Cooking denatures protein - Lower heat sources bring up the temperature of the meat more uniformly than hotter heat sources

Lower heat sources bring up the temperature of the meat more uniformly than hotter heat sources.

Getting the center cooked while not overcooking the outside—has to do with the rate at which heat energy is transferred to the core of a food. Since cooking applies heat to foods from the outside in, the outer portions will warm up faster, and because we want to make sure the entire food is at least above a minimum temperature, the outside will technically be overcooked by the time the center gets there. This difference in temperature from the center to outer edges of the food is referred to as a temperature gradient.

All parts of our example steak are not going to to reach temperature simultaneously. Because grill environments are hotter than ovens, the temperature delta between the environment and the food is larger, so foods cooked on the grill will heat up more quickly and have a steeper temperature gradient.

Carryover

Carryover in cooking refers to the phenomenon of continued cooking once the food is removed from the source of heat. While this seems to violate a whole bunch of laws of thermodynamics, it’s actually straightforward: the outer portion of the just-cooked food is hotter than the center portion, so the outer portion will transfer some of its heat into the center. You can think of it like pouring hot fudge sauce on top of ice cream: even though there’s no external heat being added to the system, the ice cream melts because the hot fudge raises its temperature.

Lower heat sources bring up the temperature of the meat more uniformly than hotter heat sources.

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/cooking-for-geeks/9781449389543/ch04.html

In summary, nutritional value of legumes, meats, fish, grains/cereals, and vegetables [with oil] is improved by slow cooking. 

Many books have been written on this topic. In the popular press a good and recent example is 'Cooked' by Michael Pollan. Cooking, or food preparation using heat, is considered by anthropologists to be a positive influence in human evolution. Nutritionally, cooking techniques are very different. While some nutrients are heat sensitive, particularly those in fruit, slow cooking at low heat improves bioavailability of various essential nutrients, e.g. preformed vitamin A from meat, and beneficial phytochemicals, e.g. carotenoids from vegetables and leafy greens, particularly in the presence of fat or oil, such as olive oil.

Furthermore, as mentioned in Munira Husain's excellent response to your comment and query 'Cooking is required not only for destroying microorganisms, but it also denatures many natural toxicants, enzymes, facilitates chemical reactions and enhances food palatability - taste, texture, flavor, digestibility and assimilation, which are most vital for proper nutrition.'

However, some domestic cooking techniques - browning, smoking and charring - create undesirable by-products, such as advanced glycation products. Many industrial cooking techniques have created foods with high concentrations of undesirable products, such as trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup.

In summary, nutritional value of legumes, meats, fish, grains/cereals, and vegetables [with oil] is improved by slow cooking. By contrast, nutritional value of most fruits is not improved by cooking. One cuisine that embodies these cooking concepts is the traditional Greek Mediterranean diet, as explained in the recent book 'The Mediterranean Diet' by Catherine Itsiopoulos.

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7th Nov, 2013

Aman Paul

Protix, Netherlands

The best thing is to classify foods into 3 categories:

1. Foods in which cooking destroys important nutrients (fruits, non starchy vegetables, etc)

2. Foods in which cooking destroys some of important nutrients (starchy vegetable, milk, meat, etc)

3. Foods in which cooking has no effect on nutrients (most of the cereals)

So we start from the third category, we can see that there is almost no effect of cooking on nutrients so we dont need to tailor new methods. For the second category we need to optimize existing methods or develop new methods to prevent nutrient spoilage. For the first category its always better to go for minimal processing.

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13th Nov, 2013

slow cooking at low heat improves bioavailability of various essential nutrients

Laima Brazionis

University of Melbourne

Many books have been written on this topic. In the popular press a good and recent example is 'Cooked' by Michael Pollan. Cooking, or food preparation using heat, is considered by anthropologists to be a positive influence in human evolution. Nutritionally, cooking techniques are very different. While some nutrients are heat sensitive, particularly those in fruit, slow cooking at low heat improves bioavailability of various essential nutrients, e.g. preformed vitamin A from meat, and beneficial phytochemicals, e.g. carotenoids from vegetables and leafy greens, particularly in the presence of fat or oil, such as olive oil.

