Eduqas GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition: Student Book

You may be asking yourself ‘ What has science got to do with my food lessons ?’ The answer is that many chemical and physical changes occur during the preparation and cooking of food, and you are unknowingly conducting basic scientific experiments in that great laboratory, the kitchen! When things go wrong with our cooking we need to know why. If we have some knowledge of the underlying food science that goes on within recipes, then we can prevent errors from happening, for instance, how to stop sliced apple from turning brown, choux buns not expanding or a white sauce becoming lumpy. A burger on the barbeque – what is going on as it cooks? REASONS WHY WE COOK FOOD • To kill pathogenic bacteria and toxins making the food safe to eat • To soften the food making it easier to chew and swallow • To make the food more digestible • It improves and intensifies the flavour of food • The food looks more attractive and appealing • It reduces the ‘bulk’ of the food • Provides variety to our meals • To enable certain ingredients to work together • We eat hot food to keep warm in cold weather • Meat, fish, kidney beans • Tenderised meat, softened vegetables and fruit • Animal protein foods, starchy foods • Roasted vegetables, scrambled egg, ragù sauce • Grilled bacon, poached egg, roast chicken • Leafy vegetables – cooking reduces their volume, so more can be eaten • Roasting, grilling, frying, boiling, stewing all give different textures to food • Starch for thickening sauces, melting gelatine and chocolate, raising agents in cakes • Casseroles, soups and stews REASON FOR COOKING EXAMPLES 68 CORE KNOWLEDGE What will I learn? • Why foods are cooked • How heat is transferred to foods • The methods used for cooking foods • How to maintain the nutritional value of foods through preparation • The types and functions of raising agents • The scientific principles behind preparing and cooking foods • The basic terminology of food science THE SCIENCE OF COOKING FOOD SECTION 1 CORE KNOWLEDGE