On Food and Cooking

Minutes per inch thickness and minutes per
pound are the usual approximations.
However, the mathematics of heat transfer
show that cooking times are actually
proportional to the thickness squared, or to
the weight to the ^2 / 3 power. And the
cooking time also depends on many other
factors. There is no simple and accurate
equation that can tell us how long to cook a
particular piece of meat in our particular
kitchen. The best we can do is monitor the
actual cooking, and anticipate when we
should stop by following the temperature
rise at the center of the meat.
Because frying is a rapid cooking method, it’s
applied mainly to the same thin, tender cuts
best suited for grilling and broiling. As with
grilling, frying will be both faster and gentler
if the meat starts at room temperature or
above and is turned frequently (see box, p.
156). Cooks make frying even more efficient
by pressing down on the meat — with the