Duck Confit Is It Safe 2857Steve Wertz Proper beer? There are very few beers that are meant to be cellared and aged, and even those have limited...
Uh...
Baking is mostly convective heat. Slower than a convection oven, but convective nonetheless.
Frying is faster because having high-temperature-coefficient convection fluid (the oil) keeps the food hotter than low-temperature-coefficeint fluid (air). The food in an oven effectively creates a cool buffer-zone around itself. A convection current strips away that buffer which is why convection ovens work faster. But hot oil wins because it can carry more heat and transfer it to cooler objects faster than air can.
Frying at 350F is like baking at 450F, I'd guess, but don't quote me on that...
Broiling is actually radiant heat, and it takes higher temperatures than baking temperatures. At baking temperatures there isn't as much infrared energy radiating from the metal of the oven. The broiler radiates at 1100F or more. Pizza ovens operate at temperatures more like 600-800F, and are on the fringe between baking and broiling.
Now, as to "frying will crisp things better than baking", well, yes, if the food has a lot of moisture. Because the oil can transfer so much heat so fast it will boil out the moisture at the same time it's browning the rest of the substance. That boiling actually regulates the speed of the cooking, and steams the insides. In baking the steam is created slower and adds to the buffer zone around the food, essentially steaming the outside almost as much as the inside.
Once the moisture boils out, the food will soak up the oil, making it far less crispy than if you baked it from that point.
Oh, and the microwave just boils out the moisture, which is usually the only heat it's producing. So once the moisture is gone, so is the heating. Unless there's oil in the food; then it fries itself.
--Blair
