# Physics/Cooking stew: 2lbs @ 4hrs @ 300 deg=good.  10 lbs?  NEED ANSWER FAST

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-cooking-stew-2lbs-4hrs-300-deg-good-10-lbs-need-answer-fast/619455>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [April 20, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-cooking-stew-2lbs-4hrs-300-deg-good-10-lbs-need-answer-fast/619455 "2012-04-20T22:03:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-cooking-stew-2lbs-4hrs-300-deg-good-10-lbs-need-answer-fast/619455/1 "2012-04-20T22:03:07Z")

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Two lbs short ribs came out low and slow perfect at 300 degrees for four hrs.

Now I have ca. 10 lbs, in three braisers. The three are jammed on the oven rack they’re touching.

Does the timing change? I.e., does heat penetrate no matter what mass?

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**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\
**Post date:** [April 20, 2012, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-cooking-stew-2lbs-4hrs-300-deg-good-10-lbs-need-answer-fast/619455/2 "2012-04-20T22:05:31Z")

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If you’re inserting them in at room temperature, you need to add some time for it to get up to temp. If you’re inserting them in just off a simmer from the stovetop, the time remains the same.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [April 21, 2012, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-cooking-stew-2lbs-4hrs-300-deg-good-10-lbs-need-answer-fast/619455/3 "2012-04-21T00:39:28Z")

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Moved frm General Questions to Cafe Society.

**samclem** , Moderator

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**Author:** ![ExcitedIdiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ea5d25/32.png) [@ExcitedIdiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExcitedIdiot)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-cooking-stew-2lbs-4hrs-300-deg-good-10-lbs-need-answer-fast/619455/4 "2012-04-22T23:08:27Z")

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> [@Leo\_Bloom](#):
>
> The three are jammed on the oven rack they’re touching.

If you mean the pans cover the width of the stove, then yes you may have a problem. Without airflow around the pans, you wont get as much convection, and you might get uneven cooking. Whenever I put 2 cookie sheets in my oven, it fills it, and I need to rotate the pans constantly to get even cooking.

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**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\
**Post date:** [April 22, 2012, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/physics-cooking-stew-2lbs-4hrs-300-deg-good-10-lbs-need-answer-fast/619455/5 "2012-04-22T23:49:12Z")

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10lbs is 2lbs x 5, so 20 hours at 1500 degrees?