52 APPLIED PHYSIOLOGY 



tissue which binds together the cells of the food material, 

 and thus makes meat and vegetables tender. It devel- 

 ops an agreeable flavor which stimulates the desire for 

 food and promotes digestion. Cooking has no effect upon 

 fat itself, but the tiny pockets of albumin in which it is 

 stored in meat and vegetables are softened or dissolved 

 away, and the fat is set free. In vegetables and flour, 

 starch is in tiny grains, each of which seems to be 

 made up of layers of starch separated by thin layers of 

 a waterproof substance. Hot water causes the starch to 

 swell and burst these envelopes, and the starch itself is 

 then dissolved, thickening the water to a jelly like mass. 

 Cooking has no effect upon the sugar and mineral matters 

 of the food, except to mingle them thoroughly with the food. 

 Thorough cooking also destroys many poisons, and all 

 the disease germs in tainted food. Yet cooking does not 

 render tainted food fit for use. 



66. Ways of COOking. Some foods are best cooked by being 

 boiled or stewed. Other foods are best when roasted or broiled. The 

 exact method is not so important as the skill of the one who does the 

 cooking. 



In all forms of cooking the principles are the same. If the solid food 

 alone is to be eaten, as much of the juices as possible should be retained 

 in the food by coagulating the albumin upon the outside at once so as to 

 imprison the juices. This can be done by having the water boil before 

 the food is placed in the kettle, or by placing the food in a hot oven. 

 The film which forms upon the outside of the food effectually seals the 

 juices within. If both the solid food and the liquid in which it is 

 cooked are to be eaten, the flavors are better developed if the juices are 

 diffused through the liquid. In this case the food should be placed in 

 cold water or a cool oven, and heat applied gradually so as to avoid 

 coagulating the exterior sooner than the interior. In most cases the 

 food will be of better quality and taste if the cooking is done slowly. 

 When the heat is continued after the food is thoroughly softened, its 

 fibers are apt to become hard and dry. 



