Cooking

Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cocoa beans that can be a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring in other foods. The cacao tree has been used as a source of food for at least 5,300 years, starting with the Mayo-Chinchipe culture in what is present-day Ecuador. Later, Mesoamerican civilizations consumed cacao beverages, of which one, chocolate, was introduced to Europe in the 16th century.

Cooking, also known as cookery or professionally as the culinary arts, is the art, science and craft of using heat to make food more palatable, digestible, nutritious, or safe. Cooking techniques and ingredients vary widely, from grilling food over an open fire, to using electric stoves, to baking in various types of ovens, reflecting local conditions. Cooking is an aspect of all human societies and a cultural universal.

The traditional chef's uniform (or chef's whites) includes a toque blanche ("white hat"), white double-breasted jacket, pants in a black-and-white houndstooth pattern, and apron. It is a common occupational uniform in the Western world. In the middle ages, chefs had a high public standing similar to doctors, which may be a reason for wearing white. The chef buttons also have a meaning; while qualified chefs wear black buttons, students wear white buttons. Kitchen brigades used to be massive, although today, chefs must be occupied in various areas of the kitchen, thus, being in charge for only one section is hardly possible anymore.

Charcuterie (shar-KOO-tər-ee, -⁠EE; ; from chair, 'flesh', and cuit, 'cooked') is a branch of French cuisine devoted to prepared meat products, such as bacon, ham, sausage, terrines, galantines, ballotines, pâtés, and confit, primarily from pork.

Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs or cooks, although, at its most general, the terms culinary artist and culinarian are also used.

Wine is an alcoholic drink made from fermented fruit. Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made from grapes, and the term "wine" generally refers to grape wine when used without any qualification. Even so, wine can be made from a variety of fruit crops, including plum, cherry, pomegranate, blueberry, currant, and elderberry.

A cookbook or cookery book is a kitchen reference containing recipes.

ChopChop: The Fun Cooking Magazine for Families is a quarterly children's magazine published by ChopChop Kids, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2010 by cookbook author Sally Sampson. It is based in Watertown, Massachusetts, United States.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the preparation of food:

Batter is a flour mixture with liquid and other ingredients such as sugar, salt, egg, milk and leavening used for cooking. Batters are a pourable consistency that cannot be kneaded. Batter is most often used for pancakes and as a coating for fried foods. It is also used for a variety of batter breads.