Cooking is generally understood to be the transfer of heat into food items to render these more palatable, easier digestible and overall speaking, to improve their bacteriological and tasteful aspects.
There are four important reasons why we cook food:
- To improve the appearance, flavor and taste of food and also helps to develop, blend or alter flavors
- To bring about structural changes in food. Meat fibers are tenderized and the cellulose in vegetables and fruits is softened so that they are easier to chew and digest
- To stimulate the appetite and the digestive juices. It gives food an attractive appearance, aroma and taste
- To improve the keeping quality of food. It destroys some of the harmful micro-organisms such as yeasts, and bacteria that are naturally present
