We consume some of our foodstuffs raw and others by cooking. While the foods that are eaten raw should be washed and consumed very well, the correct cooking of the cooked foods is extremely important for the preservation of their nutritional value. Because the cooking style of each food is different. While most of us unconsciously perform the cooking process, we turn the foods that will meet our extremely important nutritional needs into useless pulp. So let’s see what kind of food is being cooked while it is being cooked.

Meat and Poultry
During the cooking process of the meat, the protein solidifies and there is a loss of water. As the temperature rises in meat cooked in dry heat, the loss of water increases and the meat dries. In the wet heat, collagen, one of the connective tissue proteins of the meat, is hydrolyzed and thus the meat becomes soft. The meat changes from red to brown with the change in myoglobin, which gives the color of the meat.

The fish
Since the connection tissues of the fish are less, it is easily dispersed by cooking. Cooking on a low fire prevents dispersion. Oily fish are usually grilled or cooked in their own broth. Low-fat fish are cooked by frying method.

Dry beans
Dried legumes become ready for food with the stages of soaking, boiling, removing the outer skin and cooking. Boiling water of dried legumes should not be thrown because B group vitamins and some minerals pass into this water. If it is discarded, there will be a loss of nutritional value. However, gas-forming properties are formed by the passage of gas-forming substances and oligosaccharides into water. People with gas problems should not use this water. Adding carbonate to the soaking water of legumes to soften quickly loses group B vitamins. For this reason, it is more appropriate to cook it in a pressure cooker.

Egg
Egg protein solidifies with cooking. With overcooking, a green color occurs on the surface of the egg yolk. This prevents the absorption of iron in its composition. It is cooked by boiling the egg in water with its shell, breaking it into a greasy pan or mixed with other foods.

Vegetables and fruits
Food groups with the most important cooking mistakes are vegetables and fruits.
· Vegetables should be cooked in closed pots in a short time in order not to lose their green color due to oxidation. No baking soda or lemon juice should be added to preserve its color. It should be cooked immediately after being cut or chopped.
· In order to preserve the shape of the vegetables while cooking, the flavors (such as tomato paste, onion) and water should be prepared beforehand, the vegetables should be added later and cooked in a short time and at boiling point. Adding too much water to vegetables will cause them to become too soft and distorted. If several vegetables are to be cooked together, the ones that are cooked late should be added first. While the fruits are being cooked, they should be poured into boiling water and cooked.
If all these are taken into consideration, the loss of especially water-soluble vitamins is prevented. In addition, boiling and cooking water of vegetables should never be thrown away. The method of boiling and squeezing spinach while cooking is absolutely wrong. It should be cooked raw after washing and chopping.

Fats
After the oils are melted, other nutrients should be added immediately, and they should not be exposed to excessive heat. When frying, the oil used should not be used the second time. However, since some oils are produced for this purpose only, they can be used 2 or 3 times. In deep frying, the pan should not be overfilled and care should be taken to ensure that it is suitable for the frying temperature. Refined vegetable oils (eg refined olive oil, sunflower oil) or edible margarines should be used in frying. Stainless steel or good teflon pan can be used when frying. The oil in the fryer should not be used more than 3 or 4 times. When frying, first the oil is heated, then the food is discarded. In order to understand the frying temperature of the oil, a small piece of bread is tossed, if the bread around is hardened, the heating temperature is good.
After taking a look at the cooking rules of foods, we can examine the cooking methods. We can list them as follows.

Cooking Methods

Cooking with the Boiling Method
Cooking with the boiling method is the cooking of food by bringing it to a boiling point in liquid. The boiling liquid can be water, broth, chicken stock or milk. There are 2 methods of scalding.
1- Food is added to the boiling liquid and brought back to boiling point. Then reduce the heat and continue cooking.
2- Food is added to the cold liquid, boiled, then the heat is reduced and cooking continues.
The purposes of boiling cooking are to preserve the aromas of foods, to be easy to digest and to be safe in terms of nutritional values.

Slow Cooking
In this method, small pieces of food are cooked with a small amount of liquid (water, sauces, broth) and low heat and served with the liquid in which they were cooked. It is the safest method in terms of preserving nutritional value. It is made on the stove or oven with the lid of the cooking container closed at low temperature. In this method, ideal temperatures are 82 degrees in the stove and 170 degrees in the oven.

Steam Cooking
Cooking food with the aid of steam y