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denzien t1_j0dsp5h wrote

Reply to comment by ManBoyChildBear in 5 second toaster and kettle by F1NNTORIO

Not quite ... liquid water can reach 212°C as long as there's at least 20 atmospheres of additional pressure on it.

At standard atmosphere though, adding more energy just speeds the vaporization. This makes water useful for controlling cooking - as long as liquid water exists in a pan, the temperature of the pan can't exceed the boiling temperature at your elevation.

There's a method of cooking bacon that submerges it in a little water. Bacon undergoes the maillard reaction (browning) at [a fast rate around] 300°F. As long as there is water in the pan, browning of the bacon will not occur. The fat, however, renders out at 140°F. So this method uses water to provide the energy to render out the fat safely delaying the maillard reaction until the water has all evaporated. The pan will then increase over ≈212°F very quickly, so best to be careful not to burn it.

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IGetNakedAtParties t1_j0dwmku wrote

Respectfully as you're obviously big on the physics, you're wrong about the maillard reaction. Similar to pasteurization this can occur at lower temperatures over longer time, sous vide black garlic is a good example of this.

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denzien t1_j0e0o9r wrote

That's true - it can occur at lower temperatures, but there is a practical minimum temperature is there not? Is it lower than the boiling point of water at 1atm or does the explanation still hold true in the abstract?

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IGetNakedAtParties t1_j0fhbqr wrote

The minimum for practical purposes is 60c or 140f, it will take 3 months to "cook" garlic at this temperature, but the result is pure black garlic, not burnt at all, but perfectly sticky sweet.

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denzien t1_j0gsee8 wrote

That definitely sounds like it has a name - but I wouldn't call a 90 day cook time practical for most people 😄

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IGetNakedAtParties t1_j0gt4tf wrote

If you have a sous vide it's set and forget. "Black garlic" is the name, the cooking method is just called ageing, as it is basically accelerated ageing, pasteurization kinda covers this too.

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