Cooking Cooking or cookery is the art, technology, science and craft of preparing food to be eaten. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, from baking in different types of ovens, to grilling food over an open fire. Cooking often reflects unique environmental, economic, and cultural traditions and trends. Home cooking is a process carried out at home to be enjoyed by all members of the family. Cooking also takes place in bakeries, schools and restaurants. Home-cooked meals tend to be healthier because they tend to have fewer calories, and less saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium on a per calorie basis. They also provide more fibre, calcium and iron. Today, many foods are prepared and cooked in factories and home cooks can use a mixture of homemade and factory-made foods to make a meal.
Plants
Vegetables Fruits Grains Nuts Herbs Spices
Most ingredients in cooking come from living organisms: Animals
Meat Eggs Dairy Products
Mushrooms Yeast used in baking
Cooks also use water and minerals such as salt 1
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Fungi
When heat is used in the preparation of food, it can kill or inactivate harmful organisms, such as bacteria and viruses. In addition, cooking increases the digestibility of many foods, some of these foods are inedible or poisonous when raw. For example, raw cereal grains. Food safety depends on several things, including the way we handle, prepare, cook and store food.
Cooking is an essential life skill and can help promote social, emotional and physical development. There are lots of elements involved with cooking: Element
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Example
Being curious and experimenting
Trying out new recipes and equipment
Using different ingredients
Learning about different foods and trying different foods
Using comprehension skills
Reading the recipe and following instructions
Creativity
Presenting the food
Developing fine motor and eye-hand coordination skills
Chopping, mixing, squeezing, and spreading food
Using maths skills
Weighing and measuring food Calculating timings for preparing and cooking food Understanding sell by and use by dates
Science
Mixing the right types of food Noticing changes in colour and texture
Demonstrating responsibility
Preparing, cooking and storing food in the right way
Having fun
Enjoying the process of preparing, cooking and eating food
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Activity: 1. Complete the following sentence: Cooking or cookery is the ________________, technology, science and _________________ of preparing food to be ____________________. Cooking techniques and _____________________________ vary widely across the world, from _______________________ in different types of ______________________, to grilling food over an open _______________________. Coo king often reflects unique environmental, economic, and _______________________ traditions and trends.
ingredients
craft eaten
ovens art
fire baking
2. Name four places where cooking takes place: 1) 2) 3) 4) 3. Home cooked meals because they have fewer calories and less saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium TRUE/FALSE?
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cultural
4. Match the living organism to the examples:
PLANT yeast
yogurt
ANIMAL banana
cinnamon
cheese
FUNGI mushroom
potato
5. When heat is used in the preparation of food, it can kill or inactivate harmful organisms, such as bacteria or viruses TRUE/FALSE?
6. Match the elements to the examples:
Element Using maths skills Using different ingredients Science Being curious and experimenting Developing fine motor and eye-hand coordination skills
Using comprehension skills
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Example Learning about different foods and trying different foods Trying out new recipes and equipment Chopping, mixing, squeezing, and spreading food Reading the recipe and following instructions Weighing and measuring food Calculating timings for preparing and cooking food Understanding sell by and use by dates Mixing the right types of food Noticing changes in colour and texture
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bacon
7. What are your favourite foods?
8. Are there any recipes you would like to try out?
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Crossword answers
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