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   krishna-agrawala Teacher
   Graduate School

   eNotes Editor

   Steaming of hot food can be explained scientifically in terms of the process of vaporization, which refers to conversion of liquids or solids in to gas.

   Steaming of hot food is the result of some of the water in the food being converted into water vapour, part of which again gets converted into very tiny water drops as it rises up in the cooler atmospheric air. A phenomenon similar to this cause the air that we breathe out in very cold weather to appear like steam.

   Vaporization takes place due to the kinetic energy possessed by all molecules. This kinetic energy causes vibrations in the molecules and when the kinetic energy is sufficiently high it enables individual molecules to break free from the the bond of attraction that exists between molecules of liquids and solids. The kinetic energy of the molecules and the rate at which the molecules thus break free from the liquids or solids as gas increase with temperature.

   Because of high temperature of the food, the water in the food gets converted in to water vapour, or steam faster. Normally some amount of water vapour rises from water also at room temperature. However the quantity of such water vapour is to small which gets easily dissipated in the air. Therefore we are not able to see the water vapour rising, although we are able to observe that in many cases reduction in quantity of water due to evaporation.

   In case of steaming food the quantity of water vapour rising from the food is more than what can be retained in the air immediately surrounding it. This as well as cooling of the water vapour cause conversion of some of water vapour back into tiny water drops, that are seen by as as steam.

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   Posted by krishna-agrawala on Friday November 6, 2009 at 11:42 PM