NIOS Class 1o Home Science Activity 4.1 Solution- Method of Cooking Food

In this activity 4.1 of Class 10 Home Science of NIOS, we observe how common food items like spinach, rice, arhar dal, potato and egg change before and after cooking. You can also go through activity 4.2 of this chapter to understand the methods of cooking food.

Methods of Cooking Food Activity Solution

Aim

To observe the changes in colour, texture and state of different food items after cooking

Materials Required

   1. Fresh spinach

   2. Rice

   3. Arhar/toor dal

   4. Potato

   5. Egg

   6. Cooking utensils

   7. Knife and chopping board

   Procedure

   First, we collect the food items such as spinach, rice, arhar dal, potato and eggs. We wash all food items before cooking .

   Now we cook rice and dal using boiling or pressure cooking. Potato is boiled in water until it becomes soft, and spinach is cooked lightly in a pan with a little water. We boil an egg for about 8-10 minutes.

    After cooking, we observe the changes in colour, texture, and taste of each food item.

   Observation

   

Food item	Colour, texture and taste		Methods of cooking
	Before cooking	After cooking
Spinach	Dark green, raw smell	Bright green, soft texture	Boiling/steaming
Rice	White, hard and tasteless	Soft, fluffy and mild test	Boiling or pressure cooking
Arhar/toor dal	Hard yellow grains, raw taste	Soft, thick texture, pleasant flavour	Boiling\pressure cooking
Potato	Hard, raw smell	Soft, sweet taste	Boiling
egg	Liquid inside shell,	Solid white and yellow inside,	boiling

 

   Explanation

   Cooking brings physical and chemical changes to food. Heat softens food items, improves smell and test and makes them easier to digest.

    Rice and dal become soft, spinach becomes tender, and egg solidifies due to protein coagulation.

Conclusion

We can conclude that cooking changes the colour, texture and taste of the food items. It makes food softer, tastier and easier to digest. Different foods require different cooking methods, such as boiling, steaming or pressure cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions

   1. Why do we cook food?

Answer – we cook food because it makes the food soft, tasty and easy to digest.

    2. Which cooking method was mainly used in this activity?

 Answer – Boiling or pressure cooking was used in this activity.

    3. Why does rice become soft after cooking?

Answer – Rice absorbs water and heat during boiling, which softens the grains.

    4. Why does the egg become solid after boiling?

Answer – Heat causes proteins in the egg to coagulate, so the liquid in the shell becomes solid.

    5. What happens to spinach after cooking?

Answer – Spinach becomes soft and brighter in colour after cooking