Food

Cooked and Raw Food for Class 1 Science

We already know about the food we get from plants and animals. Over the years, humans have developed several methods to enhance the taste and variety of items we eat.
Raw food cannot be consumed directly; it is cooked and made suitable for consumption. Cooking involves various methods and ingredients which varies across the globe.
It is not possible to eat all kinds of food without cooking. Moreover, humans are not capable of digesting many things without being cooked.
This concept will help the learners to differentiate between raw and cooked items.

After reading the concept, students will be able to:

• Give examples of different food items based on cooking methods used.
• Define different methods of cooking food.
• Identify different cooking utensils.

Each concept is explained to class 1 students using descriptions, illustrations, and concept maps. After you go through a concept, assess your learning by solving the two printable worksheets given at the end of the page.
Download the worksheets and check your answers with the worksheet solutions for the concept Cooked and Raw Food provided in PDF format.

Some food items can be consumed without cooking and are called raw food. Do you cook your salad before you eat it? What about a fish?

Some food items that can be consumed without cooking are as follows—

Raw fruits and vegetables:

However, all vegetables cannot be eaten raw; only some, like carrots, onions, etc., can be consumed directly.

Nuts:

Similarly, some food items need to be cooked before eating. Cooking food is necessary due to the following reasons:

• It kills disease-causing germs present in raw food.
• It increases the taste.
• It makes the food soft and easy to digest.

Some methods of cooking that we commonly use in our daily lives are discussed below—

a) Baking:

• Baking is the process by which food is cooked using dry heat.
• It is done using an oven.
• Wheat is usually used as the raw material for baking

• Examples:

    Cakes, loaves of bread, biscuits, cookies, brownies, etc.

b) Steaming:

• Steamed food is prepared by utilising the heat of boiling water.
• A steamer is used for steaming.

• Examples:

     Idli, dhokla, momos, steamed vegetables.

c) Frying:

• Frying involves cooking in a pan using hot oil.
• As per requirements, the amount of oil required for cooking varies for different food items.

• Examples:

     Samosas, paranthas, medu vada, and omelette.

d) Boiling:

• Boiled food is prepared by boiling the food in hot water.

• Examples:

     Rice, pulses, boiled eggs, etc.
• Some items like vegetables, chicken, and eggs can also be boiled and consumed.

e) Roasting:

• Roasting is a method where food is cooked directly on the fire.

• Examples:

     Chicken, Meat, Paneer, grilled vegetables, etc.

Cooking Utensils:

Let us see some common utensils used in the kitchen for cooking—

New Words:

Did You Know?

• There are some food items that can be consumed both raw and cooked.

  Examples:

    Onion, tomatoes, cabbage, spinach, etc.
• Cooking in open utensils may lead to the loss of nutrients as they evaporate with the water. Hence, it is suggested that one should cook raw vegetables in closed containers.