Conduction Principles and the Power of Flavorful Cooking
Many variables affect the flavor of our dishes, including everything from the quality of the ingredients to the varieties of herbs and spices used. One oft-overlooked aspect of flavor is the cooking method itself. Anything from baking, broiling, boiling, frying, or microwaving could affect the flavor of the dish; therefore, choosing a method requires some care and attention.
Choosing the right cooking method becomes simpler once you've grasped the basic knowledge of heat transfer principles.
Heat Transfer Basics
Heat can travel from one place to another in three ways: Conduction, Convection, and Radiation. Both conduction and convection require matter to transfer heat. As long as there is a temperature difference between two systems heat will always find a way to transfer from the higher to the lower system. (Science of Cooking)
In conduction, heat is transferred through direct contact. With convection, heat is transferred through the flow of liquid or gas. With radiation, heat is transferred through the air in the form of waves.
Though all three transfer heat, the differences among them can bring about different effects in the quality, texture, and flavor of your dishes.
Various Cooking Methods
When choosing a cooking method, here are a few principles to keep in mind:
- Follow recipes
- Consult experts
First, although it's fun to fiddle with recipes (especially when it comes to details such as how many cloves of garlic to add), the more basic principles such as the recommended cooking method are best left alone. There's a reason we bake lasagnas instead of trying to boil them, and it's not because somebody hasn't tried it yet.
Second, women and men down through the ages have experimented at length with which cooking method works best with different types of ingredients. You can save yourself an enormous amount of time and energy simply by consulting what they've already discovered.
We Can Help
Here at Thermodyne Foodservice Products, Inc., we have spent the last thirty years providing quality food warmers for commercial, industrial, and institutional kitchens. To hear more about our premium products or to chat about anything else, please feel free to contact us at any time.
We look forward to hearing from you!
Posted in: Innovation