An apparatus and method for cooking food by providing a water permeable container, such as a mesh bag or pouch, that contains both food and spices, flavorings, and the like, and boiling the bag, along with its contents. In one particular example, the food is dry peanuts in the shell, and the spices and flavorings are formed into a densely packed mass, such as a ball or cube that is placed into the bag or pouch along with the peanuts. The densely packed flavoring mass (also referred to herein as a "spice ball") may be formed from any desired spices, and may be formed using any desired method of production. The spice ball is preferably dense enough to sink in water so that it is "non-buoyant", and preferably heavy and dense enough to aid in submerging the bag of peanuts to the bottom of a container of water during the boiling process.
