Latent Heat at Work

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

Other than steam heating, how does latent heat work for you?



Everytime I use my pressure cooker, I am amazed that I can cook things so quickly.  Beets that normally take 45 minutes to cook in a normal steamer cook in 15 minutes, less if I use the higher pressure setting.  Same with artichokes.



I tell my girlfriend about the difference between sensible and latent heat.  Like a good woman, she acts interested, but I can tell she's not as into it as I am.

Jamie Hall

And then...

there's evaporative cooling -- latent heat in reverse, as it were!

icesailor

Latent Pressure Cookers:

I'm not sure how latent and sensible heat apply to pressure cookers but they work on the fact that water boils at 212 degrees at sea level and with 3# pressure, the boiling point goes up. Square root of the pressure X 14 + 198 + boiling point under 3# pressure. The water in the food then boils at a higher temperature. Thus, cooking it faster. But pressure cooked food has a certain taste. Raw carrots cooked in a pressure cooker will have an off taste. Carrots boiled in water have another taste. Raw carrots cooked in a microwave taste like fresh picked carrots. The radiation waves heat the moisture from the inside. It's the ability to get the water hotter than 212 degrees that does it. Any hotter and it converts to steam.

Charlie from wmass

All mod cons use it

The latent heat from the flue gases is what gives the high efficiency rates.