Tiana's stepdad was cooking two identical pot roasts in the oven. Her stepdad wrapped one pot roast in foil and left the other one unwrapped. This table shows how the temperature of each pot roast changed over 30minutes.

Question

Pot roast Initial temperature (°C) Final temperature (°C)
Pot roast wrapped in foil 30 64
Pot roast not wrapped in foil 35 62
The next time Tiana's stepdad bakes a pot roast, he wants it to warm up slowly. What should he do to minimize the rate of thermal energy transfer into the pot roast?

Answer 1

To minimize the rate of thermal energy transfer into the pot roast, Tiana's stepdad should wrap the pot roast in foil again, as he did with the first pot roast. Wrapping the pot roast in foil helps to slow down the transfer of heat due to several factors:

1. Insulation: The foil acts as an insulator, reducing the rate at which heat is transferred from the hot air in the oven to the meat.

2. Moisture Retention: Wrapping in foil can help retain moisture, which can prevent the surface from heating up too quickly and allows for a more even cooking process.

3. Reduced Surface Area Exposure: By wrapping the pot roast, the surface area that is exposed to the hot air in the oven is reduced, which also helps to slow down the heating process.

Overall, wrapping the pot roast in foil will help it warm up more slowly compared to leaving it unwrapped.