Engineering: How Much Energy Does It Take to Cook Cereals? In this column, Levine discusses the energy requirements involved in steam cooking grits for corn flakes. The process involves putting the flaking grits in a drum and introducing steam during drum rotation. The target moisture content is 28–32%, but simply adding sufficient water before cooking introduces problems when analyzing the physics of the process. When pressure is released at the end of the cooking cycle, some water immediately flashes off as pressure is reduced, increasing the final moisture content, and condensing steam transfers its energy to the cereal ingredients and environment. One must calculate how much moisture flashes off when the cooking drum is opened to the atmosphere, as well as the water added by steam condensation. A simple heat balance calculates the steam required to heat the metal drum, among other calculations. |