Posted 01.12.2011 at 10:51 am
8 Comments
It's called the Leidenfrost effect, and you've seen it before: dribble a little water onto the surface of a hot, dry pan, and the water forms little drops that skate around until they fizzle out.
But have you seen it filmed close-up at 3,000 frames per second? Thanks to Nathan Myhrvold and his Modernist Cuisine team (whom we're going out to visit in Seattle this week!), now you can.
Instead of boiling away instantly, if the skillet's hot enough the water is insulated by a thin layer of its own vapor, and skitters pleasingly.
Stay tuned for our up-close look inside Modernist Cuisine, the self-published 2,438-page science- and tech-fueled megacookbook to be published this March, after which we will finally finally let out our breaths.
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Methinks 'twas liquid nitrogen boiling at room temperature, not water in a frying pan.
@ nonthewiser Very astute observation!
i think it's the principle that their getting at.
Whats with the white material in the water drop?
What does it look like when it finally "fizzes out?"
"skitters pleasingly.."
Well said. Wasn't it well said? Had kind of poetry to it
Why is the steam only above and not coming from the contact area with the hot surface?
Was I the only one who wanted to see more than just the slow-motion up close? How about a different perspective? Although I guess if it is just liquid nitrogen (thank you nonethewiser you are very clever) then why bother. :)
it looks like a snowglobe (and a pretty awesome one at that)