How does frying chicken in 375 degree oil take less time than baking in a 375 degree oven?

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If the temperature of the oven is the same as the temperature of the oil, shouldn’t they cook at the same time?

In: Chemistry

5 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Temperature and heat energy aren’t the same. You can put your bare arms into a 375 degree oven’s air while taking out cookies and suffer no harm, but if you dip your finger into the 375 degree oil for just a moment, your finger will fry. Why? The hot oil has much more heat energy in it compared to the air at the same temperature. Generally, temperature says how fast the molecules in something are moving (kinetic energy). Heat energy depends not only on temperature but also the mass and number of the molecules moving at that speed. The oil has many, many more molecules imparting energy to the food and those molecules are much more massive, carrying more energy per molecule.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The temperature of the air of the oven is not the same as the temperature of the chicken or light oil/batter coating it.

It’s a slower process for the air in the oven to heat the chicken.

Oil at 375 is touching the chicken directly and heating it up faster

Anonymous 0 Comments

Oil conducts heat better than air, so putting the chicken in the hot oil of a fryer heats it more quickly than putting it in the hot air of an oven

Anonymous 0 Comments

Liquid transfers heat roughly 50 times better than air. At least this is what I learnt from my teachers for my job…
Hence why better or higher powered computers for example run ‘water cooled’ systems as opposed to having fans all over your case.

Anonymous 0 Comments

The key term is specific heat capacity. It describes how much energy a thing can absorb before gaining 1 degree. Alternatively it also describes how much energy needs to be released for 1 degree.

Oil has a larger SHC then air resulting in a worse burn