Bob wrote:
> Often one will see recipes that say "Cook on medium heat" or "Cook at a low
> setting" ... in the last few days I've seen mention on a couple of TV
> cooking shows that lead me to believe that the following may hold:
>
> Medium corresponds to 350 degrees F
> Medium-High corresponds to 375 degrees F
>
> I have no idea if that's generally accepted or not. So, what's the
> consensus here (right, like we're going to get a consensus!!) for:
>
> High
> Medium-High
> Medium
> Medium-Low
> Low
> Simmer
>

Except for "simmer" (doesn't belong) those settings apply to oven
temperatures, not cooktop temperatures. Cooktop settings do not
correspond to particular temperatures, and with gas the flame burns at
the same temperature regardless how low or high... with cooktops only
the BTU setting is adjustable... which is why cook top burners do not
have thermostats, with cooktops the cook needs to interpolate, which is
one of the reasons gas is better, it's far easier to interpolate than
electric. Ovens do employ a thermostat, and they cycle full on or full
off, the oven BTU setting is not user adjustable.

Sheldon