Culinary processes

Preparing good meals begins with good planning, which allows us to make an adequate food purchase to meet the needs of each member of the family and avoid repetitions, losses and food spoilage. We must also guarantee the conservation of the products in adequate places, to protect them from any contamination or reduction of their nutritional qualities.

Culinary treatments should also be selected depending on the food to be processed. In general, the correct cooking of foods improves their hygienic and sanitary quality, but can also modify their nutritional value. In some cases the nutritional value increases; however, in others, variable quantities of vitamins are lost due to the action of heat, especially water-soluble vitamins. Minerals are not destroyed by heat treatments, but they can be lost in the cooking water, or in the liquids released by the meats. Shopping:

• Planning: to guarantee a balanced diet it is advisable, to design menus that include a great variety of foods, to determine the necessary ingredients for its realization and to make a shopping list, which must also contemplate other products, in order to have a reserve to solve unforeseen events.
• Purchase: we must buy only the foods on the list, it is not advisable to have at home the foods that are not recommended to be consumed regularly, such as pastries, cold meats, ice cream, industrial soft drinks, etc.
• Checking the products before buying them: in the case of foods that we buy fresh, such as meats, fish and fruits, we should always observe them in order to discover changes in color, smell, texture or temperature, which indicate quality deficiencies. We must make sure that the containers are not dirty, crushed or broken, and we must also check the expiration dates.
• Transportation: we must handle food with clean hands, do not put them on the floor, move them covered and avoid possible contact between them. In the case of frozen foods, the transportation time should be reduced and plastic bags or containers should be used to prevent contamination.

Food storage:

• Cupboards: cupboards should be cool, well ventilated, without humidity, this favors the elimination of foreign odors. Food should be placed in an orderly fashion, by category, with labels placed in such a way that they can be easily identified, and new arrivals should be placed at the back to facilitate the rotation of all products.

Dry foods, such as flour, sugar, and rice, if removed from their original packaging, should be stored in containers with lids that are easy to wash and disinfect before being refilled. It is very important not to put cleaning products in the cupboards to avoid consumption accidents.Foods requiring refrigeration between 0-5°c: all fresh and cooked foods are stored at this temperature. Processed foods are placed on the upper shelves and raw foods on the lower shelves, wrapped and separated for a short period of time.Foods that need to be kept frozen between - 18°c and - 36°c: they should be wrapped for consumption portions, for a limited period of time, referred to months. Unwrapped frozen products may suffer burns, resulting in a loss of nutrients. It is important not to freeze leftovers, nor refreeze foods that have thawed. Objectives Culinary processing:

• Ensure food safety: elimination of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi contained in food. Destruction of toxins capable of causing disease when they come into contact with or are absorbed by body tissues.

Improve the nutritional value of food:

• They favor the process of nutrient assimilation in the organism.

• Facilitate the transformation of food into substances that are easier to be absorbed.

Improve the properties and qualities of food:

• Make food more palatable, modifying its taste, odor, texture and color.

• Prolong the shelf life of foods, maintaining all their qualities and organoleptic properties.

Some culinary processes:

• Steaming: this is a method that consists of cooking food only by the action of steam. The food is placed in a container with holes, this is placed over another container containing boiling water, without it touching the food contained in the first container, cooking by the direct action of steam on the food.

Food cooked by steaming loses less nutrients than boiled food, making it a very healthy method. Boiling: is the cooking of food in water, generally used to prepare very simple dishes of vegetables, greens and potatoes, which can then be served dressed with olive oil. Microwave cooking: it allows defrosting, heating and cooking food. It is a very fast heating that is produced by passing electromagnetic waves through the food. Microwave cooking is applied to meat, fish, cereals, eggs, fruit and vegetables, without the need to add oil, which is advantageous in the preparation of low-calorie diets.

Nutrient losses are similar to those produced using other methods, and even lower in some cases, since the cooking time is generally shorter.

Pressure cooking: it is carried out in pressure cookers, where the hermetic closing of the pot allows to raise the boiling temperature of the water, above 100° c, up to 130°c. It is used to achieve the same effects of simmering in a shorter period of time. This technique avoids evaporation, keeping most of the initial juices, thus retaining flavors, aromas and nutrients. Stewing: consists of cooking various foods in an aqueous and fatty medium, usually containing various meats, cereals, vegetables, vegetables and legumes, depending on the season or tastes. It allows the reflux of vapors during the cooking process and the level of liquid can vary, so that dry stews and soups can be obtained. Griddle cooking: the food is cooked on a hot plate, which transfers heat by direct conduction. Generally, a thin layer of oil is applied to prevent the food from sticking.

It is done without covering and without added liquid. The griddle must be very hot to achieve the browning and sealing of the surface of the meats. Frying: this is a type of dry cooking, where the food is introduced by rapid immersion in a bath of fatty matter at a temperature above 140°c. Foods such as potatoes, eggs, fish, bananas can be directly immersed in the fat. Other foods, such as breaded and battered foods, should be covered with an insulating layer.

Cooking in oil causes the breading to be soaked in oil or fat, making the food acquire high calorie content, in addition, due to the high temperatures, the oil is denatured, losing its qualities, making its effects on the organism very similar to those caused by animal fats. However, as it is a much faster cooking process, there is a lesser loss of vitamins, this is the case of french fries, which contain more vitamins than cooked ones. Grilling: consists of subjecting the meat directly to a heat source, which can be charcoal, electric resistance or gas, that allows to graduate the intensity, to brown the surface by raising the temperature, and continue cooking slowly to achieve adequate cooking. The pieces should be filleted with a minimum thickness of 1.5 centimeters. It will be seasoning and basting with oil lightly. It facilitates the digestibility of the proteins and eliminates possible residual fats of the meat. Baking: it consists of cooking the food in a closed enclosure, in which the heat is diffused by radiation and convection. The execution of this process is slow and may require turning, so that the temperature reaches the center in a uniform manner and is homogeneous on the outside.

In the case of meats, the pieces are seasoned at the moment of placing them in the preheated oven, in some cases they are browned on a griddle or in a frying pan, before placing them in the oven. The temperature depends on the size of the piece, the larger the piece the lower the temperature. It is necessary to begin with greater intensity of heat, to brown and seal, then lower and cook thoroughly more slowly, allowing the conservation of the nutrients in the interior. In this way we will obtain a juicier and tastier meat.

This technique facilitates the digestibility of meat proteins and eliminates possible residual fats. In addition, baking bread increases the content of vitamins of group B, due to the fermentative action of the yeasts.