eli5: why isn’t it possible to cook e.g. cookies at twice the temperature for half the time? obviously i know it isn’t possible, but *why*? what’s the physics behind it?
In: 9
If you want a great illustration of the answer, cook a steak in a sous vide. You can set the water bath to 140F and the steak will cook to a perfect medium rare – and then stay there. You can leave it for an hour or more and it won’t overcook. That’s because it’s not about the time, really – it’s about getting the internal temperature of the meat right. At a certain temperature, the proteins start to denature and change, giving it a “cooked” texture – and the proteins belonging to bacteria that may be living in the meat also denature, killing the bacteria and making the meat safe to eat.
When it comes out, it has no crust – it’s medium rare all the way through. Slap it in the cast iron or the grill at high heat for a minute on each side, and only the outside of the meat heats up really hot, cooking it past well done to a nice hot crispy burnt texture but not penetrating to the soft inside, which stays at the same 140 temperature and remains pink and tender. Pop it on a plate and there you have it, a perfect steak!
Edit: I made myself hungry for steak but that ain’t happening tonight 😩
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