If matter expands when heated, why does most food shrink when being cooked?

Question

If matter expands when heated, why does most food shrink when being cooked?

In: 2

Answer 1

In addition to the other comments noting that water and fat are lost, I just want to add that if it’s a protein being cooked, then one thing that also happens is that the proteins, which you might think of as stretched-out rubber bands for this purpose, scrunch back on themselves.