Abstract: A method of cooking food comprising the steps of a) i) measuring the mass of the food and placing the mass in a first receptacle (10) forming a container; or ii) placing the food in a first receptacle and measuring the combined mass of the food plus the first receptacle; or iii) measuring the mass of the food; b) placing the food, optionally together with the first receptacle of step a) in a second receptacle (16); c) raising a liquid such as water to a predetermined temperature, and in particular boiling temperature; d) as a function of a pre-established relationship between the mass of the food, or between the combined mass of the food plus the first receptacle, and the desired mean cooking temperature, determining a quantity of the water at predetermined temperature; e) placing the quantity of water inside the second receptacle, in thermal contact with the first receptacle; and f) cooking the food for a predetermined length of time, wherein the food is cooked by heat transfer between the water, the first r