Living · 6 pages · 12 min
How a cast-iron pan holds heat
The pan is thick and heavy, so its temperature falls slowly.
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From the opening
A cast-iron pan holds heat because it is thick and heavy, so a large mass of metal must cool before the temperature drops far. Cold food takes energy from that store, and the temperature dips less than it would in a thin, light pan. The opening covers thickness supplies the stored heat, conductivity is a separate property, and thin steel follows the flame.
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Inside
- Thickness supplies the stored heat
- Conductivity is a separate property
- Thin steel follows the flame
- A weak burner makes mass slow
- Where the idea stops applying
- A distinction worth keeping
Sources
- Thermal mass of a thick cast-iron vessel
- Heat capacity distinguished from thermal conductivity