Question

Cooking relies on heat transfer. Identify the main type of heat transfer occurring in the following cooking methods:

i. Steaming vegetables over a pan of boiling hot water.
ii. Broiling a steak under a heating element.
iii. Frying an egg in a hot skillet.

Answer 1

The main types of heat transfer in cooking methods are convection for steaming vegetables, radiation for broiling a steak, and conduction for frying an egg.

Step-by-step explanation:

Cooking relies on heat transfer, which is the movement of heat energy from higher-temperature regions to cooler regions. There are three main methods of heat transfer that occur in cooking: conduction, convection, and radiation. Each cooking method primarily uses one of these mechanisms, though others may also play a role to some extent.

Heat Transfer in Cooking Methods

Steaming Vegetables: The main type of heat transfer occurring when steaming vegetables over a pan of boiling hot water is convection. The steam, which is water vapor that carries heat, circulates and transfers the heat to the vegetables. This process cooks the vegetables evenly.

Broiling a Steak: Radiation is the dominant heat transfer method when broiling a steak under a heating element. The heat radiates from the element to the steak, cooking the surface directly without the need for a medium such as air or water.

Frying an Egg: While frying an egg in a hot skillet, the primary heat transfer method is conduction. The heat moves directly from the hot skillet to the egg through direct contact.