Cooking is an activity where ingredients are mixed in particular order to make a dish ready to be eaten. It usually involves heating of some kind.
Starting from the stone ages, till date cooking has evolved to include hundreds of ingredients and many methods.
Every region, every country uses a different way of cooking using different ingredients and that makes endless possibilities for preparations.
Geography restricts the ingredients available to any region but economy and transport makes the accessibility much easier.
Different ingredients used for cooking
Food grains – like wheat, rice, corn barley millets, etc., either whole or in a flour form to make bread, noodles, pasta, etc.
Vegetable – some vegetables can be used raw, like cucumber, tomatoes etc., whereas others need to be cooked such as cauliflowers, aubergine, potatoes, etc.
Spices and condiments – are the flavouring agents that add taste to the main ingredients.
Fats – oils, butter, ghee etc. are needed as a medium for cooking.
Sugar, salt are used to add the taste.
The above ingredients are mixed in different quantities for a preparation.
Methods of cooking
Frying – Frying involves cooking in oil or butter. A lot of fat is used for deep frying and just a little bit for sautéing.
Boiling – Water is the medium that is needed for boiling. Sometimes when the water level stays below the vessel in which the vegetable of other things go, the steam from the water cooks the dish or the ingredients and it’s called steaming.
Roasting – where neither oil nor water is used, and the ingredients are cooked on a heated vessel or directly on fire or coal.
Baking – all the ingredients are mixed in the desired quantity and the container is out in an oven which is heated at high temperatures and for a longer time.
Other methods like grilling or broiling are variations of these methods.
Conclusion
Cooking is a science and has developed into an art which is not only passed on from generation to generation but also improvised and experimented with new methods and ingredients all to please the palate.
By Janhavi
EdgeArticles 