Dear All, My wife, some years ago, was spoiled for modern cookery when we lived in a farm cottage that had only a wood fired stove. This stove was of the 'slow-combustion' variety that was well insulated with excellent control of air inflow and outflow � in short it burned slowly.
One feature of this stove was its ability to hold a largish pot at a 'simmer', which as I understand it is a temperature at, or just below boiling temperature where the odd bubble breaks the surface while the soup or stew does not 'catch' on the bottom. The main pot we use for soups and stew is stainless steel with a laminated base of aluminium and copper; it is about 240�mm in diameter and we fill it to about 110�mm so its capacity is about 5�litres. Has anyone on the list ever considered energy flow into and out of a cooking pot as it simmers? My question is how much energy do I need to flow from an electric hotplate to maintain a slow simmer? Thanks. Pat Naughtin CAMS Geelong, Australia
