuts are not browned.
browning the cut.
DEEP FRYING SHALLOW FRYING
i. The oil covers the food completely i. The oil covers only the lower
portion of the food
ii. They have a crunchy exterior and ii. The food is browned and adds a
a moist juicy interior. bit of a crunchy texture
iii. Shorter cooking time iii. Longer cooking time
Q3. List the colour pigments found in vegetables and fruits. Tabulate the correct way of
boiling the different coloured vegetables.
Pigment/Color Fruits & Vegetables Boiling Process
i. Flavones – onions, cauliflower, add a little lemon juice or vinegar to enable
White/cream potato etc., the vegetable to retain its colour
ii. Chlorophyll - French beans, Spinach, should be cooked for short periods uncovered
Green Mustard leaves etc., so as to enable volatile acids to evaporate
iii. Carotenoids – Carrot, Corns, It is fat soluble and leaches in cooking oils
Red, Yellow & Sweet potato, Tomato,
Orange Mango, Pumpkin etc.
iv. Anthocyanin – grapes, raspberries and In acidic medium it turns red and in alkaline
Red purple cranberries etc. medium it turns blue.
v. Betalains – Beetroot It is water soluble and leaches out in the
Deep red cooking liquid.
Q4. How does cooking affect texture of vegetables.
The structure and shape of vegetables and fruits is because of cellulose and pectin fibres.
These fibres are softened with application of heat. The more the heat is applied, softer the
fibres become and the vegetable looses its firm shape. There are vegetables with less fibres
such as spinach which looses its shape in boiling water quickly or with more fibres such as
carrots or potatoes which retain their shape for several minutes.
Q5. Discuss the ways of preserving maximum nutrients while processing food.
There are some basic factors to be kept in mind while pre-preparation and cooking of fruits
and vegetables :
Use fresh vegetables and fruits which are in season.
In order to retain water-soluble nutrients, use cooking methods like steaming or stir-
frying that use less water.
Short cooking durations - As a rule of thumb, the longer foods are exposed to heat,
the more nutrients are lost.
Cut in bigger pieces - Chopping foods into smaller pieces increases the surface area
exposed to light, heat and water — three factors that degrade nutrients.
Correct storage - Store produce in airtight containers in the fridge.
Rinse fresh vegetables well just before using.
Wash whole fruits and vegetables – Washing vegetables or fruits after cutting leads
to more nutrients being leached out in water
Eat fruits and vegetables raw whenever possible in salads and smoothies or as whole
fruits and vegetables everyday for a balanced diet.