Furthermore, as mentioned in Munira Husain's excellent response to your comment and query 'Cooking is required not only for destroying microorganisms, but it also denatures many natural toxicants, enzymes, facilitates chemical reactions and enhances food palatability - taste, texture, flavor, digestibility and assimilation, which are most vital for proper nutrition.'

However, some domestic cooking techniques - browning, smoking and charring - create undesirable by-products, such as advanced glycation products. Many industrial cooking techniques have created foods with high concentrations of undesirable products, such as trans-fats and high-fructose corn syrup.

In summary, nutritional value of legumes, meats, fish, grains/cereals, and vegetables [with oil] is improved by slow cooking. By contrast, nutritional value of most fruits is not improved by cooking. One cuisine that embodies these cooking concepts is the traditional Greek Mediterranean diet, as explained in the recent book 'The Mediterranean Diet' by Catherine Itsiopoulos.

https://www.researchgate.net/post/Food-cooking-degrades-around-30-40-of-nutrition-So-what-is-the-way-to-preserve-the-nutrition-of-food

chicken can cook as quickly as 10 minutes (skinless chicken breasts) to as much as 30 minutes (mixed chicken parts, specially from a large chicken).

Contrary to what you may think, chicken takes the same amount of time to cook, whether the cook is Indian or European or Chinese. Or which country the kitchen is located in.

The two major variables in cooking time are which part of the chicken you're cooking, and the age of the bird.

Chickens get tougher as they age. If you live in a western country, your chicken probably comes from a factory farm and the age of slaughter is standardized and uniform. The meat will usually be tender and will cook fast, unless you buy an atypically large bird instead of the standard broiler. In Asian countries, chickens may be less standardized and more variable. You can tell if a bird is older by looking at the raw meat, which will be tougher and stringier.

The part of the chicken matters. Chicken breasts are usually more tender because chickens don't fly much and those muscles don't see hard exercise. Chicken legs and drumsticks are harder working muscles and take longer to cook.

Skin-on chicken will take longer to cook than skinless chicken because skin is an insulator and delays heat from entering. Conversely, bone-in chicken cooks faster because bone is a conductor and helps heat penetrate.

Generally, these differences are minor and people account for them by slight overcooking.

One difference in Indian recipes is that they often deliberately overcook the chicken. Overcooking dissolves connective tissue, separating muscle fibers and allowing the spicy gravy to soak in and flavor the meat. Western cooks have more of a fetish for cooked "just right". One reason why Indians care less about this is because the majority of recipes stew the chicken in liquid, so overcooking won't dry the meat and make it less juicy. If you're baking or dry roasting, you should care more about not overcooking.

In my kitchen, chicken can cook as quickly as 10 minutes (skinless chicken breasts) to as much as 30 minutes (mixed chicken parts, specially from a large chicken). This is stewing time only, I am not counting time used in roasting the meat with the masala and bringing the liquid to a boil. Make sure the pot is covered with a tight-fitting lid and the stove maintains a proper simmer throughout.

Dry cooking always takes longer than moist cooking. In a 350 F oven, it takes at least 25 minutes even for a single layer of drumsticks. A whole chicken roast can easily take an hour.

Deep frying is fastest, and can take as little as 5 minutes for chicken parts. Whole chicken may take 10-15 minutes.

Because of these variables, nobody can give you an exact time accurate to the minute. The best advice is to be consistent - use the same pot, lid, stove, heat setting, so you can learn how your equipment works. And always check for doneness beginning 5-10 minutes before you think it'll be ready, so you can turn off the heat at the right time.

Signs of doneness include:

• the chicken will no longer have any hint of pinkness, it'll be dark brown

• If you slide a knife tip into some thick meaty part, it will slide in easily without meeting resistance

• but the chicken pieces will still be intact and not falling apart.

If all this is too much trouble, buy a meat thermometer with a long probe, stop cooking when the internal temperature reaches 160-165 F.

