Culinary Chemistry

[Sebastian2I]

Hey all! I have recently begun teaching myself to cook and have been amazed at how directly the lessons of general chemistry apply to the kitchen. This past weekend I was reading about how you shouldn't blend hot mixtures because the blades will release steam easily causing nasty burns and remembered how the comparative severity of steam burns is due to the fact that more energy is required to break bonds in water molecules than to heat water to the same temperature. This isn't all, though. From thinking of recipes in terms of stoichiometric coefficients to neutralizing the ammines in fish with citric acid, cooking is full of fun bits of chemistry that I find absolutely fascinating! If anybody else is also learning, has any enlightening experiences or tips to share, or has any interesting chem lessons to be found in the kitchen I would invite you to drop them here. Recipes, hacks, stories, all welcome! Maybe we can get something good going!

[Nane Onanyan 1G]

This can also be extended to baking!! I like to experiment with cookies, because every single ingredient can completely alter your cookie! Since baking soda is a base (sodium bicarbonate as we know), it is often used in recipes that use some kind of acid like lemon juice in order for your product to rise properly. Without the acid, baking soda makes your cookie spread. Baking powder is made of the same base plus another acid (also with a stabilizer that keeps them from reacting until liquid is added), so the CO2 it creates will ensure a fluffier, cakey cookie. A combination of the two will make the best of both worlds.

[Charlie Russell 2L]

Oh wow! Very interesting to see you put Chem to action and apply it to real world stuff!

I suck at cooking but maybe once I get a little further in Chem, I'll be the next Gordon Ramsey???

[Sebastian2I]

Oh wow! Very interesting to see you put Chem to action and apply it to real world stuff!

I suck at cooking but maybe once I get a little further in Chem, I'll be the next Gordon Ramsey???

If you're just getting started I would recommend YouTube for some great instruction in kitchen techniques. Channels like Pro Home Cooks really help if you're trying to make cooking work as a student with a busy schedule. In terms of cookbooks, Raymond Sokolov's "How to Cook" and "Cook's Canon" are excellent starters. He's easy to understand and he keeps a good amount of humor in his writing :)

[George Kaleb Jimenez 1K]

Bon Appetit has an awesome youtube channel too and they tie in chemistry facts as to why they do certain things while cooking so it's really cool!! My favorite one from their staff is Claire <33

[Sebastian2I]

I was just reading about non-stove cooking and stumbled across a passage describing how marination not only imbibes food with extra flavor but also breaks down proteins in meat dishes - when the marinade contains an acidic element, as it usually does - essentially "cooking" it without requiring any heat. Very interesting.

[Navdha Sharma 3J]

I was just reading about non-stove cooking and stumbled across a passage describing how marination not only imbibes food with extra flavor but also breaks down proteins in meat dishes - when the marinade contains an acidic element, as it usually does - essentially "cooking" it without requiring any heat. Very interesting.

Oh yes! I have always been interested in cooking and learnt this technique by watching Masterchef Australia :) If I remember correctly, this technique is called "curing" and is mostly used in South-Asian and Japanese cooking. It helps to bring bright, pungent and powerful flavors and you also don't feel too full after eating such dishes. They are rather refreshing!!

[Sebastian2I]

I just made some spicy butternut squash soup and served it alongside some salad with balsamic vinegar. I noticed how the acidity of the salad went well with the relative sweetness of the squash and I remembered Lavelle's reference to this last quarter :)

[Sebastian2I]

Also speaking of acidity, if anyone has any good cooking or baking recipes having to do with oranges they would be much appreciated - I currently have a surplus of oranges on my hands.

[Kaiya_PT_1H]

This can also be extended to baking!! I like to experiment with cookies, because every single ingredient can completely alter your cookie! Since baking soda is a base (sodium bicarbonate as we know), it is often used in recipes that use some kind of acid like lemon juice in order for your product to rise properly. Without the acid, baking soda makes your cookie spread. Baking powder is made of the same base plus another acid (also with a stabilizer that keeps them from reacting until liquid is added), so the CO2 it creates will ensure a fluffier, cakey cookie. A combination of the two will make the best of both worlds.

