How Steel is Made

To create steel, one starts with ore, adds carbon (known as coke), and heats the mixture in a blast furnace. Here's a video that covers the basics of this process:

Yet, this is just one of the similarities I discovered during my studies of metals. Forging involves heating metal and then shaping it through hammering or pressing, which not only molds the material but also strengthens it. In cooking, a comparable technique is tenderizing meat through pounding, as illustrated in this video:

Pounding meat reshapes it, making it more tender, in stark contrast to metal, which hardens.

Extrusion: A Shared Process

Another manufacturing method in metallurgy is extrusion, where metals are reshaped by being forced into molds. This process is akin to how cookies are made.

Both metals and foods undergo molding; consider the classic Jell-O molds. Temperature plays a crucial role in both cooking and metallurgy. For instance, baking transforms liquid batter into a solid cake, while chilling can harden a glaze. Heat affects metals too, sometimes hardening them and at other times melting them, depending on their composition.

Frosting as Welding

In baking, frosting acts like solder in metallurgy, serving as a filler to bind two halves together.

The Value of Experience

Both seasoned chefs and metallurgists possess the skill to adapt their processes based on situational needs. For example, if I have more guests for dinner, I simply double the recipe. If my batter is too thick, I can adjust its consistency with a bit of water. Similarly, a metallurgist might add aluminum for a lighter metal or consider anodizing for increased wear resistance.

Both cooking and metallurgy are inherently creative fields, where adjustments to recipes or compositions are made to fulfill specific requirements. Just as cherished family recipes can be lost when a beloved relative passes away, the expertise of a metallurgist may also be lost upon retirement. Ideally, some of this knowledge gets passed down, but just as a cook learns the nuances of their oven, a metallurgist develops an intimate understanding of their machinery that isn't easily replicated without experience.

This accumulated knowledge over time leads to a wisdom that is invaluable. It is essential for society to ensure that such expertise continues—both in the kitchen and in metallurgy.

This simplified explanation encourages those with culinary skills to explore the world of metallurgy. I’m not alone in believing these fields are interconnected. Take a look at this insightful video from MIT:

Modern Metallurgist

A technical perspective on how materials science professor Cem Tasan is innovating with new metals and materials for the future.