Most foods consist chiefly of water, and this water has a major influence on the heat transfercharacteristics of the food. To show some of this effect, consider the volumetric specific heat(density x specific heat) of a wide range of materials. The volumetric specific heat is between0.44 ca1/cm³ C and 0.65 cal/cm³ for silver, gold, zinc, granite, limestone, concrete, glass, nylon, and polyethylene. In contrast, the volumetric specific heat of water is1.0 ca1/cm³ C (by definition).

In addition, water content influences more than specific heat: the amount of water frozendepends on the water content.