Steam Explosion - Flash Boiling in Cooking

Flash Boiling in Cooking

There is also a cooking technique called flash boiling, in which a smaller amount of water is used so as to quicken the process of boiling. An example of this technique is used to melt a slice of cheese onto a hamburger patty, whereby the cheese slice is placed on top of the meat on a high-heat surface (e.g., a hot frying pan), and a small quantity of cold water is thrown onto the surface near the patty. A vessel (such as a volume-rich small pot or frying-pan cover) is then used to quickly seal the steam-flash reaction, which disperses much of the steamed-water on the cheese/patty. This results in a large release of heat, transferred via vaporized water condensing back into a liquid (a principle also utilized in refrigerator and freezer production).