Using a Culinary Activity to Teach Heat Transfer in Chemical Engineering

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18260/2-1-370.660-141326

Keywords:

Active Learning, Data Analysis, Experiments, Heat Transfer, Teaching Methods/Scholarly Teaching, Transport, Undergraduate Students

Abstract

This paper presents an interdisciplinary educational module that uses steak cooking to illustrate fundamental heat transfer concepts. Chemical engineering students collected real-time temperature data, measured geometry, and analyzed cooking methods (pan searing and oven finishing). Students fitted models to extract convective coefficients and computed Biot numbers, linking outcomes to steak cooking doneness and resting. Pre/post surveys indicate improved understanding and confidence, highlighting cooking as an engaging and reproducible context for teaching engineering principles.

Author Biographies

Jean-Francois Louf, Auburn University, United States

Jean-François Louf, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering at Auburn University, where he directs the Nature-Inspired Fluids and Elasticity (NIFE) Lab. He received his BS in Physics from Université Côte d’Azur, his MS in Mechanical Engineering from Université Lyon I, and his PhD in Physics from Aix-Marseille Université in France. His research focuses on couplings between fluids and elasticity in biological and soft materials. ORCID: 0000-0003-1971-4209.

Corresponding Author: jlouf@auburn.edu

Tori Melise Phillips, Auburn University, United States

Tori M. Phillips is a PhD candidate in Chemical Engineering at Auburn University, working in the NIFE Lab under the direction of Dr. Jean-François Louf. She received her BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Her research focuses on transport phenomena in biological systems, including hydrogel-coated seeds, root water transport, and bacterial growth. She is also working on developing engineering education modules for ChemE students. ORCID: 0000-0003-4862-4122.

Mark Traynor, University of North Texas, United States

Mark T. Traynor, PhD is Professor and Chair of Hospitality, Event and Tourism Management at the University of North Texas. He holds a PhD in Culinary Arts and Science and a BA in Culinary Arts from Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland. His research focuses on molecular gastronomy, food culture and consumer behavior, commercial food production and technology adoption, and computational gastronomy, applying data science to understand restaurant menus, ingredient networks, and food systems. ORCID: 0000-0002-8138-3263

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Published

2026-09-29

Issue

Ahead of Print (Articles ASAP)

Section

Laboratory