This site uses only a few technical cookies necessary for its operation. By continuing to browse, you accept their use.
To find out more...
To find out more...
One should always cover a pan while heating
Tradition says: "One should always cover a pan while heating".
In other words, if you heat water (or something else), it comes to the boil faster with a lid on the pan than without.
True or false? Let's try the experiment...
In other words, if you heat water (or something else), it comes to the boil faster with a lid on the pan than without.
True or false? Let's try the experiment...
1 hour 20 min.
Easy
1 panLast modified on: July 25th 2017
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 2 min.
Resting: 1 hour
Cooking: 20 min.
All in all: 1 hour 20 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - ⌛ 2 min.
1 litre of water is measured and poured into a pan without the lid and put on the hob with a thermometer in it.
Starting temperature of water (and room): 70°F (19°C).
Starting temperature of water (and room): 70°F (19°C).
Stage 2 - ⌛ 9 min.
The heat is switched on. The water reaches 210°F (100°C) in 9 minutes and 30 seconds.
Stage 3 - ⌛ 1 hour
The hob is left to cool for about one hour, to allow it to reach room temperature again.
Another 1 litre water is put in the same pan covered with the same thermometer in it, on the same hob.
Starting temperature of water (and room): 70°F (19°C).
Another 1 litre water is put in the same pan covered with the same thermometer in it, on the same hob.
Starting temperature of water (and room): 70°F (19°C).
Stage 4 - ⌛ 9 min.
The heat is switched on. The water reaches 210°F (100°C) in 9 minutes and 27 seconds.
Stage 5
The result is shown more clearly in the diagram: the temperature of the uncovered pan in red and that of the covered pan in green.
Conclusion
False: The time difference is too small to be significant. It really doesn't matter whether the pan is covered or not.
Source: Homemade.
Other recipes you may also like
How to prepare endives
A very classic recipe, but which can easily fail due to two main errors: too much water in bottom of dish because endives give off a lot, and endives that are too bitter so that children hate it. Here is a method which avoids these two problems. February 14th 2012510 K3.7 30 min.
Nanou's chocolate cake
A moist melting cake, very very chocolaty... June 22th 2013299 K4.6 1 hour 45 min.
Chocolate tart
As you can see, there's very little added sugar in this recipe, so it's a very chocolatey and bitter-sweet tart. November 16th 2013309 K 15 2 hours 30 min.
Exotic fruit tart
An exotic fruit tart (bananas, kiwi and pineapple), with crisp pastry and almond cream which are cooked beforehand. It's a rather simple recipe, but the final result will impress your guests. May 27th 2020341 K5 2 hours 25 min.
Pear tart with almond cream
This is a very quick and easy tart to make, as everything (or almost) can be done in advance. A piece of sweetcrust pastry, some almond cream and pears? You have "everything you need". March 17th 2011383 K4.3 1 hour 15 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2026-04-12)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Follow this recipe (as 2 people already do)
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe 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.
The 1 comment already posted on this recipe