This is so cool! I've always been confused about the difference between baking soda and baking powder. baking is definitely one of the more fun categories of chemistry imo :)

[Kaley Qin 1F]

If you're interested in learning more about the science behind baking and chemistry, I would totally recommend watching a TedEd video about the science of cookies! That video got me interested in baking in the first place since I was excited to learn the science behind it. And as a reward for learning, I got delicious desserts!

[Sebastian2I]

If you're interested in learning more about the science behind baking and chemistry, I would totally recommend watching a TedEd video about the science of cookies! That video got me interested in baking in the first place since I was excited to learn the science behind it. And as a reward for learning, I got delicious desserts!

Thanks for the recommendation! I love TedEd and will definitely be checking that one out :)

[Sebastian2I]

If anyone is interested in learning about the chemistry behind french fries, and why McDonald's should never have switched from using animal to vegetable fat, I would highly recommend Season 2, episode 9 of Malcolm Gladwell's podcast - Revisionist History. The episode is entitled "McDonald's Broke My Heart" and aside from a chemistry lesson it's pretty funny to listen to.

http://revisionisthistory.com/episodes/ ... e-my-heart

[Sabine Salvucci 2E]

Something I recently learned was the difference between heat-safe and regular glass. Heat-safe glass (like the kind you can use oven, eg. Pyrex) is made of borosilicate glass, which has a low coefficient of thermal expansion and therefore is less likely to break at high temperatures. I think this is more related to physics but it definitely reminded me of specific heat capacities which we are learning about in Chem14B! Basically, just make sure to check if your glass is heat-resistant or it could shatter.

[Sebastian2I]

Having once shattered a thin glass jar as I tried to heat its contents over a stove, I can personally attest to the importance of this.

[Chem_Mod]

Great topic and posts!

Good & Tasty Chemistry :-)

Take a look at:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/cook ... chemistry/

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/educ ... istry.html

I should look at these for Q&A ideas.
I'm getting hungry ... off to Sunday morning snack.

I elevated this topic to global post.

[Mari Williams 1K]

My brother and I once shattered a glass pan of brownies after putting it on a cold metal table straight out of the oven...truly tragic

[Shalyn Kelly 3H]

I've always been warned about putting hot cake pans in the fridge to cool them down haha. I tend to be impatient and hurrying the chilling process can lead to terrible things for both cake pan and cake.

[Ayesha Aslam-Mir 3C]

ok this thread is so cute I wish I could subscribe to its updates. But I believe this chemistry also applies for salting water for pasta (adding salt gives it higher boiling point means pasta is cooked at a higher temperature). Also, I watched my brother shatter a glass lid one by running it under cold water after taking it off the stove (I wonder why they even make glass lids bc of this tbh... doesn't it seem to make more sense to not??? idk). One thing I've been interested in is how the proteins of eggs and overmixing alter the overall structure of a cake. I understand the deflation (like getting rid of the extra air you've added) but they are also so crucial to giving cake a [censored] body I'm curious as to how vegan recipes are able to replicate the same effect.

[Ayesha Aslam-Mir 3C]

Also I haven't purchased this myself because cookbooks are expensive and all of mine are gifts, but I think there's some review of this in Samin Nosrat's "Salt Fat Acid HEat." I'm almost curious to see exactly why the combination of these different elements can elevate a dish so much more than if you were to excluce one element-- maybe theres some chemistry-based explanaiton regarding enhanced flavor or the biological response to these combinations in taste!

[Samantha Low 3D]

My family has an ongoing debate if adding salt to pasta water makes the water boil faster or slower. The argument for faster is that adding salt disrupts the surface tension of the water, and contributes to it boiling faster. The argument for slower is that salt raises the boiling point of the water, and thus the water takes longer to boil. Either way, we agree that pasta cooks faster when salt is added because the boiling point is higher so the temperature of the water is higher.

[Janna Shakiba]

My brother and I once shattered a glass pan of brownies after putting it on a cold metal table straight out of the oven...truly tragic

Lmao I've done this too

[Janna Shakiba]

My family has an ongoing debate if adding salt to pasta water makes the water boil faster or slower. The argument for faster is that adding salt disrupts the surface tension of the water, and contributes to it boiling faster. The argument for slower is that salt raises the boiling point of the water, and thus the water takes longer to boil. Either way, we agree that pasta cooks faster when salt is added because the boiling point is higher so the temperature of the water is higher.

