Feb 03, 2021 19:00:00

What causes food to stick to a non-stick frying pan?

There should be many people who have experienced 'food stuck during heating' even though it is a frying pan that claims 'prevention of burning'. The Czech Academy of Sciences has published a study on the phenomenon of food sticking to a non-stick frying pan, 'caused by the difference in oil thickness due to temperature differences.'

On formation of dry spots in heated liquid films: Physics of Fluids: Vol 33, No 2

https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/5.0035547

Why food sticks to nonstick frying pans
https://phys.org/news/2021-02-food-nonstick-pans.html

An experiment conducted by Al Fedorchenko and colleagues at the Czech Academy of Sciences used two types of frying pans, a ceramic frying pan to prevent non-stick and a Teflon-coated frying pan, to heat sunflower oil. By videotaping the experiment, Fedolchenko and colleagues confirmed that an oil-free part was formed in the center of the frying pan during heating.

Fedolchenko and colleagues point out that this phenomenon is due to the

temperature gradient . 'In the case of general liquids such as sunflower oil, the surface tension decreases as the temperature rises, so the surface tension in the central part, which is particularly hot, is even lower than in other parts, and as a result, the oil film is released from the central part. It will break. ' By creating an oil-free part in the center of the frying pan, it is easy for the center part to become scorched or sticky.

In addition, Fedolchenko et al. Identified the conditions under which the oil film ruptures from the center by calculations based on fluid dynamics. To keep the oil in the center so that it doesn't burn, 'increase the amount of oil,' 'moderate the heating,' 'cleanly oil the surface of the frying pan,' and 'use a frying pan with a thick bottom.' He said that the point is to 'stir in a timely manner during cooking.'

Fedorchenko and colleagues point out that the phenomenon can also occur in industrial equipment such as scrubbers for air pollution control devices, 'breaking oil slicks causes rapid heating of electronic components and causes damage.' Mentioned. He says that the results of this research may be applied to a wide range of fields, not limited to frying pans.