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don't boil chicken. For the sake of good tasting chicken, just roast it 

Aiden Doak

, lives in Living On A Cardboard Box

Answered October 5, 2018

What r u doing, u don't boil chicken. For the sake of good tasting chicken, just roast it and it'll taste fine

Damien Kendall

October 11, 2018

I was going to say the same thing. Boiling a chicken is disgusting.

https://www.quora.com/How-long-does-chicken-need-to-be-boiled-to-be-cooked-all-the-way-through

Death by diet: How risky is keto? Actor Misti Mukherjee's unfortunate demise raises questions on the health risks of dieting

 By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: October 4, 2020 5:30:49 pm

While dieting is a common practice these days, death due to a certain kind of diet was previously unheard of. Until it was learnt that actor Misti Mukherjee’s demise was because of kidney failure caused by the ‘keto diet’ — which has gained a lot of popularity in the recent past.

A statement made by her family claims the actor — who is survived by her parents and brother — “was in a lot of pain”.

Mukherjee’s passing raises a series of questions on the health risks of dieting. As such, it becomes important to understand the reasons that may have led to her health deterioration and subsequent death.

What is the keto diet? 

It entails the consumption of high amounts of fat with adequate amounts of protein and fewer carbohydrates. Also known as KD, this diet is particularly followed by diabetics because it can cause massive reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels.

Nutritionist Ruchi Sharma, however, points out the keto diet is “primarily used to help reduce seizures in children’s suffering from epilepsy”. “Avoiding carbs and substituting it with proteins and fats has become a leading dogma among those who are looking to lose weight quickly,” she says. 

How does a keto diet lead to kidney failure?

Dr Pradip Shah, Consultant Physician at Fortis Hospital, Mulund tells indianexpress.com: “This is a rare case and usually happens when there is a pre-existing disease and someone then continues to follow the diet. Keto diet requires one to eat high amounts of fat alongside proteins and fewer carbohydrates. When a person continues to do this, it affects the kidneys.”

Adding to it, Sharma says: “We see people doing keto with processed cheese and butter, which when done for prolonged periods of time, can increase the risk of high cholesterol; also high protein can put pressure on kidneys. When we eat a high amount of protein while doing a keto it may overload the kidney.”

Drastically reducing carbohydrates and overloading the kidneys can lead to some problem in elimination of all the waste products of protein metabolism.

Dr Shah suggests a person should follow the diet only for six months. If they continue, they need to take a break for 1-2 months at least, and then get on with the same.

Are there any other diets that can lead to organ failure?

Dr Shah says any diet which contains consuming fewer carbohydrates for a longer period of time can cause failure. “However, another specific diet is the ‘paleo diet’ also known as the ‘stone-age diet’. It is a modern fad diet which requires one to mirror the kind of diet followed during the Paleolithic era.”

He also mentions that “consuming sugary beverages such as aerated drinks or soft drinks and highly-processed food frequently, can harm the kidneys”. Not only that, preservatives in food items contain phosphorous and sodium, which affect the kidney to a larger extent, he warns.

While many different diseases, toxins and drugs can lead to renal failures, by far the most common causes of kidney diseases are diabetes and high blood pressure which can damage the delicate blood vessels and tissues of the kidneys. “When these two are not addressed, chronic kidney disease — and ultimately kidney failure — can be the result,” says Sharma. 

She suggests rather than following a keto diet, we can opt for a well-formulated low-carb diet, which is not typically high in protein and can help in reducing as well as maintaining weight loss. 

“Choose foods that are healthy for your heart and your entire body — such as fresh fruits, a rainbow of vegetables, whole grains, low fat or fat-free dairy products. Make physical activity a part of your routine, as sweating helps in removing toxins as well,” says the nutritionist. 

https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/health/actor-misti-mukherjee-death-kidney-failure-keto-diet-6702488/

lymphatic system moves amino acids to the lymph nodes

 

Rory Blake

·

March 22

Inventor and author of the nutritional theory of aging

People don't know that trillions of gut bacteria are eating their protein groceries unless they take at least some exercise. The lymphatic system moves amino acids to the lymph nodes. The lymph has no pump. Muscle movement is the only circulation

What causes high blood pressure (hypertension)?

