Physicists share the best way to make fried rice

摘要

Chefs typically toss fried rice into the air before catching it again in their woks, allowing the food to cook at high temperatures without burning. Now, physicists have analyzed the repetitive moves made by five Chinese restaurant chefs. By simulating the trajectories of rice tossed from a wok, the researchers hit on some key culinary tips. Videos show the chefs repeating a set of motions about three times a second: sliding the wok back and forth, while rocking it to and fro using the rim of the stove top as a fulcrum. The rocking and sliding motions shouldn't be totally in sync, otherwise the rice won't mix well and could burn, the researchers report in the Feb. 1 Journal of the Royal Society Interface.