Cooked for Dummies

Cooked is a word we use to describe a specific way of preparing food. When we cook food, we use heat to change it in some way. Have you ever seen your mom or dad in the kitchen, using the stove or oven to prepare meals? That's exactly what cooking is all about – it's the process of making food ready to be eaten by making it hotter and changing its taste, texture, and sometimes even appearance.

Now, there are different ways to cook food. One way is by boiling it in water, like when we make pasta or rice. We start with uncooked, hard pasta or rice, and then we boil it until it softens and becomes easier to eat. This process of boiling is just one type of cooking.

Another way to cook food is by using an oven. When we bake something in the oven, like a cake or cookies, we mix all the ingredients together first, and then we put the mixture in a pan or on a baking sheet. The oven uses heat to make the mixture rise and turn into a delicious cake or crispy cookies. This is a different way of cooking compared to boiling.

When we cook food, we can also use a frying pan or grill. We often use this method when making things like pancakes or hamburgers. With a frying pan or grill, we add a bit of oil or heat it up, and then carefully place the food on top. The heat from the pan or grill causes the food to become crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

So, "cooked" is the word we use to describe food that has been changed and made ready to eat by using different methods of applying heat. It means that the food has been transformed in some way, whether it's by boiling, baking, frying, or grilling, to make it more delicious, easier to chew and enjoy.

Remember, cooking is an essential skill because it allows us to transform raw ingredients into tasty and healthy meals that provide us with the energy we need to do all the things we love and enjoy!