Cooking

All > hotel management > Aims and Objectives of Cooking food

1 like

Please login to like this article.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF COOKING FOOD

Cooking -Cooking is the art, science, and craft of using heat to prepare food for consumption. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire to using electric stoves, to baking in various types of ovens, reflecting local conditions. Cooking is done both by people in their own dwellings and by professional cooks and chefs in restaurants and other food establishments. The expansion of agriculture commerce, trade, and transportation between civilizations in different regions offered cooks many new ingredients. Some modern cooks apply advanced scientific techniques to food preparation to further enhance the flavor of the dish served.

EFFECT OF HEAT ON FOOD:

The aim or the intention of coking is to see that the food cooked undergoes a physical and at times a chemical change and that ate end result is edible and acceptable.

The object of cooking is to achieve certain results such as:

To facilitate and hasten digestion, so that the cooked food is absorbed by the digestive system and subsequently assimilated by the body. This is largely determined in the manner the food is cooked. During the cooking process, it breaks down the cellulose in plant food, softens some of the connective tissues of meat, breaks down and gets starches present. The alternation is brought about in texture, by physical and chemical changes thus assisting mastication.

CHARACTERISTICS OF RAW MATERIALS:

To prepare a complete dish a basic knowledge of the different raw material used and their characteristics are essential. The materials are classified according to the role they play in the preparation of a dish. Raw materials can be classified as the following:

Foundation ingredients
Fats and oil
Raising agent
Eggs
Salt
Liquid
Flavoring and Seasoning
Sweetening agent
Thickening agents

It is to be remembered that the presence of the above mentioned raw materials is not essential for one particular dish

Foundation ingredients: these are the main ingredients of a dish on which the other ingredients are based. It may be a liquid or solid. For example flour in bread, stock in soup, beef in any beef steak, fruit in fruit salad etc. but whatever the main ingredient is it should always consist of the following six constituents ? carbohydrate, fat, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and water. It is not only essential to know the proportion of various ingrains but also their composition and action of heat on these.

Fats and oils: fats are solid at room temperature and melt when heated. Fats used in cookery are usually in the form of butter, margarine, lard, etc. while oils are liquid at normal temperature. Examples of common cooking oils are coconut oil, mustard oil, sunflower oil, groundnut oil, sesame seed oil, olive oil, etc.

Raising agents: Leavener produces a desirable texture by introducing carbon dioxide into batter and dough. The gas stretches the dough and creates a small bubble. There are 3 types of leavening agents

Chemical leavener: baking soda and baking powder is the primary chemical leavener.

Organic leavener: yeast is a living organism that feeds on sugar, providing alcohol and carbon dioxide. The yeast has to grow and reproduce sufficiently to fill the dough with air pockets. Yeast will not function well below 18-21 degree centigrade and above 43 degrees centigrade, yeast is destroyed.

Physical leavener: the basic physical leavener is steam, which is produced when the liquid in batter or dough is heated, this causes the air pocket to expand. Steam act as leavener in puff pastry, croissant souffl?, etc.

Eggs: Eggs, one of the most versatile and nourishing foods used in cooking are eaten and enjoyed by people since the beginning of civilization. Egg laying is mainly associated with birds. Some bird eggs are valued on the gourmet table as much for their appearance as for their taste, such as Quail and Gull eggs. Duck, Goose and

Turkey

eggs hardly seem exotic, though they are rarely seen away from the farmyard. Here we confine ourselves to eggs of the hen.

Eggs perform a dozen other subsidiary roles as well as playing the role of an ingredient in dishes.

When heated, egg whites stiffen a mixture, while egg yolks make it smooth, rich and slightly thick.
Eggs are important in enhancing soup and sauces and in binding, stuffing and purees
In baked custards, the egg white sets the milk or cream until firm, while the egg yolk enriches it.
Egg whites are also used to clarify stock for consomm? and aspic.
Whole eggs or even just the egg yolks mixed with little water, form an excellent golden glaze for bread and pastries.
Eggs are baked in the oven at 163? C in their shells so that they are tender, with coagulated white and slightly thickened egg yolk.
Yolks of eggs are used for emulsification, as in mayonnaise sauce.
Similarly, whole eggs alone or mixed with a a tablespoon or two of water or oil, act as a binder for coatings for foods to be deep-fried.

Salt: A white crystalline odor less sharp tasting substance which is used as a condiment and preserving agent. In the pure state, salt consists of sodium chloride and is very abundant in nature. It is composed of 2 elements sodium and chlorine at the ratio of four parts sodium to six-part chlorine. As separate they are deadly but when combined in this proportion as common salt they are indispensable to the human body.

Although salt contains no calories, proteins or carbohydrates, traces of other minerals are present in unrefined salt, including calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and phosphorus; magnesium in salt gives it a bitter aftertaste

The mineral element in the unrefined sodium chloride can affect foods cooked with salt. For example, rock salt contains calcium, which will toughen the skin of beans and pulses. Calcium also increases the moisture retention of salt, so that anti?caking agents are needed.

Rock salt: this is a large coarse crystal sized salt obtained from crushed minced salt in some case or from salt brine that has been evaporated very slowly. It is ideal for most culinary purpose. In

America

?rock salt? refers to freezing salt for an ice cream machine and is inedible

Vacuum salt: this is prepared by evaporating a purified the salt solution in vacuum pans to produce a salt that is 99.9 % pure.

Table salt: rock salt obtained from underground deposits, it is usually refined and specially treated to prevent caking ? magnesium carbonated is added to help make it run more easily.

