Effects of Heat On Foods

Effects of Heat on Foods
What is heat?
• a form of energy that is transferred from
one body to another as the result of a
difference in temperature. If two bodies at
different temperatures are brought together,
energy is transferred—i.e., heat flows—
from the hotter body to the colder.
• The level of temperature used when

cooking .
Basic Knowledge on Heat
• Heat is necessary in cooking.
• Heat can be passed on to food through

conduction, convection and radiation.
• Heat is passed to food through water, oil
or air.
• Cooking of food includes the use of hot

water, hot oil and dry heat.
Types of Moist Heat
Preparation
• Scalding • Braising
• Poaching • Boiling
• Simmering • Steaming
• Stewing
Types of Dry Heat
Preparation
• Grilling
• Baking • Frying
• Roasting
• Broiling
How Heat Affects Food
Proteins: Coagulation
Plant- and animal-based foods are made up
of long molecules called proteins. When
they’re heated, the proteins break up and
lose moisture. This makes them change
from a liquid (or semi-liquid) to a solid in a
process called coagulation in food.
Starches: Gelatinization
When starches are heated, they absorb
liquids around them. This makes solid
starchy foods softer. Starches can also be
added to foods like soups and stews that are
mostly liquid for thickening purposes. The
whole process is known as gelatinization.
Water: Evaporation
This is the process most people are
probably familiar with from science class.
When water is heated, the molecules move
faster and faster until they turn into a gas
(steam) and evaporate. Because water is in
so many foods, this explains why foods get
more dried out when they’re cooked.
Fats: Melt
Unlike water, fats won’t evaporate when
heated, though they do melt. At room
temperature they can be solid, liquid, or
somewhere in between, but all of them
become liquid when heat is applied to them.
Because it takes much higher temperatures
to burn foods that fit in this category, they’re
often used as a medium to cook foods,
rather than just as an ingredient.
How Cooking affects the
Nutrient Content of Foods
Boiling, simmering, and poaching
While water-based cooking methods cause

the greatest losses of water-soluble
vitamins, they have very little effect on
omega-3 fats.
Grilling and broiling
• Grilling and broiling are similar methods of

cooking with dry heat.
• 40% of B vitamins and minerals may be
lost during grilling or broiling when the
nutrient-rich juice drips from the meat.
Microwaving
• is an easy, convenient, and safe method of

cooking.
• Short cooking times and reduced exposure
to heat preserve the nutrients in microwaved
food.
• In fact, studies have found that microwaving
is the best method for retaining the
antioxidant activity of garlic and mushrooms.
Roasting and Baking
• Roasting is typically used for meat while

baking is used for bread, muffins, cake, and
similar foods.
• Most vitamin losses are minimal with this
cooking method, including vitamin C.
• However, due to long cooking times at high
temperatures, the B vitamins in roasted
meat may decline by as much as 40%.
Sautéing and Stir-frying
• With sautéing and stir-frying, food is cooked

in a saucepan over medium to high heat in a
small amount of oil or butter.
• These techniques are very similar, but with
stir-frying, the food is stirred often, the
temperature is higher, and the cooking time
is shorter.
• In general, this is a healthy way to prepare
food.
• Frying
• It involves cooking food in a large amount
of fat — usually oil — at a high
temperature. The food is often coated with
batter or bread crumbs.
• It's a popular way of preparing food
because the skin or coating maintains a
seal, which ensures that the inside remains
moist and cooks evenly.
• The fat used for frying also makes the food
taste very good.
Steaming
• Steaming is one of the best cooking

methods for preserving nutrients, including
water-soluble vitamins, which are sensitive
to heat and water.
• Researchers have found that steaming
broccoli, spinach, and lettuce reduces their
vitamin C content by only 9–15%.

Effects of Heat On Foods

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Effects of Heat On Foods

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Effects of Heat on Foods

• The level of temperature used when

• Heat can be passed on to food through

• Cooking of food includes the use of hot

While water-based cooking methods cause

• Grilling and broiling are similar methods of

• is an easy, convenient, and safe method of

• Roasting is typically used for meat while

• With sautéing and stir-frying, food is cooked

• Steaming is one of the best cooking

You might also like