Temperature and heat changes during cooking

During cooking, a complex series of physical and chemical changes takes place. These vary according to the commodity and cooking method but may include changes in moisture, fat content, flavour, texture, colour and nutrient composition. These changes depend on the temperature — time relation within the food, and this in turn depends on the transfer of heat to the food and within the food. Research into this topic has been carried out in the Department of Catering Studies, Huddersfield Polytechnic for some years. A series of papers have been or are about to be published, and in this article Roger Collison, brings together the results of this work.