The Change Mariner

From Frozen to Feast: A Roast Turkey in Two Hours?

Oregon State Daily Barometer:

Getting up at the crack of dawn to cook that Thanksgiving turkey may be a thing of the past, thanks to OSU scientists.

Researchers at OSU have tuned in to a hot new innovation in food preparation by using radio frequencies to quickly and precisely heat food.

A research team found that by wedging packages of food between electrodes and tuning radio waves to various frequencies, food molecules would vibrate and heat up.

By varying the frequency of the radio waves and apparent resistance to the electric current, the researchers can tune the flow of energy to precisely the amount needed to heat various ingredients in the food.

This allows rapid and uniform heating.

For example, a 25-pound Thanksgiving turkey would normally take about six hours to thaw at room temperature and a further four hours to cook in a traditional oven.

With variable radio frequency heating, it is possible to thaw and cook that turkey in less than two hours.

Qingyue Ling, a part of the research team and a development engineer with OSU's Food Innovation Center in Portland, believes the new cooking innovation could have a major bearing on food preparation for the future.

Posted by Timothy Fredel at May 19, 2004 05:02 PM | TrackBack
Related Categories: Industry - Food | Quadrant - Technological

Slow Food(The Case For Taste)
Columbia University Press

Amazon Price: $15.72

Slow Food: Collected Thoughts on Taste, Tradition, and the Honest Pleasures of Food
Chelsea Green Publishing Company

Amazon Price: $15.72

The Pleasures of Slow Food: Celebrating Authentic Traditions, Flavors, and Recipes
Chronicle Books

Amazon Price: $25.20

In Praise of Slowness : How A Worldwide Movement Is Challenging the Cult of Speed
HarperSanFrancisco

Amazon Price: $15.72