The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science

are in a cup of air. So, despite the fact that the water
is at a lower temperature than the air in the oven,
the hot water contains far more energy than the hot
air and consequently heats up your hand much more
rapidly. In fact, boiling water has more energy than
the air in an oven at a normal roasting temperature,
say 350° to 400°F. In practice, this means that boiled
foods cook faster than foods that are baked or
roasted. Similarly, foods baked in a moist
environment cook faster than those in a dry
environment, since moist air is denser than dry air.