What is Medium Heat BTU wise?
 

If a recipe calls for cooking something at medium heat and you have
four different burner ratings, 15k, 12k, 9k etc what defines medium?
i.e is it 7.5k, 6k or 4.5k? Or are the dials calibrated somehow so that
medium is always medium but high changes with the burner (seems
unlikely) or am I missing the point somewhere along the line...

Damian

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> If a recipe calls for cooking something at medium heat and you have
> four different burner ratings, 15k, 12k, 9k etc what defines medium?
> i.e is it 7.5k, 6k or 4.5k? Or are the dials calibrated somehow so that
> medium is always medium but high changes with the burner (seems
> unlikely) or am I missing the point somewhere along the line...
>
> Damian
>

The point I believe is that "medium" is relative. It is not a precise BTU
setting but means just to set your burner about midway between the highest
and lowest settings.


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

wrote:
> If a recipe calls for cooking something at medium heat and you have
> four different burner ratings, 15k, 12k, 9k etc what defines medium?
> i.e is it 7.5k, 6k or 4.5k? Or are the dials calibrated somehow so
that
> medium is always medium but high changes with the burner (seems
> unlikely) or am I missing the point somewhere along the line...


You're not indicating the "volume" of that which you're cooking nor the
*time* for which it is cooked.

BTUs have nothing to do with cooking *temperature*... a BTU is a
*quantity* of heat, not a particular temperature.

British Thermal Unit : the quantity of heat required to raise the
temperature of one pound of water one degree Fahrenheit at a specified
temperature (as 39=B0F)

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> If a recipe calls for cooking something at medium heat and you have
> four different burner ratings, 15k, 12k, 9k etc what defines medium?
> i.e is it 7.5k, 6k or 4.5k? Or are the dials calibrated somehow so that
> medium is always medium but high changes with the burner (seems
> unlikely) or am I missing the point somewhere along the line...
>
> Damian

As others have said there is little or no relationship between Medium and
BTU's.

What are you cooking?

Maybe the purpose is to prevent scorching or burning the bottom of the
pan/pot.

Dimitri

I'm aware that 1BTU is the amount of energy required to raise 1lb of
water 1F, but I recall seeing instructions such as cook blah on medium
for five minutes and it struck me as a meaningless phrase if every
cooktop's medium setting is pumping out a different amount of heat (in
a given time)

In . com> dpenney@gmail.
com wrote:
> I'm aware that 1BTU is the amount of energy required to raise 1lb of
> water 1F, but I recall seeing instructions such as cook blah on medium
> for five minutes and it struck me as a meaningless phrase if every
> cooktop's medium setting is pumping out a different amount of heat (in
> a given time)


I see what you're saying and certainly can't answer it. It's like
posting highway signs saying to drive at medium speeds. Now, does that
apply to a Ferrari or a Ford? Simply a meaningless phrase as you say.

I suppose though, medium is a temp which you just learn as you cook.
Best I can describe...


--
Cheers

Dennis

Remove 'Elle-Kabong' to reply

> wrote in message
ups.com...
> I'm aware that 1BTU is the amount of energy required to raise 1lb of
> water 1F, but I recall seeing instructions such as cook blah on medium
> for five minutes and it struck me as a meaningless phrase if every
> cooktop's medium setting is pumping out a different amount of heat (in
> a given time)


Well not necessarily a meaningless question. I asked what is this in
reference to see if you were/are cooking with some liquid. As you know from
Chem. 101 water at sea level pressure will not boil over 212 degrees.
However if you are simmering then the rare of evaporation is X if you are
cooking over medium heat the evaporation rate is Y*X depending on the mass
and the BTU difference in the settings. If you are cooking on high - well
you get the picture. So there is a meaning that is valid. In addition the
height of the side walls of the pan will also make a difference.

Dimitri