Book 1, Question 150
Why Do We Cook Food at All? Three Big Reasons!
Why do we cook food at all? The page gives three reasons. Heat can kill harmful microbes, which makes food safer, and it makes some foods easier to chew and digest so our bodies can get more nutrients. Cooking also builds new flavors, with delicious smells and tastes. Humans have cooked for hundreds of thousands of years. Can you name one food that is safer after heat?
From the book
Page from A Million Whys Book 1
More fun facts
- Burnt animal bones in a cave in Africa hint that early humans, Homo erectus, may have used fire as long ago as 1.8 million years.
- Neanderthals were making fire on purpose at least 400,000 years ago by striking iron pyrite against flint to make sparks.
- Charles Darwin thought language and fire were humanity's two most important achievements.
- Your brain uses about a quarter of your body's energy.
- Cooking makes food faster and easier to eat.
- Chicken should be cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit inside to kill germs, and ground beef to 160 degrees.
- Checking with a food thermometer is the only sure way to know meat is cooked safely, because color can fool you.
Sources: Science News Explores, Science News Explores, Smithsonian Magazine, Harvard University, Cleveland Clinic
Questions kids ask
How long have humans used fire?
Burnt bones in an African cave hint that early humans may have used fire up to 1.8 million years ago.
How hot should chicken be cooked?
To 165 degrees Fahrenheit inside, checked with a food thermometer.