Whether you are estimating on the spot or checking a result somebody else gave you, the water cooling calculator is the quickest way to get from ambient temperature, room/tap water temperature, cup diameter, desired temperature, initial temperature, volume and one way to how many times?, exchange area and waiting time.
What Is the Water Cooling Calculator?
The water cooling calculator sorts out the arithmetic of ambient temperature, room/tap water temperature, cup diameter, desired temperature, initial temperature, volume and one way so that you can concentrate on the cooking rather than the maths.
It gives you how many times?, exchange area and waiting time, which is usually the number you actually need to measure out before you start.
How to Use the Water Cooling
Fill in what you have and read off how many times?, exchange area and waiting time. If you are scaling a recipe up or down, work out the multiplier first and then multiply every quantity by it, including the ones that are not in this calculator.
Weigh rather than scoop wherever the recipe allows it. Volume measurements drift with how tightly an ingredient is packed, and that is where most recipe inconsistencies start.
Getting Consistent Results
Kitchen temperature, ingredient temperature and how long you mix all change the outcome. The calculator handles the quantities; the technique is still down to you.
If a result looks unfamiliar, check your units before you change the quantities. A factor of a hundred or a thousand is the usual culprit.
A Worked Example
Working through an example, with ambient temperature set to 10, room/tap water temperature set to 5, cup diameter set to 2, the calculator returns exchange area of 3.14159, and waiting time of -, and and of 0. Substitute your own figures and the same steps produce the same kind of answer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What do I need to work out how many times??
Enter ambient temperature, room/tap water temperature, cup diameter, desired temperature, initial temperature, volume and one way. The calculator then works through the relationship and reports how many times?, exchange area and waiting time.
What does the water cooling actually calculate?
It takes ambient temperature, room/tap water temperature, cup diameter, desired temperature, initial temperature, volume and one way and converts them into how many times?, exchange area and waiting time using the standard relationship for this problem. Each step is applied in turn, so every output is traceable back to the numbers you typed in.
How should I enter ambient temperature?
Use the value you actually have, in the unit shown next to the field. Enter every value in the same unit system. The calculator assumes the figures you supply are consistent, so it cannot correct a mistake that happens before the calculation starts.
Does anything you type get stored?
No. The whole calculation runs inside your browser, and nothing you enter is uploaded, logged or sent anywhere.
Why does a small change in one value move the answer so much?
That happens when an output depends on a ratio, because dividing by a small number magnifies any change in it. Check the units first, then check whether the value you entered is in the range the relationship was designed for.