Underburned

To be 'underburned' is to be insufficiently cooked or heated, particularly in the context of ceramic objects or baked goods. This can manifest as areas of incomplete vitrification in ceramics, leading to weakness and porosity, or as doughy or pale centers in baked goods, leaving them lacking the desired texture and flavor. The term implies a deficiency in the application of heat necessary to achieve the intended physical and chemical transformations during the firing or baking process, and often results in substandard quality.

Underburned meaning with examples

• The potter was disappointed to find her latest batch of stoneware underburned. The clay hadn't reached the required vitrification temperature, leaving the pieces fragile and prone to chipping. Careful adjustment of the kiln's firing schedule and maximum temperature would be required to avoid future problems. This failure would mean the entire run needed to be redone to meet the customer's quality expectation.
• During a cake baking contest, the judge determined that the center of the chocolate cake was underburned. The dough was still slightly gooey, and the flavor profile was lacking that rich, cooked chocolate taste. The baker learned to monitor their oven temperatures much more precisely and adjust the baking time based on the cake size. The contestant was eliminated from the final rounds because of this issue.
• The artisan, examining the glaze firing, noticed significant areas of underburned ceramic. The colors were muted and dull, as the glaze hadn't fully melted and bonded to the clay body. This revealed the flaws within the clay, and the surface looked rough. Correcting this flaw involved increasing the kiln's temperature and soaking time, which will require a complete firing cycle again.
• Despite following the recipe precisely, the batch of biscuits came out underburned. They were pale and soft in the middle, with a slightly raw flour taste. Increasing the baking time or oven temperature would solve the issue, but it was hard to throw the underburned batch away because they were edible. The baker would be sure to test more recipes going forward to achieve their goals.