Food & Technology Unit 2 Cooking Methods

Area of Study 1 Outcome 1: Tools, equipment, preparation and processing On completion of this unit the student should be able to use a range of tools and equipment to demonstrate skills and implement processes in the preparation, processing, cooking and presentation of key foods to maximise their properties. Key Knowledge includes:  Suitability of food preparation and processing, wet and dry cooking techniques and presentation methods that optimise properties of key foods, including nutrient content, appearance, aroma, flavour and texture. Key Skills include:  demonstrate a range of wet and dry techniques of cooking foods.

Why cook food? When selecting the best piece of equipment to use, you need to make a decision based on what is available to you. In evaluating the effectiveness and efficiency of household tools an equipment, the following criteria are usually considered. - Functional efficiency - Ease of use - Comfort - Health and safety

Methods of Heat Transfer What happens when you hold a chocolate bar in your hand? Heat moves when matter at different temperatures interact. Heat moves from warmer matter to cooler matter… Where can we get heat? How does heat transfer? The heat moves from your hand (a higher temperature) to the chocolate bar (lower temperature) which raises the temperature of the chocolate causing it to melt…

Conduction The passage of heat through a solid, or from one solid to another provided they are in contact. For example... A Hotplate (warmer object) conducts heat through to the saucepan (cooler object) from the base to the sides then to the handle or to the metal spoon you leave in there! Copper, aluminum, iron are good conductors Cast-iron holds heat well Stainless steel does not conduct heat evenly

Convection Is the passage of heat through liquids and gasses. Convection is the transfer of heat by the actual movement of molecules from a warm region to a cooler one. For example… When water is heating in a saucepan, the water at the bottom is heated first. The hot water rises to the top because it is lighter and the heavier cold water takes its place at the bottom of the pan. So how does convection heat in an oven move? How do ceiling fans make rooms warmer?

Radiation Is the passage of heat in straight rays from a hot object. Any object in the path of the rays becomes hot For example… The sun radiates heat to the earth and to our bodies; coals in a BBQ become hot and radiate heat to the hotplate; an electric grill or toaster radiates heat directly to the food.

Microwaves- thermal radiation Are electronic waves produced by a magnetron, which converts electrical energy into microwave energy. When the microwave is turned on, microwaves pass into the oven and are reflected off the walls; they are transmitted to the cooking container and are absorbed by the food. The microwaves penetrate the food to a depth of 3-5cm. Water molecules in the food rotate and move rapidly, creating heat.

Induction- electromagnetic radiation (see Food Solutions page 181) In most cases, a gas or electric stove is used to heat the cooking vessel (conduction) first--which in turn heats and cooks the food (convection). Induction is a method, completely different from all other cooking technologies- - it does not involve generating heat which is then transferred to the cooking vessel, it makes the cooking vessel itself the original generator of the cooking heat and cooks the food directly.

Questions 1. Name a cooking method that relies on  Convection  Conduction  Radiation 2. Describe how a microwave cooks food 3. Explain why microwaves are good for cooking vegetables. 4. What are unsuitable containers for microwave cooking and why? 5. List the safety considerations when microwaving.