‘The art of healthy cooking’ Essay by 8 year old Bookosmian from Bangalore

Many of us will agree that cooking is an art.

The art of cooking includes chopping the vegetables in proper shape and size.  The common ingredients used in cooking are cumin powder, turmeric powder, ginger-garlic paste, vegetables, oil and salt. To make a dish healthier we need to put less oil and salt. There are various ways to prepare food such as heating, boiling, baking, steaming, mixing and tossing. 

Boiling is done when we cook food in water at a high temperature. The examples of making food by boiling are boiling eggs, making boiled vegetables and making soup.

Baking is done when we cook food in a microwave or in an oven. The examples of baking are biscuits, cakes, cookies, grilled mutton, grilled chicken etc.

Frying is done when we cook food in oil or ghee.

Steaming is done when we cook food in a pressure cooker.

Mixing and tossing is done when salad is prepared. Herbs and spices are then added to make salads and sandwiches. Wherever possible we should avoid deep frying.

Instead of that, we should go for healthier cooking options such as baking, steaming and boiling. Spices add flavor and taste to the cooked food. The commonly used ingredients which are used to prepare food, have healthy benefits. Few examples follow.

Instead of using sugar, we can use jaggery.

Instead of putting refined wheat flour in the wheat dough we should put  wheat.

While making dough for chapati we can add turmeric powder to it. Turmeric  powder can also be added while making dosa or idli batter. It can also be added to milk as well, which makes it healthier for the growing kids. Instead of red  chilli powder, black pepper should be used.

Food cooked in healthy manner not only fills our stomach, but it also fills our mind with happiness.