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The Science of Combustion: Understanding How Various Fuels Impact Cooking

The Science of Combustion: Understanding How Various Fuels Impact Cooking

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What’s your go-to fuel when cooking outdoors?

Do you prefer the bold, earthy char of charcoal or the clean, subtle flavor of pellets? Or perhaps you prefer the convenience of gas or electric grills, with their turn-on functionality and consistent temperatures?

Regardless of your fuel choice, you’re likely aware that each option offers distinct advantages depending on the cooking style. This article discusses the science behind the five most common fuel sources, and how they impact the flavor and efficiency of outdoor cooking.

Cooking With Wood: Nature’s Original Fuel

Wood is the first-ever fuel source discovered by man.

It offers dozens of benefits over other fuel sources like gas, pellets, charcoal, and electricity, from its rich, natural flavors to its ability to reach high temperatures.

Wood logs or splits burn hotter and longer than any other fuel source, allowing you to cook more food for longer without frequent fuel replenishment.

Hardwoods like hickory, oak, apple, and mesquite impart a unique, natural flavor that other fuels simply can’t match. Charcoal comes close since it’s a byproduct of wood but lacks the same depth of flavor and aromatic qualities that raw wood imparts.

Cooking With Charcoal: Concentrated Heat and Flavor

Charcoal is made through a process called pyrolysis, whereby wood and other organic materials are heated above 750°F (400°C) in an oxygen-starved environment.

Pyrolysis can take days, burning off volatile compounds such as water, hydrogen, methane, and tar. The resulting product is a lightweight, carbon-rich material that burns cleaner and more efficiently than raw wood.

Charcoal is available in two main types: briquettes and hardwood lumps.

Briquettes are a lot cheaper than hardwood lump charcoal and more accessible.

They’re made of wood chips, peat, sawdust, and other combustible biomass materials, as well as additives like sodium nitrate, borax, and binders (starch or clay). These additives accelerate ignition and hold the briquette together.

Conversely, lump charcoal is made from 100% natural hardwood.

It lights faster, burns hotter, and produces cleaner smoke. It also imparts a more concentrated, natural wood flavor to food.

Many people prefer briquettes due to their cost-efficiency, longer burn time, and burning consistency. Lump charcoal is favored by purists for its pure, natural composition and the authentic, smoky flavor it imparts to grilled foods.

Cooking With Propane/Natural Gas: Clean And Convenient

More than 40 million US households use gas stoves, accounting for more than 30% of homes.

Gaseous fuels, like propane and natural gas, provide instant, controllable heat, making them a convenient and versatile cooking option. No wood chopping, tending, or messy clean-up to deal with later; simply turn the knob and you’re good to cook.

The problem with gas as a cooking method is that it doesn’t add that signature smoky flavor we typically get with wood and charcoal fuels.

That said, not all foods require or benefit from smoky flavors. Unless you’re grilling or barbequing, you’ll likely prefer the clean and consistent heat provided by gas fuels.

Cooking With Electricity: Consistency And Safety

More than 60% of US households own at least one electric stove, according to statistics.

Electric stoves offer many benefits to gas stoves; they’re easier to clean, more responsive, and just as powerful if not even more so than gas. They’re also much safer in comparison.

When it comes to flavor in food, there’s minimal difference between gas and electric stoves.

However, gas stoves do excel in searing and browning.

The high, direct heat from a gas flame creates the perfect environment for achieving a Maillard reaction, which is responsible for caramelization.

You can achieve the same reaction with electric stoves but it often takes longer and requires more finesse to get the same level of sear and caramelization.

Pellets: Rapid Heating

Wood pellets are made from either 100% softwood or a hardwood softwood blend. They ignite faster than charcoal and wood, ready in just 10 to 15 minutes.

Wood pellets are predominantly used in pellet grills, but they do work on charcoal grills with some modifications.

You can mix the pellet with charcoal to get the hot coals going or replace the charcoal with one cup of pellets for every pound of coal.

Pellets deliver a clean and consistent smoke, ideal for those who prefer a subtler touch of flavor to their food.

Wood pellets are often more expensive than charcoal though, so many people prefer the latter despite it being harder to tend to.

Charcoal also adds a bolder smoky flavor to food than wood pellets, so if you’re looking for authentic outdoor grilling flavors, you’re better off with wood or charcoal as your fuel source.

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