Cooking means not only the ability to follow a recipe, thereby producing a successfully
cooked dish, but also the ability to select materials, a knowledge of the ways in
which to prepare them, an understanding of their value for the persons for whom they
are prepared, and ingenuity in serving food attractively and in making the best use
of food that may be left over from the previous meals, so that there will be practically
no waste.
The cooking process encompasses a vast range of methods, tools and combinations of
ingredients to alter the flavour or digestibility of food. Factors affecting the
final outcome include the variability of ingredients, ambient conditions, tools,
and the skill of the individual doing the actual cooking.
