Why cook food at 300° for 60min while you could just put the temperature higher so it cooks faster?

Question

Why cook food at 300° for 60min while you could just put the temperature higher so it cooks faster?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

The heat only travels through the food at a specific rate. If you were eating metal, with higher heat conductivity, this would work as you propose.

The low heat conductivity of food comes from the water present. Significant energy is required to convert liquid water to a gas. Once the water has been vaporized, the material heats more quickly. Applying a higher heat simply burns the outer surface, leaving the inside raw.

The opposite effect, putting food in a high heat capacity liquid, like water, heated to the target temperature, a process called sous vide, takes longer but produces food with no loss of moisture or charring of the outer surface