Cooking is the act of preparing food for consumption. It encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of ingredients to improve the flavour and/or digestibility of food. It generally requires the selection, measurement and combining of ingredients in an ordered procedure in an effort to achieve the desired result. Constraints on success include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools and the skill of the person cooking.

The diversity of cooking worldwide is a reflection of the myriad nutritional, aesthetic, agricultural, economic, cultural and religious considerations that impact upon it.

Cooking frequently, though not always, involves applying heat in order to chemically transform a food, thus changing its flavor, texture, appearance, and nutritional properties. There is archaeological evidence of cooked foodstuffs (both animal and vegetable) in human settlements dating from the earliest known use of fire.

Effects of cooking

If heating is used, this can disinfect (depending on temperature, cooking time, and technique used) and soften the food. 4 to 60В°C (41 to 140В°F) is the "food danger zone." Between these temperatures bacteria can grow rapidly. Under the correct conditions bacteria can double in quantity every twenty minutes. The food may not appear any different or spoiled but can be harmful to anyone who ingests it. Meat, poultry, dairy products, and other prepared food must be kept outside of the "food danger zone" to remain safe to eat. Refrigeration and freezing do not kill bacteria, but only slow their growth.

Cooking techniques

Some major hot cooking techniques:

• Baking
  • Baking Blind
  • Broiling
  • FlashBake

• Boiling
  • Blanching
  • Braising
  • Coddling
  • Double steaming
  • Infusion
  • Poaching
  • Pressure cooking
  • Simmering
  • Steaming
  • Vacuum flask cooking
  • Steeping
  • Stewing

• Frying
  • Deep frying
  • Hot salt frying
  • Hot sand frying
  • Pan frying
  • Pressure frying
  • SautГ©ing
  • Stir frying

• Microwaving

• Roasting
  • Barbecuing
  • Grilling
  • Rotisserie
  • Searing

• Smoking

Other (cool) preparation techniques

• Brining
• Drying
• Grinding (e.g. sesame seeds to produce tahini), chopping, slicing finely, grating, etc..
• Marinating
• Mincing
• Pickling
• Salting
• Seasoning
• Sprouting

See also

Specific techniques and ingredients are often regional. See Cuisine for information about the many regional and ethnic food traditions. Please see food writing for some authors of books on cookery, food, and the history of food.

• Cooking weights and measures (includes conversions and equivalencies common in cooking)
• Food and cooking hygiene
• Food preservation
• Food writing
• List of cookbooks
• List of food preparation utensils including saucepans, frying pans, woks and many others.
• Cuisine
• Recipe
• Nutrition

For recipes, see the list of recipes and the list of cocktails. Also see staple (cooking).

External links

• Cooking_Techniques on CookBookWiki.com
• Quick and easy recipes for the lazy student
• Quick healthy recipes
• Healthy Recipes
• Cooking classes
• Family Recipes
• Culinary history timeline
• Recipes
• Foodgeeks.com Recipes
• Visual Recipes
• Cooking books
• Mediterranean and Asian recipes
• African Pygmies cooking Food preparation in the rain forest
• Photos of home cooking
• RealCajunRecipes.com - includes Photo Album of Cajun Cooking
• Binnur's Turkish Cookbook Delicious, healthy and easy-to-make Turkish recipes.
• Goosto.com Recipes Search Engine.
• YummyCrockPotRecipes.com Recipes
• FoodTV.com: Extensive Online Recipe Collection from the Food Network
• Mexican & Barbecue Recipes Tex-Mex, grilling, and smoked fish.
• Find Me a Recipe Searchable database of over 100,000 recipes.
• Gourmet Cooking, Recipes, & Techniques
• CulinaryChef.com An award-winning culinary source for the family, professional cooks, culinary chefs, and for those who enjoy fine eating since 1999.ar:طبخ