In rec.food.cooking, Lenny Abbey > wrote:
> Try the water experiment that I described. See if the heat doesn't come
> right through the bottom of a copper pan.

It depends largely on how thick the copper is. Think of a piece of copper
foil - your effect is quite visible. But now think about a 1 inch thick
copper plate. Things would be very different.

I can't vouch for the copper pans you've tried.



> Lenny


> > wrote in message
> ...
> > In rec.food.cooking, Lenny Abbey > wrote:
> >
> > > I think that poor conductivity is desirable. This is the only way to
> evenly
> > > distribute the heat. I think that is what the aluminum does...and these
> > > skillets have aluminum implants on the bottom.
> >
> > I think you may have that backwards - if a material does not conduct heat
> > well, then the heat will stay in one place, causing uneven distribution.
> > As an example, the handles on my Calphalon aluminum skillets are made of
> > stainless steel, because stainless is a poor conductor of heat. Where the
> > handle is riveted onto the body of the pan, the handle is appoximately the
> > same temp as the pan. But given the poor conductivity, the part of the
> > handle that you grasp stays relatively cool. If the handle were made of
> > aluminum or iron (or copper or silver) then the heat would be conducted
> > from the pan all the way to the end of the handle, evenly distributed.
> >
> >
> > > Try filling your favorite pot with water and heating it on the stove. If
> you
> > > can see the pattern of the heating elements, your pot is not ideal. Cast
> > > iron will diffuse the heat because it is a relatively poor conductor...
> >
> > A poor conductor compared to what? Certainly not stainless. Maybe
> > compared to copper?
> >
> >
> > for a
> > > cooking vessel. Ditto for aluminum.
> >
> > Aluminum is also a relatively good conductor of heat.
> >
> >
> > But try this with a copper bottom pot.
> > > You can actually see the pattern of the heating elements in the tiny
> bubbles
> > > forming on the bottom as it heats up. No way to warm egg yolks!
> >
> > Copper is a better conductor than either aluminum or iron.
> >
> >
> >
> > --
> > A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
> > --Edward R. Murrow



--
A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.
--Edward R. Murrow