Soups and Stews

While early humans utilized hot water to heat foods in natural containers, boiling was not a commonly used cooking technique until the invention of waterproof and heatproof containers about five thousand years ago.

Boiling has several advantages over roasting. Water turns to steam at 212°F at sea level. Compared to hot air over a fire, boiling water is denser and comes more fully in contact with the entire surface of submerged foods. Hot water easily and quickly imparts its energy to the food. In addition to consistency, boiling provides a lower cooking temperature than does frying, roasting, or baking. Boiling also permits the fuller use of animal and plant products for food and expands the range of potential edibles. Many animal parts, such as bones, could not otherwise be eaten. Boiling extracts whatever nutritional value these previously unused parts possess. Likewise, some plant parts are inedible in their natural state but become edible after boiling. For instance, acorns are edible only after the tannin has been removed by boiling, a technique employed by Native Americans in pre-Columbian times.