This is interesting because my family has had that same debate. How do you feel about adding a few drops of olive oil to the boiling water? My mom has always done this because she says it prevents the pasta from sticking...

[Amanda Bueno-Kling]

This is a really cool thread! I love reading the replies. I love to cook a lot and I find that learning chemistry helps me understand more about cooking.
A while ago I learned about the Maillard reaction, which I'll admit I don't entirely understand the chemistry behind, but I wondered if anyone else did and might be able to explain it? Maybe someone has a cool video they know of that breaks it down?
I know it's what gives food flavor through browning, like when you toast a marshmallow, but I don't really know how it works. I wonder if learning how it works would mean learning to use it better, such as factoring in things like the amount and distribution of the heat, the addition of sugars or oils to encourage browning, etc. I know it has something to do with sugars, which may be why some people add a little sugar to carmelizing onions to help them brown better!

[idella 1D]

As someone who loves to bake and cook, it's super interesting to see the relations it has to chemistry and how chem has been able to explain a lot of stuff.

One thing that I always remember now is the question/topic/idea we covered (don't remember exactly at this point) about why steam is so much hotter. I may have learned that the hard way when putting my hand on the rice cooker at the wrong time...

Also, the idea of how cooking an egg is simply a type of chemical change. It changes permanently (aka the sign of a chemical change) after being put on the heating agent. There's no way to get the egg back to its raw state, and there's no going back after messing up and burning it :)

Side note, Alton Brown has a cooking show called Good Eats which would oftentimes cover science, history, and more about foods! It is super interesting and literally a staple of my childhood. Highly recommend watching it and I think he even had a reboot of it recently!

[Sebastian2I]

Great topic and posts!

Good & Tasty Chemistry :-)

Take a look at:

https://www.zmescience.com/science/cook ... chemistry/

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/educ ... istry.html

I should look at these for Q&A ideas.
I'm getting hungry ... off to Sunday morning snack.

I elevated this topic to global post.

This is so awesome! I am glad to see that so many others share these same interests and that there is so much literature out there for us to learn from! Thank you to everyone who has contributed to this thread!

[Sebastian2I]

My family has an ongoing debate if adding salt to pasta water makes the water boil faster or slower. The argument for faster is that adding salt disrupts the surface tension of the water, and contributes to it boiling faster. The argument for slower is that salt raises the boiling point of the water, and thus the water takes longer to boil. Either way, we agree that pasta cooks faster when salt is added because the boiling point is higher so the temperature of the water is higher.

We are currently learning about the former point in chem 14b in our analysis of solutions and recrystallization of aspirin! If some impurity is present in your solution, the melting point will be lower because the impurity hinders the intermolecular forces (dipole-dipole/Van der Waals/hydrogen bonding/etc.) that allow the solute to retain cohesion.

[Sebastian2I]

My family has an ongoing debate if adding salt to pasta water makes the water boil faster or slower. The argument for faster is that adding salt disrupts the surface tension of the water, and contributes to it boiling faster. The argument for slower is that salt raises the boiling point of the water, and thus the water takes longer to boil. Either way, we agree that pasta cooks faster when salt is added because the boiling point is higher so the temperature of the water is higher.

This is interesting because my family has had that same debate. How do you feel about adding a few drops of olive oil to the boiling water? My mom has always done this because she says it prevents the pasta from sticking...

I remember watching an episode of ProHome Cooks on youtube and they recommended doing so for this reason, however the comment section made it quite clear that this is a contentious issue...

[Alara Aygen 3K]

Wow! These are all very interesting posts. I will definitely check out some of these videos.

[Sebastian2I]

I was just in a problem-solving session for CHEM14BL where we discussed a titration of a solution of hydrochloric acid with one of sodium hydroxide. The end result was a solution of water and sodium chloride for which the pH was zero - since Na+ comes from group 1 and is, therefore, a spectator ion while Cl- is the conjugate base of a strong acid and also does not affect the pH. Dr. Casey mentioned that this is good news for pasta because adding salt to the water neither embitters nor acidifies it because of this neutrality :)

[tholz11]

Speaking of culinary chemistry, if anyone has any recipes that can be made with ~microwave~ radiation let me know. Dorm life is a struggle.

