Let's Talk BBQ
Tips, Tricks & Just Good Advice! => Good to Know! - A collection of How-To's & Sage Advice => Welcome to Outdoor Cooking! => Topic started by: Barry CB Martin on November 06, 2012, 12:33:39 PM
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There are three types of cooking you do most every day and these play a big part of outdoor cooking.
Conduction is direct contact between the food and the cooking surface and source. For instance when you place a pan on the element of an electric stove-top burner the hot electric coil touches the pan and the heat is transferred by conduction or direct contact. The food placed in the pan is also cooked this way...with some minor variations to that statement because if you add water or oil you are using something called...
Convection. Nearly all home ovens use convection to cook, the elements or burners are hidden below the food and as the elements heat up the air inside the oven heats and that heat transfers to the food via a method called convection. Hot water is also convection, as is hot oil, as these transfer heat or carry heat from the source to the food. Adding a fan to the oven stirs that air up and keeps the heat moving more evenly about the oven...rather than the hottest air collecting at the top...remember, and this is also important to outdoor cooking: "Heat rises"
Radiation. A broiler in your oven uses radiation to cook meat. A toaster does as well...although in both instances the heat source also warms the air and that conducts some heat...but primarily it's the radiation from the element. Ever stood around a campfire with the wind blowing the opposite direction - so all the hot air and smoke is blowing away from you? - and anything facing the fire/coals gets hot? That's radiation. Infrared radiation to be precise.
When cooking outdoors you'll learn to use all of these to prepare tastier food! oh yes you will...
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There are three types of cooking you do most every day and these play a big part of outdoor cooking.
Conduction is direct contact between the food and the cooking surface and source. For instance when you place a pan on the element of an electric stove-top burner the hot electric coil touches the pan and the heat is transferred by conduction or direct contact. The food placed in the pan is also cooked this way...with some minor variations to that using something called...
Convection. Nearly all home ovens use convection to cook, the elements or burners are hidden below the food and as the elements heat up the air inside the oven heats and that heat transfers to the food via a method called convection. Hot water is also convection, as is hot oil, as these transfer heat or carry heat from the source to the food. Adding a fan to the oven stirs that air up and keeps the heat moving more evenly about the oven...rather than the hottest air collecting at the top...remember, and this is also important to outdoor cooking: "Heat rises"
Radiation. A broiler in your oven uses radiation to cook meat. A toaster does as well...although in both instances the heat source also warms the air and that conducts some heat...but primarily it's the radiation from the element. Ever stood around a campfire with the wind blowing the opposite direction - so all the hot air and smoke is blowing away from you? - and anything facing the fire/coals gets hot? That's radiation. Infrared radiation to be precise.
When cooking outdoors you'll learn to use all of these to prepare tastier food! oh yes you will...
WOW! Folks use infrared to cook with? Who would have thunk ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Good info Barry ;)
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Barry, I think infrared finally clicked a little bit for me one day this summer when I was standing at my front door looking out my closed glass storm door. My face was very hot standing there with the sun streaming in but I could put my hand up to the glass and it was a little warm but not hot.
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Ken that glass was in your hand and it had a cold beverage in it...with ice.
ba-da-bing
Next! 8)
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Barry, I think infrared finally clicked a little bit for me one day this summer when I was standing at my front door looking out my closed glass storm door. My face was very hot standing there with the sun streaming in but I could put my hand up to the glass and it was a little warm but not hot.
I have a coleman propane heater that gets infrared hot. I had finished a beer and was just enjoying the heat from the heater when the bottom of the beer can reflected the infrared heat on the opposite arm and burnt my arm.The oval bottom of a beer can, can reflect infrared heat in the same intensity in which it was received ithout heating the can. I know that this info could come in handy for someone some day :)
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Good info but let us not forget the other two methods of cooking for us who do not cook outside everyday or it is a rainy day.
Excitation:
Now I am sure most of us use this one. Excitation is how microwave ovens work.
Induction:
Induction is the latest technique for stove tops.
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Good info but let us not forget the other two methods of cooking for us who do not cook outside everyday or it is a rainy day.
Excitation:
Now I am sure most of us use this one. Excitation is how microwave ovens work.
Induction:
Induction is the latest technique for stove tops.
Thanks for the reminder SS. As neither of these is currently applicable to outdoor cooking... I didn't bring them up in this "introduction to outdoor cooking" thread.
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Good info but let us not forget the other two methods of cooking for us who do not cook outside everyday or it is a rainy day.
Excitation:
Now I am sure most of us use this one. Excitation is how microwave ovens work.
Induction:
Induction is the latest technique for stove tops.
Thanks for the reminder SS. As neither of these is currently applicable to outdoor cooking... I didn't bring them up in this "introduction to outdoor cooking" thread.
I am sure that Tommy is fitting a SRG with a magnetron as we speak so you might be wrong Barry. ;)
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Ken that glass was in your hand and it had a cold beverage in it...with ice.
ba-da-bing
Next! 8)
Nah, the beer was in the other hand.