Why Cook Food?

As an Army chef your role is to prep and cook food. Cooking food not only makes it taste good; it has many other benefits. Cooked food often looks far more appealing, stimulating the digestive juices and creating an appetite in those viewing it. When soldiers are on exercise or away from home training the cook house is the highlight of their day. It can be hugely beneficial to moral to eat a hot meal after a tough day out in the elements. Many raw food products can’t be digested by our stomachs. Cooking these indigestible foods changes their structure (physically and chemically), assisting both digestion and mastication (or chewing), as well as destroying harmful bacteria and parasites.

The Transference of Heat

The transference of heat is the thing that cooks your food. Without it, nothing much would really happen! Heat is transferred in one of three ways, all of which can either occur on their own or simultaneously with another method.

Radiation

This is when heat or energy reaches the item to be cooked in a straight line with nothing getting in the way, just like someone sunbathing. Radiation is used to grill, toast and spit roast food.

Conduction

Occurs when an item to be cooked is lying on a utensil (e.g. pan, frying pan) and the heat source is directly underneath. The heat is conducted (or guided) through the base of the cooking utensil, heating up its surface, thereby heating the item of food lying on it. Conduction is used to fry foods such as pancakes and stir frys.

Convection

This can occur with any liquid, not just water. On heating the liquid particles expand, become less dense (thick) and rise. They eventually reach the surface, cool down and sink again. This process repeats itself over and over and is called convection. Convection currents are responsible for carrying and distributing the heat throughout the liquid.