To study how microgravity influences cooking techniques such as frying, a novel experimental carousel-type apparatus was designed be safe while also operate in weightlessness. The experiments were conducted on two ESA parabolic flight campaigns, whereby an aircraft flies in repeated arcs to recreate brief moments of weightlessness.

The experiment filmed the frying process with a high-speed, high-resolution camera to capture the bubble dynamics such as growth rate, size and distribution, as well as the escape velocity from the potato, the bubbles’ speed and direction of travel in the oil. The experiment measured the temperature of the boiling oil as well as temperatures inside the potato.

The experiment hardware is automated and closed for safety. It maintains a constant pressure inside the frying chamber to avoid leaks, to prevent the oil from sloshing around and to use less energy in heating.