What It Is

• Conduction is a process where heat travels from a specific item directly to something in direct contact. An example is if you have a hot skillet with a steak sitting inside it. The heat moves straight from the hot pan to the cool steak. When the heat from an object moves to another part of the same object, it is also known as conduction. An example of this is heat moving from the base of the pan to the handle. Metal is an effective heat conductor, which is why so many pieces of cookware are made of metal.

How to Use It

• Cooking with conduction is cooking any food where heat is transferred directly from the heat source to the food. Pan frying and sauteing are common examples of using conduction when cooking. If you place a piece of meat or a potato on a hot grill, that is also conduction, as the heat is being transferred from the grates of the grill directly to the food. Conduction is more of a static process, and when you introduce air circulation or movement to the process it is known as convection.

What It Is Good For

• Cooking with conduction is effective for tasks like searing, charring and caramelizing meat. It also works for foods such as eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, stir-fries -- any food you cook from start to finish with a direct heat source. Cooking with conduction allows you to have direct control over what you're doing, but you must keep a close eye on the cooking process because you have to turn or flip the food when it when it is ready. The potential for burning one side of the food is greater with conduction than a cooking method such as baking or boiling, where the food is heated from all sides evenly.

Food Is a Poor Conductor

• When a pan or grill is heated and something cool touches it, the heat transfers immediately. If you have ever touched a hot pan with your hand, you know how fast it happens. Metal is a strong conductor of heat, but food itself is not. An example of how food is a poor conductor of heat is when you cook a roast and the internal temperature continues to rise after you remove the roast from the oven. It has been heated from the outside for some time, but takes longer to transfer that heat from the outside of the meat to the inside.