The present invention relates to a temperature control device comprising a control unit for controlling a heating unit of a food cooking device according to the following control scheme: i) a preheating period for heating up the food to a first food temperature of at most 60° C.； ii) a temperature holding period for holding the food temperature within a temperature range of 30° C. to 70° C. for at least one minute； and iii) a heating period for heating up the food to a second food temperature of at most 100° C. This control scheme ensures that γ-glutamyl hydrolase is not thermally inactivated and thus can hydrolyze polyglutamate forms of folate into monoglutamate forms and that folate bioavailability during cooking processes is enhanced.
