How do I cook food?

While I'm not sure how the image you've shared relates to your question, I am happy to answer to the best of my ability.

At its most basic, "cooking" refers to any action which changes the chemical structure of a food and renders it more palatable, nutritional, or better-preserved. Cooking may refer to a wide variety of behaviors dealing with preparing food for consumption, such as chopping vegetables, blending spices, and even waiting on a...

While I'm not sure how the image you've shared relates to your question, I am happy to answer to the best of my ability.

At its most basic, "cooking" refers to any action which changes the chemical structure of a food and renders it more palatable, nutritional, or better-preserved. Cooking may refer to a wide variety of behaviors dealing with preparing food for consumption, such as chopping vegetables, blending spices, and even waiting on a cake to bake in the oven. Most often, the chemical change we apply to food to improve its edibility is through heat. Exposing foods to heat in an oven, on a stovetop, or with fire helps to break down cellular structures and make the food easier to digest. Many plant foods, like potatoes, require enzymatic changes to occur in the plant material before the majority of nutrients contained in it can be digested. In animal foods, proteins begin to break down or "denature" and are made more easily digestible by this process.

Not only does transforming food through cooking make it easier to digest, it also tastes better! One of the changes which spurred the speciation of Homo sapiens was the controlled use of fire. When our ancestors started cooking foods, the nutritional yield increased, and we have since evolved to prefer food that has been changed through cooking. Humans are especially fond of foods which are caramelized, a transformation of sugar, or charred, as occurs with grilled meats. Heat isn't the only way to transform or cook food: the acids in lime juice are used to transform the proteins in white fish for the dish ceviche. Salting has also been a favorite means of transforming food for centuries. Though there are many ways to transform food, the use of heat is one that humans have evolved to love.

It's a great idea to learn to cook! Not only will you have a reliable source of meals (finances granted) in the future, it's a great way to exercise your fine motor skills, practice mathematics, and engage your senses. There are many resources for beginner cooks on the internet. Check out this website which has lots of easy recipes. A good place to start is by learning the basics- how to make rice, fry an egg, or roast a chicken. Most chefs will say the best place to start is by learning to cook something you like to eat, but it never hurts to get in a little practice scrambling eggs first! Keep in mind that many meals or single recipes are composed of more basic skills and techniques, so learning these will be a benefit to you.

Depending on what is available to you, there may be someone who can mentor you in your cooking journey. A family member or friend who likes to cook can give you some pointers. You may also like to look into recreational cooking classes in your area. Some high schools and universities even offer casual courses in cooking. I would also like to recommend looking up recipes for dishes you enjoy on youtube- you can find recipes from easy microwave-poached eggs all the way up to the complex duck fesenjan!