 

Rory Blake

, Inventor and author of the Biological basis of Adult Wellness and aging

Updated December 31, 2018

The lack of timely peptide production appears to be the root cause of diseases like hypertension.

Normally, blood pressure is well controlled. The rennin-angiotensin feedback loop is responsibility for regulating fluid within the body. If just one of the amino acids necessary to make the peptide angiotensin is not available -then the whole fluid regulatory process comes undone -and hypertension would be the result.

Diabetes and Hypertension are usually the first diseases seen with age. They have in common that they involve negative and positive feed-back loops controlled by multiple sets of individual peptides. Additionally, each of the peptides require that all twenty amino acids be available for their manufacture. Without all twenty amino acids at the correct time, and in the right sequence -peptide production will fail.

Addendum:

Symptoms of aging are triggered by the lack of the uptake of specific amino acids. In aging -the lymph system will borrow from structure to provide the missing amino acids needed for bodily processes. Over time, aging becomes visible due to the borrowing from internal structures becoming noticeable.

The easiest availability to the lymph is the outer lining of small capillaries. As the small capillaries are weakened, strokes become more common. As above, the process is triggered by a lack of amino acid absorption = Aging.

Specific amino acids are known to have issues with absorption due to gut mechanisms dealing with exponential growth of bacteria. Individual differences in gut bacteria seem to account for the individual differences seen in rates of aging and age related diseases.

There is another piece to the puzzle. One uniquely human trait is the ability to live for up to 60 days without solid food. How is that done? The body will break down muscle and collagen to gain amino acids for production of needed new peptides. The process is also part of the orderly decline seen in starvation.

The process of starvation and age related decline are the same. With the lack of amino acid absorption - the lymph system reverses structure to supply the amino acids necessary to support peptide production. In starvation, when nutrition returns, the process of borrowing from structure reverses. The nutrition theory explains this better that some preprogrammed DNA idea.

There are vegetarians and Seven Day Adventists who avoid meat totally, that live an average of ten years longer than the general population. Does the DNA theory of aging address differences due to religious practice?

Methods to replace the missing amino acid nutrition were developed and those clinical trials were successful. This concept is proven. The DNA damage theory has been proven in zero (0) trials. A nutrition based anti-aging product is currently patent pending. DNA research into aging has continued for years and still cannot deliver a product.

Raqib Zaman

·

March 21, 2016

Why does the body loose it's ability to absorb certain amino acids/peptides? Coffee?? Not enough exercise?

Rory Blake

·

March 21, 2016

Burnt meat and biofilm are the most likely culprits

Try this:

1. Avoid burnt meat. (charred meat clogs amino acid receptors in the intestines ..and triggers aging. The formation of biofilm also will block absorption.
2. Eat smaller meals and more often. ( smaller meals have less chance of overwhelming diminished receptors ...which allows for greater absorption)
3. If you drink, Have your alcohol along with a high protein meal to promote absorption. (alcohol increases absorption of some amino acids)
4. Avoid excessive exercise after 30. Too much exercise will reduce amino acid reserves that will be needed later.
5. Men: do not sleep around. It has been shown highly that sexually active male flatworms have 30% shorter lifespans due to excess gamete production.

March 21, 2016

So technically a "cleanser" would get rid of all that (biofilm). I don't know about Burnt meat.

So something with an astringent nature would get ride of them? Like ginger?

...

Biofilm is basically a colony of bacteria that nests onto the GI tract... hey actually, don't we need bacteria for digestion?

I've read case studies where scientists grew rats in sterile environments vs. rats who grew in environments with access to bacteria to colonize the stomach. And those w/the bacteria flourished, and those without the bacteria had more health problems.

I mean the concept of Pro-biotics exists.

Rory Blake

·

March 22, 2016

The problem of biofilm is that in blocking a receptor ...the receptor becomes inactive. Inactive cells are subject to the first law of biology "use it or lose it." These cells are then resorbed for their amino acid content and are lost forever. Likely cells clogged with defective amino acids will suffer the same fate. Good initial ideas, though!