Cooking System Interactions: Compatibility of Energy Source and Container Material

A laboratory experiment was performed to investigate the interaction between energy source and container material in surface cooking operations as deter mined by evenness of heating, speed of heating, and heat retention. Energy sources were a conventional gas burner; a conventional electric coil; an electric resistance heater and induction coil, both under glass-ceramic; and a solid elec tric element. Cookware of thin- and heavy-gauge aluminum, porcelain enamel over thin-gauge steel, heavy-gauge stainless steel with a thick aluminum heat core, and glass-ceramic was combined with each of the energy sources to com plete a cooking system. A General Linear Models Procedure was used to assess statistically the impact of each variable on test results. Duncan Multiple Range tests were performed to identify statistically significant differences between sys tems. Heavy-gauge aluminum and heavy-gauge stainless steel with a thick alu minum heat core produced the most even browning of crepes in all cooking systems. Regardless of the cookware used, the induction unit, gas burner, and conventional electric coil boiled water more quickly than did the other energy sources, while the solid element and the electric resistance coil under glass- ceramic retained more heat.