Physicists Investigate Food Sticking to Middle of Non-Stick Pans

[chromedome]

From the "scientists get interested in the strangest/most mundane things" files:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/the-physics-of-why-food-sometimes-sticks-to-the-center-of-a-nonstick-frying-pan/

 

As a side note, Teflon's first practical use in the field was in the A-bomb. Who knew?

[gfweb]

I'd say its a domed pan bottom. I have a few pans like this where the dome is obvious.

Bad pan.

[chromedome]

59 minutes ago, gfweb said:

I'd say its a domed pan bottom. I have a few pans like this where the dome is obvious.

Bad pan.

That's often the case, but I *have* seen it also in non-domed pans.

 

I expect they'd have screened for that and/or used a brand-new, presumably undomed pan for their experiment, but it's not explicitly addressed in the underlying paper. The pan and cooking surface are identified, but they don't specifically state that it was bought new for the purpose.

[liuzhou]

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

From the "scientists get interested in the strangest/most mundane things" files:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/the-physics-of-why-food-sometimes-sticks-to-the-center-of-a-nonstick-frying-pan/

 

As a side note, Teflon's first practical use in the field was in the A-bomb. Who knew?

 

Almost everyone, I know!

[weinoo]

2 hours ago, chromedome said:

From the "scientists get interested in the strangest/most mundane things" files:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/the-physics-of-why-food-sometimes-sticks-to-the-center-of-a-nonstick-frying-pan/

 

As a side note, Teflon's first practical use in the field was in the A-bomb. Who knew?

 

As an aside, have you seen the movie Dark Waters? Very well done.

[JoNorvelleWalker]

17 hours ago, chromedome said:

From the "scientists get interested in the strangest/most mundane things" files:

https://arstechnica.com/science/2021/02/the-physics-of-why-food-sometimes-sticks-to-the-center-of-a-nonstick-frying-pan/

 

As a side note, Teflon's first practical use in the field was in the A-bomb. Who knew?

 

I always believed wine legs were the result of glycerin, not ethanol.  Be that as it may, I have never observed a dry spot in the middle of a non stick pan.  I would conclude such a pan was not heating uniformly.  Unless it were really warped.  And isn't teflon supposed to be nonstick even when not oiled?

 

[AlaMoi]

heated oil / fat in a pan, any pan, will "crawl" into a pattern,

the pattern varies quite wildly by gas/electric/induction/quartz light/etc.

the pattern makes itself more/less evident with the depth of oil/fat in the pan.

deep = no pattern

 

the basic reason is:  liquids gather together - aka coalesce - based on their surface tension, which varies by temperature.

 

on a gas top with fingers/grates to support the pan, you get a pattern resembling the grate.

coiled electric elements - you get a spiral == coil pattern

induction leaves the middle dry as the edges heat more.....

 

[dcarch]

Two things I have found with all my non-stick pots and pans:

 

1. There is always more oil in the center because the center always gets dished. I think this is because the center is much hotter and the metal expands. Yet the outside ring of metal restricts expansion because the metal is colder. It's like a bottle with 3 inch thick wall. The center in time gets deformed into dish shaped.

 

2. The center becomes non-stick because high heat eventually destroys the non-stick coating material.

 

Regarding wine glass "legs". It may also be that many people wash their wine glasses separately and not in the dishwasher. The dish washing detergent generally has "sheeting" chemicals which allows water to drain down faster.

 

dcarch

 

Edited February 5, 2021 by dcarch (log)