How the Refrigerator Works

A refrigerator is really nothing more than a box in which articles can be kept at
a cool temperature. The temperature inside the box is regulated by means of a
thermostat. Apart from the thermostat, the refrigerator mechanism includes a
motor-driven compressor, a condenser and a set of thin, metal evaporated
coils, into which is pumped a liquid refrigerant called Freon.

When a liquid evaporates, it absorbs heat. The refrigerant used in a refrigerator,

has a very low boiling point and it evaporates in the metal coils. As this
happens, it absorbs heat and as a result, the evaporator coils cool down.

As soon as the temperature inside the refrigerator rises from above a predetermined level, the thermostat
causes the motor to start. Freon vapor is drawn from the evaporator coils by the compressor, reducing the
pressure and allowing liquid refrigerated to move into them. The liquid in its turn evaporates, absorbing heat
and cooling the refrigerator. The cool refrigerant passes through the condenser, where it is changed back into
a liquid form and is eventually forced back into the evaporator coils.

The process continues until a preset temperature is reached. At this point the thermostat cuts out the
compressor and the refrigerator remains idle. When the temperature rises above the pre-determined level, the
thermostat triggers the compressor into action once more and the cooling cycle recommences. (Thorn and
Badrick, 1990

How Rice Cookers Work

(Jessika Toothman)

Rice needs two things to evolve from a hard, little grain to big, fluffy morsels – lots of
water and lots of heat. For this reason, cooking rice happens in four phases: sitting in
water, boiling, absorbing water (steaming) and resting.

Rice cookers automatically guide rice through these four stages. The appliance
consists primarily of a main body an inner cooking pan, an electric heating plate, a
thermal sensing device and some buttons.

Water and rice sit inside the cooking pans while it’s inserted into the rice cooker’s
shell. The pan/s weight depresses the thermal-sensing device, and the heating plate quickly brings the water
into a boil. The sensing device is a small, spring-loaded thermometer that gauges the temperature of the pan’s
contents. It’s set into the bottom of the rice cooker’s main body.

Simple rice cookers usually warm their contents by transferring heat from the heating plate to the cooking pan,
and the type of metal used can improve that transfer. Some metals – copper and aluminum for example – are
highly conductive. In other words, they transfer their heat easily. A wide range of materials can be used for the
cooking pan, and each type may affect the overall time it takes to cook the food.

The process for cooking rice is simple. Water boils at 212 °F (100°C), and once it reaches a steady boil, it won’t
get hotter. As long as there is water in the pan, the temperature should be stable. Once the rice absorbs all the
water in the pan, the temperature will start to rise. The rice cooker senses this change and will either switch off
or switch to a warming cycle.