Culinology - June 2016 - (Page 36)

EXPERT voices GAS vs. electric When it comes to developing products and recipes, what's the difference between gas and electric ranges? The question comes from RCA Connect, an on-line network and discussion forum available to members of the Research Chefs Association. Here, three experts discuss the impact of each on the product development process and cooking instructions for end-users in both consumer and food service kitchens. Barry M. Brooks Culinary Equipment Specialist, TriMark Marlinn, Chicago Test kitchen design would be optimized for product testing by including side-by-side-by-side equipment for gas, electric and induction stovetops at both commercial and residential grade. This includes both gas and electric conventional ovens, and their counterpart convection ovens. Ryan Phillipps, CRC Consumer Products R&D, Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark. Depending on the types of appliances in the consumer kitchen, cooking experiences can vary greatly. Through consideration of all variables and extensive testing, we are able to develop a single set of preparation instructions that will ensure consistent 36 | Culinology | JUNE 2016 Photo credit: Ben Fink Gas is instantaneous in deriving heat, thus adjusting temperature more quickly and allowing for greater control. Gas provides even heat distribution to all cooking vessels, flat or curved. It captures a 55% efficiency rate or less if using gas pilot technology. Typically, natural gas will be less expensive than electric, which is a slower, more methodic heat source that captures a 65% efficiency rate. Higher efficiency leads to an overall better mechanism for simmering and boiling water. Electric ovens have an advantage with baking because they produce dry heat (the gas flame creates water vapor) and provide optimal roasting and browning. Convection ovens (both gas and electric) use fans to circulate the heated air, accelerating and evening the cooking process. With electric-fueled, highly efficient induction heat, energy is conducted directly to the cooking vessel by a magnetic field, consequently it is as quick and responsive as gas with less waste of energy. product quality. During testing, we evaluate ranges and ovens from several different manufacturers, both electric and natural gas. There are inherent subtle differences in equipment, such as temperature stability, range from the set point and even the type of cookware being used. Often, we use sensory panels to validate product performance such as the importance of flipping a breaded product halfway through cooking to improve crispness. For instance, flipping may have no benefit or penalty while cooking in an electric oven, but provides significant product improvement while cooking in a gas oven. The goal is to find the "sweet spot" in settings that compensates for all of the environmental variables and delivers the best resulting final product every time.

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Culinology - June 2016

Culinology - June 2016
Table of Contents
President's Letter - Best job competition
Emerging Trends - Five millenial-fueled food trends
The sun is rising on Japanese small plates
Flavor Trends - Seeing innovation through the smoke
Ingredient Trends - Adventures in ancient grains
Member Profile - Research chef extraordinaire
Expert Voices - Gas vs. electric
Industry News from the Research Chefs Association
Culinology Book - New book digs deep into Culinology
Petits Fours - Hormel launches product line for cancer patients
Vermont indicates enforcement priorities for GMO labeling law
Feeding Hispanic millennials’ craving for culture
Combo meals regaining appeal
Dairy alternatives straying from soy
News Bites - Trendspotting at the Culinology Expo
Ad Index

Culinology - June 2016