eli5: what’s the difference between raw and cooked powders?

Question

I sometimes hear chefs on tv complain about raw flour in a dish for example, or someone mentioning the cocoa powder in the brownies getting cooked. How can powders be cooked or raw?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Flour changes character when heated and this is generally a desirable factor – bread, cakes sauces, roux etc. Ultimately, most powders will also burn if heated beyond a certain point. This will certainly lead to off flavors. There is nothing inherent in anything in powder form that prevents them from change due to high temperature.