FOCUS ON TECHNOLOGY
Table 3: Results of One 1.5-Pound Lobster in an Uncovered Cambro Pan with No Water Added
right and left claws were 176.1 °F and
194.7 °F, respectively.
5. In the last experiment, 23. 2 ounces
of shrimp were placed in a covered
Cambro pan with 45 ml water. After
2 minutes at high power followed by
2 minutes of standing time, the internal temperatures were taken on 12
shrimp at the larger headless end. The
results are presented in Table 4. The
standard deviation was 4.371.
Discussion
This study was conducted to compare
heat transfer within seafood products via
microwave-generated steam in covered
Cambro pans with added water placed
within a Panasonic “Sonic Steamer”
3200-watt 4-magnetron microwave unit
with the heat transfer within a conven-
tional steamer. 2, 3
Table 4: Results of 23. 2 Ounces of Large Shrimp in a Covered Cambro Pan with 45 ml Water
Added
effectively and consistently be utilized
to generate steam within the covered
Cambro pan.
The second part of the study showed
that lobsters placed in covered Cambro
pans with 45 ml water, steamed for 2
minutes and held for 2 minutes, reached
above the required internal temperatures
of 145 °F. Additionally, the temperatures
taken from various parts of the lobster
were very close, within a standard deviation of 1.799 (Table 1), indicating an
evenness of heating via steam energy.
Furthermore, the combination of the
covered Cambro pan with the added
water along with the microwave energy
generated a “steam environment” similar
to conventional steamers.
In an attempt to demonstrate that
the evenness of heating was related to
the steam-generated heat transfer within
the covered Cambro pan with water,
the experiment was repeated under the
same conditions except the Cambro
pan was left uncovered. 3, 4 The results
indicated an expected unevenness of
heating from the traditional microwave
energy. Steam could not be generated as
in the covered Cambro pan. The temperatures were below the required 145
°F for steam heating and the standard
deviation was 4.347 (Table 2), indicating unevenness of heat transfer in the
lobster. This proves that the heat energy
was being provided by the microwaves
not the steam.
The fourth part of the study was
similar to the previous two except the
lobster was placed in an uncovered
Cambro pan with no added water. This
experiment would prove or not that the
covered Cambro pan along with the
water is required for even steam-heat
generation. The temperatures did reach
the required 145 °F for cooking but were
not consistent throughout the lobster.
The standard deviation was 5.413 (Table
3). This indicated that the added water is
necessary for the development of steam
and the heat was generated unevenly via
traditional microwave energy. 4
The final experiment included the
use of large shrimp cooked in a covered
