Thermal inertia or "out of the fire"
When you're cooking, you need a lot of heat to cook, and most of the time it's on the fire, literally if you're on gas, more indirectly if you're not.
An expression that comes up quite often is "Off the heat", but what does it really mean?
An expression that comes up quite often is "Off the heat", but what does it really mean?
7,465 4.6/5 (16 reviews)
Keywords for this post:CookingHeatInertiaThermalPanFireLast modified on: December 12th 2020
Thermal inertia or "out of the fire"
When it comes to saucepans (in the broadest sense of the word: saucepans, sauté pans, frying pans, etc.), you'll find the full range of quality, and therefore price, in the shops.
From the cheap, cheap stuff that's often lightweight, but won't last very long, to the rather chic, heavy, stainless steel pans that will last you a lifetime or more (yes, it's a bit weird to say and consider, but your pots and pans might just outlive you).
The quality saucepans I was talking about have a very thick bottom, around 1 cm of solid steel, which is welded to the pan itself.
The role of this bottom is thermal inertia, i.e. when you put it on the fire, the bottom "loads" with heat first, and separates the flame from the food being heated/cooked, which means that the contents of the pan take longer to heat up, but in the other direction, same inertia, it cools down less quickly.
So there's a "certain time" between the moment you turn off the heat, and the moment your preparation stops heating or cooking.
As a general rule, this is very practical: no sudden bursts of heat, less risk of burning, less sensitivity to false settings. It's not for nothing that all chefs' kitchens are equipped with these pans.
Note that this applies to both gas and induction, although induction is much smoother anyway (it seems to me).
Well, from all this, it's clear that you need to be very careful, especially if you're cooking a delicate food like fish, with the thermal inertia of your pans.
It's quite easy to overcook a food, without necessarily burning everything, because even though you've turned off the heat, it's still cooking a little.
That's why you'll find the expression "hors du feu" (off the heat) in many recipes, for example "hors du feu, ajoutez les œufs battus" (off the heat, add the beaten eggs), and it's to be applied strictly: remove your pan from the heat before continuing, otherwise, due to the thermal inertia of your pan + the residual heat of the stove (even if it's less with induction), you'll overcook and perhaps miss your recipe, which would be a great pity...
In practice, if you cook at the green arrow, "off the heat" is at the red arrow.
In short: When you come across the expression "off the heat" in a recipe, it's not just a matter of turning off the heat, it's also a matter of moving your pan away from the heat so as to stop cooking relatively quickly.
From the cheap, cheap stuff that's often lightweight, but won't last very long, to the rather chic, heavy, stainless steel pans that will last you a lifetime or more (yes, it's a bit weird to say and consider, but your pots and pans might just outlive you).
The quality saucepans I was talking about have a very thick bottom, around 1 cm of solid steel, which is welded to the pan itself.
The role of this bottom is thermal inertia, i.e. when you put it on the fire, the bottom "loads" with heat first, and separates the flame from the food being heated/cooked, which means that the contents of the pan take longer to heat up, but in the other direction, same inertia, it cools down less quickly.
So there's a "certain time" between the moment you turn off the heat, and the moment your preparation stops heating or cooking.
As a general rule, this is very practical: no sudden bursts of heat, less risk of burning, less sensitivity to false settings. It's not for nothing that all chefs' kitchens are equipped with these pans.
Note that this applies to both gas and induction, although induction is much smoother anyway (it seems to me).
Right, and?
Well, from all this, it's clear that you need to be very careful, especially if you're cooking a delicate food like fish, with the thermal inertia of your pans.
It's quite easy to overcook a food, without necessarily burning everything, because even though you've turned off the heat, it's still cooking a little.
That's why you'll find the expression "hors du feu" (off the heat) in many recipes, for example "hors du feu, ajoutez les œufs battus" (off the heat, add the beaten eggs), and it's to be applied strictly: remove your pan from the heat before continuing, otherwise, due to the thermal inertia of your pan + the residual heat of the stove (even if it's less with induction), you'll overcook and perhaps miss your recipe, which would be a great pity...
In practice, if you cook at the green arrow, "off the heat" is at the red arrow.
In short: When you come across the expression "off the heat" in a recipe, it's not just a matter of turning off the heat, it's also a matter of moving your pan away from the heat so as to stop cooking relatively quickly.
Lasts posts
Should potatoes be washed twice?
Let's say you have to make a recipe that includes potatoes, let's say sliced, you'll most likely proceed as follows: Peel the potatoes, wash them, slice them, wash them again, pat them dry and add them to your recipe. But there's a "but": depending on the recipe, the second washing may be a bad...May 19th 20251,205 15
Grilled bacon is much better in the oven
Some recipes call for thin slices of bacon to be cooked and added to the recipe, or to prepare one of those delicious breakfasts known as "à l'Anglaise".April 25th 20251,5975
The thermometer is your friend
There are many recipes or foods that require a (very) precise cooking temperature: foie gras, sugar for caramel, meats and fish, and not forgetting pastries. For these few examples, getting the cooking temperature wrong can spoil the whole recipe or dish: undercooked, it's no good or misses the...April 10th 20251,8795
Travel cakes
You may have come across the term "travel cakes" ("gateaux de voyage" in french) for certain pastries, so let's take a look at what they're all about.January 27th 20253,363
The aromatic power of sugar
In the kitchen, sugar doesn't just sweeten, it also has an exceptional ability to capture flavors. Combined with aromatic ingredients, such as citrus zest, it acts as a veritable sponge for aromas. By taking the time to let the sugar soak up the flavors, you can transform your desserts, making...December 25th 20243,8215
Other pages you may also like
Candied fruits: don't get ripped off
Do you like candied fruit? You might like to nibble a handful or add it to a recipe, like a classic fruit cake or delicious Italian specialities like panettone or sicilian epiphany pie.June 21th 201762 K 24.2
Sausage broth
I've already talked to you about vegetable cooking water, which becomes a precious broth after cooking that would be a shame to throw away. Now let's look at the special case of meat cooking broth, and in particular sausages, which are often poached.June 28th 20238,3115
What is the difference between bakery and patisserie?
This is a question that you may well have asked yourself and which I will attempt to answer. In France the two trades of "boulangerie" (bakery) and "pâtisserie" (patisserie and confectionery) have always been quite distinct, but where exactly do the boundaries lie? .February 7th 2017128 K 14.1
The so-called "nervous" meats
You've probably heard this before, we're talking about "nervous" meat, or meat with nerves, to describe what is indicated by the blue arrow on the left. This is a piece of beef, and what we call a nerve is not a nerve, it is in fact collagen (chemists sometimes call it a "collagen sink"), a...April 16th 202131 K4.5
What happens to the bread when you make it?
This bread that we eat every day, and that our baker makes for us, what happens during its manufacture so that it becomes bread? I will try to answer this question, and to summarize the complex alchemy that takes place.May 28th 202111 K4.9
Post a comment or question
Follow this page
If you are interested in this page, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the page is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.