Heat Transfer Trio

Every cooking method comes down to three types of heat transfer. Conduction is direct contact — a steak sizzling on cast iron, heat flowing from hot metal into cold meat. Convection is heat carried by moving fluid — hot air circulating in an oven, or boiling water tumbling over pasta.

Radiation is heat traveling as electromagnetic waves — the infrared glow from a broiler or grill that cooks without touching. Most cooking uses all three at once. A roast absorbs radiant heat from the oven walls, convective heat from the air, and conductive heat from the pan beneath it. Knowing which transfer dominates explains why each technique gives a different result.