in China s and green peppers on a skillet 'Cooking' is the process of
preparing food by applying heat. Cooks select and combine ingredients using a
wide range of tools and methods. In the process, the flavor, texture,
appearance, and chemical properties of the ingredients can change. Cooking
techniques and ingredients vary widely across the world, reflecting unique
environmental, economic, and cultural traditions. Cooks themselves also vary
widely in skill and training. Preparing food with heat or fire is an activity unique to human beings, and some
scientists believe the advent of cooking played an important role in human evolution.[http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/02/090213-human-
diet-cooking.html] Most anthropologists believe that cooking fires first
developed around 250,000 years ago. The development of agriculture and trade
across civilizations offered cooks many new ingredients. New inventions and
technologies, such as pottery for holding and boiling water, expanded cooking
techniques. Some modern cooks apply advanced scientific techniques to food
preparation.
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