1) what's the most helpful physics-based cooking tip most people aren't aware of?
2) are there efforts in food engineering to apply machine learning to recipes in the same way some projects are trying to automate other creative functions like graphic design?
It is a widely-held belief that searing a piece of meat before a slow roast will seal in the juices. Actual testing reveals this to be completely incorrect.
Searing (dry, high heat) produces maillard reactions which are responsible for lots of flavors that we like. So searing is good, but it's better to cook your meat to just below the temperature you want, then take it out and sear it. You'll have a more consistent doneness.
1)how to optimize volumetric versus surface heating versus air/water heating of food. Once you understand enough about heat transfer, combining microwave, broilers, hot air and sous vide type cooking let's you create food textures that are better suited for your personal likes. Like cooking a turkey, people that complain about it being dry don't understand the difference between heat transfer and mass transfer.you don't have to dry out meat when heating it.
2) this is for food science, not food engineering.But yes, my this is a new area food companies (and specifically my boss) is getting into is to use AI/ML for understanding process and recipes to design new foods or troubleshoot problems
1) what's the most helpful physics-based cooking tip most people aren't aware of?
2) are there efforts in food engineering to apply machine learning to recipes in the same way some projects are trying to automate other creative functions like graphic design?