Processbeginnerdraft
Heat conduction
Also searched as: heat travels, heat moving inwards, cooking through, conduction
In short: Heat travels slowly from the outside in. That is why the edge is long done while the centre is still cold.
Picture it
Like a message whispered along a human chain: it takes a while to reach the middle.
Level 2 · Cross-section of a steak≈ 3 cm
Simplified model
What happens
In food, each particle passes the heat on to its neighbours. That is slow: pieces twice as thick take roughly four times as long for the centre to get warm. The hotter the outside, the bigger the difference between edge and centre.
Why it matters
Explains grey edges on steaks, raw centres in thick roasts and why works.
Rules of thumb
- Cook thick pieces gently, thin ones hot and fast.
- Halving the thickness roughly quarters the cooking time (as a guide).
Levers
3
Temperaturehotter outside → bigger difference
Surface area and cut sizethinner → much faster
Pan and heat storagecast iron stores heat, aluminium conducts it fast
Related entries
Sources · 1
- Harold McGee: On Food and Cooking (2004)