# Why do we bother cooking? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2002, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015 "2002-03-13T07:36:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Doughboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Doughboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughboy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 7:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/1 "2002-03-13T07:36:44Z")
People eat raw food all the time from fruits and vegetables to things like sushi, so apparently it isn’t really necessary for us to cook our food. In fact, our ancestors survived millions of years without fire before they figured out how to control it and realized that roast critter is really good. So why do we now spend so much time money and energy cooking our food if it’s not really necessary? My two theories are: number one, that it just tastes better, and number two, to protect us from getting sick from bacteria and the like. Are these the reasons or is there some other benefit to cooking? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/2 "2002-03-13T07:45:26Z")
I think you got it right there. Cooked food tastes different from raw food. Some food is only edible or digestible when it is cooked. Every food undergoes some chemical change when it is cooked and that produces new flavors. I, for one, don’t want to eat raw eggs. But I am not averse to using them in baking. ---
**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/3 "2002-03-13T07:48:31Z")
Your thoughts on bacteria appear correct: [http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1997/971017.htm](http://www.ars.usda.gov/is/pr/1997/971017.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/4 "2002-03-13T08:33:45Z")
Grinding and cooking grains like wheat causes the starches to break up into smaller(more readily digested) pieces. Cooked food will also often store for a little longer than raw, particularly meats, because the cooking process destroys bacterial growth. ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/5 "2002-03-13T14:00:39Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Doughboy \* > \*\*So why do we now spend so much time money and energy cooking our food if it’s not really necessary? My two theories are: number one, that it just tastes better, and number two, to protect us from getting sick from bacteria and the like. Are these the reasons or is there some other benefit to cooking? \*\* People are made of meat, and raw critters carry meat diseases? Over the centuries, people who love raw meat tend not to leave as many children behind. Also, raw rice and wheat is tough on the teeth. However, there’s already a movement you can join. It’s called paleo-diet, and cooking is pretty minimal: [http://paleodiet.com](http://paleodiet.com) [http://foraging.com](http://foraging.com) ---
**Author:** ![Starbury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Starbury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starbury)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/6 "2002-03-13T16:44:03Z")
I always assumed that, because we have been cooking our meat for so long, that has made us more susceptible to bacteria in the meat. If humans had never cooked their meat, wouldn’t their immune system have developed to protect against these bacteria (and their taste buds would also be developed to appreciate raw food)? Carnivores in the wild don’t seem to have any problem living long enough to reproduce. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/7 "2002-03-13T17:06:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by BobT \* > **Some food is only edible or digestible when it is cooked.** And… > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Mangetout_ > \*\*Grinding and cooking grains like wheat causes the starches to break up into smaller(more readily digested) pieces. I heard (although I can’t remember the source for a cite) that you can actually starve to death if all you ate was raw potatos…no matter how much you ate. The starch (read energy component) of potatos is so complex and long that your body would actually spend more energy digesting it than it would get back from the food. Cooking potatos breaks down the complex starches and what is left is more readily digestible and useful to your body. This is just an example of a place where cooking has a discernable benefit. Also, don’t worry about eating some raw potato now and again. Unless that is your exclusive diet it won’t hurt you (although it may potentially upset your tummy). ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/8 "2002-03-13T17:36:47Z")
I read an article in SPIN a few years back about a group in CA that has gone far beyond vegan and doesn’t eat anything cooked at all. I don’t think it was the same groups **bbeaty** mentioned, because they did not eat anything cooked. Of course, they stayed away from meats (even meat sushi i believe) and pretty much had a lot of creative fruit and veggie meals. And tofu, of course. From the article I remember it was more of a way of life for these people than just a diet. You really have to put a lot of time and effort into your food if it’s going to all be raw and if you don’t want to die of malnutrition. I’m not sure what their reason was for living like this, but I think it had somethign to do with getting back to the way things were and they used the same sort of argument as the OP - our ancestors did it, so why can’t we? ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/9 "2002-03-13T19:10:48Z")
I thought they were referred to as “raw foodists”, but perhaps that was a name imposed on them. IIRC they feel that cooking food destroys the original nutritive value of it. One guy talked about how he enjoyed cabbage leaves instead of potato chips. Fine with me. Just don’t invite me over for dinner if all that is on the menu is uncooked fruits and veggies. That cold soup must be great also. ---
**Author:** ![Doughboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@Doughboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doughboy)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/10 "2002-03-13T20:40:04Z")
Thanks for the replies. The kinds of things I was suspecting are the things you guys mentioned like breaking down the starch in potatos and softening up grains, digestive benefits basically. Just so there’s not confusion about me, I am a big fan of cooking and especially of eating. I was just curious about why we would start cooking in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Stinky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/43a26b/32.png) [@Stinky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stinky)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2002, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/11 "2002-03-13T20:51:27Z")
So that I can have a job. Besides roast critter tast good.😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kyomara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/8edcca/32.png) [@Kyomara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyomara)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/12 "2002-03-14T01:20:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ZipperJJ \* > **I read an article in SPIN a few years back about a group in CA that has gone far beyond vegan and doesn’t eat anything cooked at all.** I read that article. One of the guys they interviewed said he ate _only fruit_ (no vegetables even, as I recall), and that it gave him so much energy and vitality and he only had to sleep 3 hours a night. They also featured a group that eats _only raw meat_, and a woman in Australia who claims that she has transcended the system altogether and lives _only on light_. I think these people might be _really crazy_. ---
**Author:** ![bbeaty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c0e974/32.png) [@bbeaty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbeaty)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/13 "2002-03-14T02:17:04Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by Kyomara \* > \*\* > I read that article. One of the guys they interviewed said he ate only fruit (no vegetables even, as I recall), and that it gave him so much energy and vitality and he only had to sleep 3 hours a night._\* Could be “fruitarians”, who say that carrot juice is MURDER. They only eat things which plants will shed, such as seeds (fruit, nuts) etc. The “breathairians” try to get by with no food at all. They claim success, but also they have a history of deaths which the conventional medical establishment (darn them!) explains as being from starvation. If there was just one, they’d be insane. When there is a group, it’s just a religion. Now me, I’ve always been intrigued by trepanation as a religion: returning to a childlike mental state by unsealing the pressure vessel known as “your skull.” Drill a hole in your head. [trepanation.com - contact with domain owner | Epik.com](http://www.trepanation.com/master1.htm) If you want to impress the Urban Primitive groups, a full-body tatoo is NOTHING. Instead, have a funny little little spot on your forehead that throbs in time to your heartbeat. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Farkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Farkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farkle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/14 "2002-03-14T03:43:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Kyomara \* > **a woman in Australia who claims that she has transcended the system altogether and lives _only on light_.** Ahh yes, our beloved [Jashumeen](http://www.jasmuheen.com/). > [@](#): > > LIVING ON LIGHT: When our personal biofield is well tuned and we are four body fit, we can access DOW Power which has the ability to love us, guide us, heal us and also nourish our cells and not just our souls. She is fun, she also likes multi coloured text. If you get a headache from her site (and you will), read about her in a large black font on a beautiful cloudy background [here](http://www.rawfood.com/jasmuheen.html) I do not know if she cooks the light or air, as an aussie she would _have_ to BBQ it I think 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Farkle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9fc348/32.png) [@Farkle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farkle)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-we-bother-cooking/98015/15 "2002-03-14T03:46:27Z")
Jasmuheen