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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, or nutritional properties. There is archaeological evidence of cooked foodstuffs (both animal and vegetable) in human settlements dating from the earliest known use of fire

1 Effects of cooking

If heating is used, this can disinfect (depending on temperature, cooking time, and technique used) and soften the food. 4 to 60°C (45 to 140°F) is the "danger zone" in which many food spoilage bacteria thrive, and which must be avoided for safe handling of meat, poultry and dairy products. Refrigeration and freezing do not kill bacteria, but slow their growth.

2 Cooking techniques

Some major hot cooking techniques:

• Baking
  • Broiling
  • FlashBake

• Boiling
  • Blanching
  • Braising
  • Coddling
  • Double steamingDouble steaming is a Chinese cooking technique to prepare delicate food such as bird nests, shark fins etc. The food is covered with water and put in a covered ceramic jar. The jar is then steamed for several hours. This technique ensures there is no loss
  • InfusionAn infusion is a beverage made by steeping a flavoring substance in hot or boiling water. Infusions include coffee, tea and tisane. In medicine an infusion is a treatment in which a patient is attached to a device (a drip) that constantly delivers a liqui
  • PoachingPoaching is the process of gently simmering food in liquid, generally water, stock or wine. Poaching is particularly suitable for fragile food, such as eggs, poultry, fish and fruit, which might easily fall apart or dry out. For this reason, it is importa
  • Pressure cookingPressure cooking is a method of cooking food in a sealed vessel that does not permit air or liquids to escape below a preset pressure. Because water's boiling point increases as the pressure increases, the pressure built up inside the cooker allows the li
  • SimmeringSimmering is a cooking technique in which foods are cooked in hot liquids kept at or just barely below the boiling point of water (at average sea level air pressure, 100 °C (212 °F). To keep a pot simmering, one brings it to a boil and then adjusts the he
  • SteamingSteaming is cooking by steam. Steaming is a preferred cooking method of health conscious individuals because no cooking oil is needed, resulting in a lower fat content. Steaming also results in a more nutritious food than boiling because fewer nutrients a
  • Vacuum flask cookingVacuum flask cooking is an invention introduced to the Asian market in the mid 1990s. The vacuum cooker is a stainless steel vacuum flask. The flasks come in various sizes ranging from 20-40 cm (8-16 in) in diameter, and 25 cm (10 in) tall. A removable po
  • SteepingSoaking in liquid until saturated with a soluble ingredient. Soaking to remove an ingredient; Example salt from smoked ham or salted cod.

• Frying
  • Deep frying
  • Hot salt frying
  • Hot sand frying
  • Pan frying
  • Pressure frying
  • Sauteeing
  • Stir frying

• Microwaving

• Roasting
  • Barbecuing
  • Grilling
  • Rotisserie
  • Searing

• Smoking

• Stewing