Some people believe that raw food is better for us than cooked. This isn’t strictly true, as sometimes the cooking process can disarm harmful enzymes (for example, in beans and pulses) and foods such as poultry need to be heated above 80°C (175°F) to destroy any dangerous bacteria.
However, vitamins and nutrients can be destroyed by overcooking, so eating your vegetables raw or al dente is a good way to ensure you get their maximum nutritional value. Steaming rather than boiling, or grilling rather than frying is a good way of maintaining vitamins in foods.
Minerals, however, are not destroyed by heat. Cooked or raw, food will still contain the same amounts of calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc and manganese, to name but a few. The only exception is potassium, which escapes into the cooking liquid as food cooks.
The recipes in this book use a range of cooking methods to ensure a good balance of healthy preparation while ensuring maximum flavour in your meals.