browning the meat on the stovetop in a hot
pan), and then turning the thermostat down to
cook the meat through more gently.
The Effects of Shielding and Basting At
moderate and hot oven temperatures, the oven
walls, ceiling, and floor radiate heat energy in
significant amounts. This means that if an
object lies between the food and one of the
oven surfaces, the food will receive less heat
from that direction and will cook more
slowly. This shielding effect can be both a
nuisance and a useful tool. The pan
underneath a roast slows the heating of the
roast bottom, and the cook should turn the
roast periodically to make sure that top and
bottom receive equal amounts of heat. But a
sheet of aluminum foil deliberately placed
over the meat will deflect a substantial
portion of heat energy and thus slow the
cooking of the whole roast. So will basting
with a water-containing liquid, which cools