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?

Question

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

Answer 1

The material properties of heat propagation is covered by the other answers, but there’s another thing you touched on that makes this question kind of impossible: What does “twice the temperature” mean?

Doubling the degrees changes depending on where your 0 is. 10°C ‘doubled’ would be 20°C, right? But in Fahrenheit those temperatures are 50°F and 68°F. The only absolute way to double temperature would be basing 0 at 0°K, but that would have the baking temperature of 350°F/180°C/453°K to 1160°F/630°C/900°K, which is quite ridiculous to expect in any conventional kitchen given that aluminum melts only 30°C higher at 660°C. Most of the kitchen’s materials will be degrading pretty quickly.