Steam Basics
1.What is a BTU? - a. The amount of heat required to raise 1 pound of water 1◦ F.
2.How many BTU does it take to raise one pound of water 1◦ F? - a. 1 BTU
3.At what temperature does water boil? - a. 212◦ F
4.If enough heat is added to a pot of water to raise the temperature of the water to 212 f will the water
be boiling? - a. No, not until latent heat is added.
5.What is latent hear of vaporization? - a. The additional latent heat it takes to turn 1 lb of a
substance at its boiling point, into steam.
6.What is the value of the latent heat of vaporization for water? - a. 970 BTU
7.What is condensate? - a. The liquid created when a substance cools enough to give up its latent
heat.
8.How much steam will be created when one cubic foot of water is boiled off? - a. 1500 cubic feet.
9.What is the boiling point of water at 10 PSI? - a. 239◦
10.What is the boiling point of water at 15 PSI? - a. 250◦
11.Why does steam cook food so quickly? - a. Because of the high amount of latent hear
transferred when the steam condenses on the food.