Sea salt: the crystals are obtained by the evaporation of seawater. Sea salt is said by many to be the best salt.

Dairy salt: this is a 99.9% pure salt of a fine crystals size, which is used in the manufacture of butter, cheese and margarine.

Dendritic salt: this is a new grade of salt, it is very fine and has star like crystals, and is used in the seasoning mixture for sausages type goods where its particular shape assist in retaining an even mixture of all the spices and seasoning

Celery salt: this is a blend of crushed celery seed and vacuum salt that is purchased already prepared. It is frequently used when fresh celery is unavailable or just a small quantity is required.

Garlic salt: this is a blend of crushed dried garlic and table salt that is purchased already prepared. It is used for any dish where fresh garlic is used.

Iodized salt: this salt contains 15 ? 30 per million of sodium iodide (or potassium iodine)

Seasoned salt: this refined salt contains several spices including oregano and black pepper. It can be used in all savory and meat dishes.

Gomashio: a Japanese mixture of salt and sesame seeds .sprinkled on raw vegetables

Liquid: liquid is necessary to bind dry ingredients together, to dilute food, to act as a cooking medium and to thin down a gravy or sauce. Milk, water, stock and fruit juices are the most commonly used liquid. Eggs may be used for binding when too little ids added, the food doesn?t get cooked, or as in the case of cake, it retards the action of raising agent, resulting in a hard heavy cake. Gravies or soups containing sufficient liquid are perfect. Too much liquid results in a watery product or as in the case of cakes and pudding make them soggy.

Flavoring and seasoning:

Flavoring: a substance added to a preparation to improve its flavor. They combine both taste and smell. Today the herbs and spices commonly used for flavoring includes thyme, bay leaves, cardamom, nutmegs, basils etc. orange flower water, almond essence, vanilla and zest of citrus fruits are used for flavoring cakes, pastries and confectionery.

Wines, fortified wines ( Madeira , port ), spirits and brandies are extensively used in continental cookery for flavoring sauce, stews, flamb?ed meat and poultry dishes.

A variety of extract and essences and fumes are also used. Other methods of flavoring include steam cooking, with aromatic plants, smoking with specially scented woods.

Seasoning: the addition of various ingredients (salt, pepper, spices, condiments, aromatics, vinegar etc) in variable quantities to culinary preparations, either to give it particular taste or to increase its palatability without changing the nature of the food it contains

The taste and acceptability of food depend to a very great extends all correct amount of flavoring and seasoning. These are variable ingredients and types and amounts necessary for different dishes must be carefully studied. To add just enough and no more should be the aim of every professional chef.

Sweetening agent: When sweetening is used with other food it enhances the combined sensation of color and flavor of the dish produces it also add its own sweetness and is a versatile food product its uses in the kitchen it is varied. The types of sweetening used are sugar, treacle ( syrup obtain in refining sugar), jaggery or molasses, syrups such as golden syrup, corn syrup, maple syrups, jam , honey and fruit juices

Thickening agents and binding agents:

Thickening agents give body, consistency and palatability when used and also increases the nutritive value. Various starches are used as thickening agents in many culinary instances. Starches like corn flour, arrowroot; rice flour is affected by making a stable paste through the action of heat.

Thickening with egg, blood, cream
Thickening with starchy vegetables like potato, tapioca etc.

Culinary binding agents must however be cohesive (shape retaining) and in some cases adhesive materials. Those in common use are based upon cooked (gelatinizes) starches or protein or mixtures of both. The starch based binders often takes the form of thick binding sauces, bread crumbs, cooked potatoes etc. The commonest protein based binder is eggs. Unflavored gelatin is used in salad, cold sweets, and cold soups. An extensively used starch based binder is panada.

In Indian cookery, gram flour, onion paste, coconut and poppy seeds are also used as thickening and binding agent.

VARIOUS TEXTURES

Texture is a term used to describe the characteristics of a finished product. Variety includes some hard and soft food in a meal, so that the amount of chewing required is varied.

Coarse: Consisting of large particles; not fine in texture.

Rough: Having a surface marked by irregularities, protuberances, or ridges; not smooth

Smooth: Having a surface free from irregularities, roughness, or projections; even.

Fine: Of superior quality

VARIOUS CONSISTENCIES

Density: The quality or condition of being dense

? Specific gravity: A number indicating the ratio of the weight of a substance to that of an equal volume of water.

Thick : Heavy in form, build, or stature
Thin: Not dense or concentrated
Gel: A colloid in which the disperse phase has combined with the dispersion medium to produce a semisolid material, such as a jelly.
Emulsion : A suspension of small globules of one liquid in a second liquid with which the first will not mix
Liaison: a particular consistency normally made of cream or milk with egg yolk which can give a smooth prominent coating on a surface.

TECHNIQUES USED IN PRE- PRESENTATION:

Washing: washing of ingredients like vegetable, meat, fish etc to remove the superficial dirt from the outer surface.
Peeling : spoilt, soiled and in edible portions are removed. Skin of vegetables or fruits is either peeled or scrapped the outer layer can be stripped by steam or by blanching.
Cutting : reducing to small pieces with a knife.
Chopping :when a similar result is obtained when a chopping knife or with a mechanical food chopper, the process is called chopping (small pieces )
Grating : reducing to small particles by rubbing on a rough surface, as in grating lemon peels, cheese etc.
Grinding : reducing to small fragments by crushing, as in grinding spices, or coffee in a mill or on a grinding stone.
Mashing : this is a method of breaking up of a soft food with pressure, with a potato masher, or with a fork.