Question

Write two disadvantages of baking process.

Hint:

To prevent baked goods from drying out and preserve their texture, keep the oven door closed during cooking. Frequently opening the door lets moisture and heat escape, disrupting the baking temperature.

Answer 1

Step 1: Understanding the Baking Process:
Baking is a dry-heat cooking method that utilizes dry, hot air inside a closed chamber (oven) to cook food, primarily through convection and radiation.

Step 2: Identifying Key Disadvantages:
While baking is a healthy cooking method, it has two primary disadvantages:

• Destruction of Heat-Sensitive Vitamins: Because baking requires relatively long cooking times at high temperatures (typically $150^\circ\text{C}$ to $220^\circ\text{C}$), it can destroy heat-sensitive, water-soluble vitamins. Thiamine (Vitamin $B_1$), Vitamin C, and folate are particularly vulnerable to being degraded during the baking process.
• Risk of Drying Out Food and Slow Cooking Times: Dry-heat cooking causes moisture on the food's surface to evaporate. If the cooking temperature or time is not controlled precisely, food can easily dry out, becoming tough and unpalatable. Additionally, baking is a relatively slow heat-transfer process compared to wet-heat methods (like boiling) or direct contact methods (like frying).