INFLUENCE OF CONVECTION HEAT-TRANSFER ON THE REHEATING OF A CHILLED READY-COOKED DISH IN AN EXPERIMENTAL SUPERHEATED STEAM CELL

The objective of this study was to determine the influence of heat tra nsfer by convection on the reheating of mashed potatoes with an experi mental device. The device was composed of a cooking cell with injectio n of superheated steam and its analytical environment. The setting var iables of the cooking cell were: temperature of the walls between 105 and 240 degrees C, mean velocity of atmosphere circulation between 0 a nd 2.5 m/s, and injection flow of superheated steam between 0 and 1.2 kg/h. Measurements on the food (temperature and mass), and composition analysis of the cell atmosphere allowed identification of the phenome na which occur on the cook-chill dish (mashed potatoes). When the mean velocity of the atmosphere increases, condensation rate reduces while drying rate increases. Above 0.7 m/s, the increase in convection had no influence on temperature rising rate. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Lim ited. All rights reserved.