Food preparation refers to the process of getting ready, cooking or treating food for consumption. This can involve a variety of tasks such as chopping vegetables, mixing ingredients together, grilling meat, boiling water, baking bread and many more. The goal is to transform raw ingredients into something that is edible, tasty and nutritious. Food preparation techniques vary depending on the culture or cuisine being prepared, but generally involve some combination of chopping, slicing, dicing, grinding, mixing, marinating, seasoning, and cooking. The end result can be a delicious meal that is ready to eat, or it may require further preparation such as garnishing or serving.