OTB-2

Sauce Intro
(6/9/21)

Basic Principles of Cooking and Food Science

-No written recipe can be 100% accurate
-The judgement of the cook is still the most important factor
-A cook’s judgement based on experience and understanding of
- Raw Materials available
- Basic of Cooking Principals
- Food Science

What is heat?
-Heat is a form of energy associated with the motion of atoms or molecules.
-When a substance absorbs heat, its molecules move faster.
- In liquids, and gases, the molecules move more quickly from place to place and bounce
off each other more frequently.
- In solids, the molecules stay mostly in place, but they vibrate with more energy.

Temperature
-Temperature can be defined as a measure of this molecular activity. The higher the temp, the
faster the molecules are moving.

Food are composed of: Protein, Fats, Carbs, Water

-Carbs: Found in fruits, vegies, grains, beans, nuts, meat a fish. (caramelization and
gelatinization are the two most important changes in carbo caused by heat.)
Caramelization: Caramelization is what happens to pure sugar when it reaches 170° C. A few
tablespoons of sugar put in a pan and heated will eventually melt and start to turn brown.
Gelatinization: occurs when starches absorb water and swell.

-Fiber: can’t be digested, when cooking, the fiber is broken down.

-Acids and sugar make fiber firmer.
-Baking soda and other alkalis makes fiber softer.

-Protein: Meats, Poultry, Fish, Egg, Milk and milk products.

Coagulation: Protein coils unwind, become attracted to each other and form bonds, coagulated
proteins form solid network of bonds and becomes firm, excessive heat toughens proteins and
makes them dry. Most proteins complete coagulation at 71-75O C.
 Maillard Reaction: Whet proteins are heated to 154o C. the amino acids in the protein
chains react with
Connective tissues: Special proteins that are present in meats, some connective tissues are
dissolved when cooked slowly with moisture.
(Acids such ad lemon juice, vinegar, and tomato products have two effects on proteins:
they speed coagulation, they help dissolve some connective tissues.)
-Fats: fats are also important as cooking mediums, as for frying, can be either solid or liquid at
room temp, liquid fats are called oils
Smoke points: a temperature at which it stops shimmering and starts sending out some serious
smoke signals.
-Water: Nearly all foods contain water, water exists in three states, Solid, Liquid, Gas
(Food are composed of small amounts of compounds: Minerals, Vitamins, Pigments, Flavor
Elements. They are important to nutritional quality of the food, food’s appearance and taste,
select cooking methods that preserve as much as possible the food’s nutrients, taste, and
appearance.)
Emulsion: a uniform mixture of two substances that are normally unmixable. Example: Mayo,
Hollandaise, Vinaigrette. One of the liquids is said to be in suspension in the other.

Heat Transfer:
-Conduction: moves directly from one item to the other from touching it. (Searing)
-Convection: when heat is spread by the movement of air, steam, liquid (including hot fat) that
carries the heat from the source to the food. (Natural: Hot liquids and gases rise, while cooler
ones sink. Mechanical: in convection Ovens and convection steamers.)
-Radiation: energy is transferred by waves from a source to the food. The waves change into heat
energy when they strike the food being cooked. (Infrared, Broiling)

Doneness and cooking times:

We say a food is done when two things have happened:
-The interior temperature has risen to desired degree.
-The desired changes have taken place in the food.
The time to achieve doneness is affected by three factors:
-Cooking temp,
-Speed of heat transfer,
-Size, temp, and individual characteristics of the food.