Three Ways a Grill Cooks Food
When you are in the market for a new grill, you have a lot of decisions to make before finally buying the one that best suits your budget and cooking needs. Apart from the power source ─ charcoal, natural gas, propane, or electricity ─ the appliance material, size, and price (just to name a few), there is an additional factor to consider: the cooking method.
Gas & charcoal grills cook food primarily through conduction, convection, or radiation. Generally speaking, the method employed in the cooking process will affect the food’s flavor, texture, and cooking time. Let’s take a deep look into these three cooking methods.
Cooking Methods
Conduction
Conduction refers to the process of direct transfer of heat from one thing to another. Something hot touches something at a cool temperature and the cool thing heats up. For instance, on your gas or charcoal grill, this is the cooking done on foods in contact with the cooking grate.
Because this is the slowest cooking method, some appliances come with a fan that blows the hot air around the food which speeds up the cooking process. This is known as convection cooking. Just by circulating hot air, cooking times are reduced by 25% or more compared to conduction-based grills.
Infrared
A special surface is used on your gas grill with the flame below it that allows the heat to be absorbed, which then gets radiated to the food that sits on the grates. The infrared element can be one of three types of plates: metal, ceramics, or special glass. Heat from the plates radiates evenly to the food on the grill, rather than flaring and flickering, as can be the case with non-infrared grills.
Radiation
This cooking method uses a form of electromagnetic energy that is directed at the food you cook. Microwaves are a good example of an appliance that uses radiation cooking. Also, your oven or toaster uses radiant heat from an electric heating element specifically for broiling.
Regardless of the cooking technology of your preference, Hi-Tech Appliance has the grill you need. We carry the best grill brands in the area. Contact us to speak with an appliance expert, or visit our beautiful showroom in Louisville, Colorado to get inspired.
