Cooking is the act of applying heat to foods to prepare them for eating.

When food are

cooked, changes in flavor, texture, aroma, color, and nutritional content occur during
process.

There are three ways that heat is transferred to foods.

1. Conduction is the direct transfer of heat between adjacent molecules. An

example of conduction is cooking on a flattop range. Heat is transferred from the
molecules of the hot range surface to the molecules of the adjacent pan bottom,
then from the pan bottom to the pan sides and the food contained within the pan.
The pan must be in direct contact with the range for conduction to occur. Some
materials are better conductors of the heat than others. Generally, most metals are
good conductors, while gases ( air ) , liquids, and nonmetallic solids ( glass,
ceramic ) are not. Because it relies on direct contact, conduction is a relatively slow
method of heat transfer, but the slow, direct transfer to heat between adjacent
molecules is what allows a food to be cooked from outside in , resulting in a
completely cooked exterior with a moist and juicy interior.
2. Convection is the transfer of heat through gases or liquid. When either of these
substances is heated, the portions of the gas or liquid closest to the heat source
warm first and become less dense, causing them to rise and be replaced by cooler,
denser portions of the gas or liquid. Convection, therefore is a combination of
conduction and mixing .
3. Convection occurs both naturally and through mechanical means. Natural
convection is at work in a pot of water placed on the stove to boil. Conduction
transfers heat from the stove to the pot to the water molecules in contact with the
interior of the pot. As these water molecules heat up, convection causes them to
move away and be replaced by cooler molecules. This continual movement results
in convection currents within the water. If a potato is added to the water, the
convection currents transfer heat to surface of the potato, at which point
conduction takes over to transfer heat to the interior of the potato.
4. Mechanical convection occurs when stirring or a fan used to speed and equalize
heat distribution . When you stir a thick sauce to heat it faster and keep it from
scorching on the bottom of the pan, you are creating mechanical convection.
Convection ovens use fans to rapidly circulate hot air, allowing them to cook foods
more quickly and evenly than conventional ovens. ( Natural convection occurs in
conventional ovens as air in contact with the heating element circulates, but the
majority of heat transfer in a conventional oven is the result of infrared radiation ).
5. Radiation is transfer of energy through waves of electromagnetic energy that
travel rapidly through space. Radiation does not require direct contact between
the energy source and food. When the waves travelling through space strike
matter and are absorbed, they cause molecules in the matter to vibrate more
 rapidly, increasing the temperature. Two types of radiation are important in the
kitchen, infrared and microwave.
Source of infrared radiation include the glowing coals of charcoal grill or the glowing coils
of an electric toaster, broiler, or oven . Waves of radiant energy travel in all directions from
these heat sources. Foods and cookware that absorb the energy waves are heated. Dark
dull, or rough surfaces absorb radiant energy better that light- colored, smooth, or polished
surface. Transparent glass permits the transfer of radiant energy, so convectional oven
temperatures should be lowered by approximately 25f/-4c to offset the additional energy
transfer that occurs when using glass baking dishes.

microwave radiation, produced by microwave ovens, transfer energy through short, high
frequency waves. When these microwaves are absorbed by foods, they cause the food
molecules to vibrate faster, creating heat. Microwave radiation cooks foods much faster
than infrared radiation because it penetrates foods several inches deep, whereas infrared is
mainly absorbed at the surface. Depending on their composition, foods react differently to
microwaves. Foods with high moisture, sugar , or fat contents absorb microwave best and
heat up more readily.

Microwave cooking has few drawbacks, however. It is best suited to cooking small batches
of foods. Meats cooked in a microwave oven lose greater amounts of moisture and easily
become dry. Microwave ovens also cannot browns foods, and metal cannot be used in them
because it reflect the microwaves, which can cause fires and damage the oven.