What are physical changes in cooking?

Changes in state:

* Melting: Ice cream melting, butter becoming liquid.

* Freezing: Water turning into ice.

* Boiling: Water turning into steam.

* Condensation: Steam turning into water droplets.

Changes in texture:

* Chopping: Vegetables being cut into smaller pieces.

* Grating: Cheese being turned into small flakes.

* Mixing: Flour and eggs being combined to form batter.

* Whipping: Cream becoming fluffy and airy.

Changes in shape:

* Folding: Dough being shaped into a loaf of bread.

* Rolling: Dough being flattened into a sheet.

* Molding: Clay being shaped into pottery.

Other:

* Searing: Meat being browned on the outside.

* Roasting: Vegetables being cooked in the oven until tender.

* Toasting: Bread being browned in a toaster.

Key points to remember:

* Physical changes are reversible, meaning you can often restore the substance to its original state. For example, you can freeze water that has melted.

* No new substances are formed during physical changes. The chemical makeup of the food remains the same, just the form or appearance changes.

Examples of physical changes in specific cooking processes:

* Boiling pasta: The pasta changes shape and softens, but it's still pasta.

* Baking cookies: The dough spreads and changes color, but it's still made up of the same ingredients.

* Stir-frying vegetables: The vegetables change color and texture, but they remain the same vegetables.

Understanding physical changes in cooking can help you better predict how ingredients will behave and how to achieve the desired results in your dishes.