Different types of wood need different cooking temperatures, just the same way as the temperature is adjusted to the raw ingredients when cooking food.
One target can be to keep the cooking temperature as low as possible. An impregnation well carried out, makes a low cooking temperature possible, giving a good yield and greatly benefits the energy consumption.
But of course, the cooking temperature cannot be too low. Cooking pulp has many similarities with cooking food. If the temperature is too high, the raw material is overcooked or burns to the pan. If the temperature is too low, and the cooking time too short, the raw material will be unevenly cooked and remain raw in the middle.
Valmet’s CompactCooking™ has been developed to provide high quality pulp with maximum yield. By cooking at a relatively low temperature, approximately 140-155 degrees Celsius, energy is saved, which is positive for both the production cost and the environment.
Low temperature and long time is usually a successful recipe when cooking food. Too high cooking temperature can make even the best meat dry and boring.
On the other hand, high temperature can be good as a finish to emphasize the taste. Browning meat at high temperature opens up for the aromatic Maillard reaction, a chemical reaction that give the meat its brown color and pancakes their crispy edges. The Maillard reaction is a chemical reaction between reducing sugars and amino acids, which releases a lot of good taste.
Did you know that the Maillard reaction got its name from the French chemist, Louis Camille Maillard, who was the first to describe the reaction? The year was 1912.
