THE LEIDENFROST EFFECT,

AND HOW TO TELL IF YOUR

PAN IS PREHEATED

Pop quiz: I’ve got two identical pans. One is

maintained at 300°F on a burner and the other is
maintained at 400°F. I then add a half ounce of
water to each pan and time how long it takes for the
water to evaporate. How much faster will the water
in the 400°F pan evaporate than the water in the
300°F pan?

A.      About   ten times   as  fast.

B.      At  one-and-a-third times   the rate.

C.      At  almost  the same    rate.

D.      None    of  the above—I’ve  already seen    through

your    trick   question.

You got it. The water in the 400°F pan will
actually take longer to evaporate. In fact, when I
performed this test at home, it took nearly ten times
as long for the water in the hotter pan to vaporize.
This seems contrary to pretty much everything
we’ve learned so far, doesn’t it? I mean, hotter pan
= more energy, and more energy = faster