Case Study: Nofima Norconserv AS achieves Bocuse d'Or silver–winning halibut preparation with COMSOL

COMSOL Assists Master Chef in Winning International Competition

Nofima Norconserv AS collaborated with master chef Gunnar Hvarnes to solve a cooking challenge: how to reliably cook and hold a stuffed halibut roll so it reached the correct serving temperature after a 15-minute wait. The problem involved uneven internal heating (the warmest points were off-center), thermometer placement, crust insulation and choosing the right roll size, frying temperature and cook/cool times. They turned to Comsol and its COMSOL Multiphysics heat-transfer modeling to analyze the issue.

Comsol implemented a simple 2D convection heat-transfer model with two domains (fish and crust), measured material properties (heat-transfer coefficient, specific heat, density), and validated the simulation with thermocouples in the test kitchen. The model revealed off-center hot spots and recommended where to place the thermometer, the ideal crust thickness, roll dimensions, cooking time/temperature and cooling strategy to reach a 48°C center. The validated Comsol solution took only hours to set up (a few days to verify) and directly helped Chef Hvarnes produce a repeatable, optimal dish—earning him the silver medal and €9,000 at the Bocuse d’Or.

Nofima Norconserv AS

Dagbjørn Skipnes

Nofima Norconserv AS