Basic Methods of Heating Foods

Pure examples of the three different forms of heat transfer are seldom found in everyday life. All hot utensils radiate heat to some degree, and cooks usually work with combinations of solid containers that conduct and fluids that circulate. As simple an operation as heating a pan of water on the stove involves radiation and conduction from an electrical element (radiation and convection from a gas flame), conduction through the pan, and convection in the water. Still, one kind of heat transfer usually predominates in a given cooking technique and, together with the cooking medium, has a distinctive influence on foods.