Heat
Heat you can read
Cooking is heat moving inward. The knob is only useful if you know what the food is doing.
Published
01
What
Ask what you want on the surface versus the center. The knob is only useful if you know what the food is doing.
02
Why (ELI5)
ELI5
Heat travels by contact, steam, and radiation. A thick steak has a long path to the center, so you brown hot, then finish cooler. A thin cut browns and overcooks in the same minute — so you use high heat and short time.
03
How
Sear first, then lower. Or start gentle (eggs, chocolate, custards) and never let the pan scream. Listen: a lively hiss is moisture leaving. Silence can mean it’s steaming — or it’s dry and burning.
04
Common mistakes
Treating “medium” as a personality trait. Medium on a tiny burner under a huge pan is not the same as medium on a ripping wok. Watch the food, not the printed number on the knob.