You do not have to learn complicated procedures or buy any

expensive equipment to cook well. Here are simple healthful

cooking techniques that you may follow:
1. Baking refers to cooking breads and desserts. However, the
same method can be used to cook uniform-sized pieces of
vegetables, fruit, seafood, poultry, or lean meat in an open pan
or dish surrounded by the hot, dry air of an oven. This cooking
technique does not add fat to a dish.
2. Braising slowly cooks small pieces of food with a small
quantity of liquid in an open or covered pan on top of the stove
or in the oven. In some recipes, the cooking liquid is reduced
after the initial cooking to form a flavorful, nutrient-rich sauce.
3. Enhancing is a technique of using herbs and spices to contribute
bright color, great taste, and wonderful aroma. This is one way
of enhancing food's flavor without adding fat, salt, or sugar. A
dash of flavorful vinegar, a sprinkling of toasted nuts, or a
garnish of bell peppers are other interesting enhancements.
4. Grilling and broiling are methods of cooking thin pieces of food
to direct heat. In grilling, food is placed on a grill rack above a
bed of charcoal while in broiling, food is placed on a broiler
rack below a heat element wherein it removes the fat from the
food.
5. Poaching is done by gently simmering ingredients in water or a
flavorful liquid such as broth, vinegar, or juice until they are
cooked through and tender.
6. Roasting uses the dry heat of an oven to slowly cook larger
pieces of food. For poultry, seafood, and meat, use a rack inside
the roasting pan to catch fat drippings.
7. Sautéing rapidly cooks relatively small or thin pieces of food.
You can cook food with the addition of little or no fat if you are
going to use a good-quality nonstick pan.
8. Steaming is considered to be one of the simplest cooking
techniques. Food is usually cooked suspended above simmering
liquid. Using a flavorful liquid or adding enhancement to the
water adds flavor to the food as it cooks.
9. Stir frying is a rapid cooking of food in a wok or frying pan and
usually cooking small, uniform-sized pieces of food.

Safe Food and Clean Kitchen

All food naturally contain small amounts of bacteria. When
food is poorly handled, improperly cooked, or inadequately
stored, these bacteria can multiply in great quantity to cause
illness. Unsafe food is usually the result of contamination-the
presence of harmful substances in food. Some of these food
safety hazards are caused by humans, by environment, or it
occurs naturally.
The following are potential hazards to food
safety:
1. Biological hazards include certain viruses, fungi, parasites,
and bacteria. Certain type of mushroom and seafood
contains harmful toxin or poison.
2. Chemical hazards include cleaning and sanitizing agents,
toxic metals, and other products that contain chemicals.
3. Physical hazards include foreign objects like hair, staples,
rubber band, plastic, broken glass that gets into the food.
 Likewise, cross-contamination and poor personal hygiene
can cause food-borne illnesses.
4. Cross-contamination is the transfer of bacteria from one
surface or food to another and may result to food-borne
illnesses in various ways:
A. Adding contaminated ingredients to food without
further cooking
B. Eating ready-to-eat food that touches contaminated
surface or container
C. Touching of food surface by contaminated cleaning
towels
5. Poor personal hygiene of any food handlers:
A. Reporting to work while sick
B. Failure to wash hands after using the washroom or after
touching dirty items
C. Coughing or sneezing on food
D. Touching or scratching wounds while handling food

To prevent any food-borne illnesses or hazards, here

are some guidelines that you may follow in handling
food and working in the kitchen:
1. Wash your hands. Clean with warm water before and after
handling ingredients, particularly raw poultry, seafood, and
meat, and before emptying the dishwasher, setting the table,
and eating.
2. Use clean tools. After use, wash all used tools thoroughly
with warm soapy water, put them through a dishwasher, or
 use a commercial antibacterial treatment. Wash tools or
platters that have touched raw poultry or meat before using
them again.
3. Rinse produce and raw poultry, meat, and seafoods. Before
cooking, thoroughly rinse or peel fruits and vegetables. Rinse
pieces of poultry, meats, and seafood in running water.
4. Keep cutting boards clean and use different cutting boards for
produce, poultry, meat, and seafood products. Always use
separate cutting boards for different food items to avoid cross-
contamination. After use, wash cutting boards thoroughly
with warm, soapy water, and sterilize. Sterilize kitchen
counters and other work surfaces.
5. Keep towels clean. Change kitchen towels every day. Boil
sponges and scrubbers to keep bacteria away.
6. Clean up spills quickly. Any spills while preparing the food
must be cleaned right away to maintain safety of the food.
7. Marinate food for minimum time. Marinate raw food at room
temperature for no longer than 30 minutes. When marinating
food in the refrigerator, keep them covered and marinate for
no longer than 1 hour.
8. Store food carefully. Always check expiration dates on
packaged items. Refrigerate leftovers or freeze in a tightly
covered container immediately or within 2 hours of serving.

In a Nutshell
 Cook food using a variety of healthful techniques.
 Food-borne diseases are transmitted to people through consuming
cross-contaminated food.
 To prevent food-borne diseases, you must be aware of the potential
hazards that can make food unsafe.