[alette1a]

Speaking of culinary chemistry, if anyone has any recipes that can be made with ~microwave~ radiation let me know. Dorm life is a struggle.

I've recently become a fan of microwave scrambled eggs. Beat two eggs really well in a microwaveable bowl with some salt and sugar, and microwave until there's no wetness left. You have to monitor it to make sure it doesn't explode haha, but if you mixed it well it should be fine. I have something we use to cover bowls in the microwave and it makes my eggs fluffy.

Here are some other simple ideas if you're in a rut :)
- microwave a frozen burger patty + toast burger buns + toppings of course
- microwaveable pasta (Barilla brand works for me) + sauce (after searching thru many brands... #1 is Rao's marinara & #2 Bertolli alfredo) + toppings (love mushroom with alfredo)
- Trader Joe's has some excellent microwaveable stuff, especially Indian cuisine. I love eating it with their naan (Indian flatbread).
- "fried" rice (season microwaveable rice, preferably the frozen stuff, to taste with soy sauce, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, anything you have on hand) + veggies/meat (diced ham, peas, carrots, corn, etc.)

[alette1a]

This is interesting because my family has had that same debate. How do you feel about adding a few drops of olive oil to the boiling water? My mom has always done this because she says it prevents the pasta from sticking...[/quote]

I read somewhere that putting oil in the water actually coats the pasta with the oil and makes it more difficult for sauce to stick to it!

[Madison Muggeo 3H]

This thread is so cute! My family bakes a lot and I was surprised to see how many chemistry topics that we learned applied to what we were doing in the kitchen. I don't remember who said this in the thread but I agree that cooking/baking is a more fun form of chemistry lol

[Anvy 1G]

I've heard culinary chemistry is a newly used item in the cooking world. Since at the end of the day baking and cooking is basically chemistry from the get-go at the core. I once saw Masterchef where a man used his chemistry background to excel in his cooking abilities. It worked but the flourish was just too much he missed the point of cooking. Sometimes however in cooking, I've noticed that Cooking isn't always an exact science because at the end of the line. NO chemical you add or any amount of salt or sugar will ever make the food you eat taste the same as someone special made it.

[Hana Sigsbee 3B]

This is so fun, I noticed the application of chemistry a lot in baking like baking is such an exact science because it's basically just chemical reactions coming together to make the end product, and if you get one of those reactions just a little off the whole thing is wrong.

[Julianna Shimabukuro 1D]

Speaking of culinary chemistry, if anyone has any recipes that can be made with ~microwave~ radiation let me know. Dorm life is a struggle.

Trader Joe's has a lot of really nice and delicious frozen food. I really like their potstickers and butter chicken, but they have a lot of variety. I also recently made raspberry sauce for a parfait in the microwave. You just put frozen raspberries in a bowl with some sugar since frozen raspberries can be tart, and you heat it for a minute to a minute and a half. Then you mash it with your fork and strain it to remove the seeds. You can use a spoon to mash the raspberries against the strainer to get the most juice/sauce out. I use this for parfaits with vanilla ice cream and granola, and it's delicious! You can do this with any frozen fruit that's easily mashable like strawberries or blueberries.

[Mari Williams 1K]

I love seeing people make the fruit "caviar" by dropping fruit purees mixed with agar into oil, and they form little spheres since they don't mix with the oil!

[Chem_Mod]

Many good chemistry suggestions here. :-)

fruit "caviar", clever!

[Katie Phan 1K]

As someone who loves to bake and cook, it's super interesting to see the relations it has to chemistry and how chem has been able to explain a lot of stuff.

One thing that I always remember now is the question/topic/idea we covered (don't remember exactly at this point) about why steam is so much hotter. I may have learned that the hard way when putting my hand on the rice cooker at the wrong time...

Also, the idea of how cooking an egg is simply a type of chemical change. It changes permanently (aka the sign of a chemical change) after being put on the heating agent. There's no way to get the egg back to its raw state, and there's no going back after messing up and burning it :)

Side note, Alton Brown has a cooking show called Good Eats which would oftentimes cover science, history, and more about foods! It is super interesting and literally a staple of my childhood. Highly recommend watching it and I think he even had a reboot of it recently!

I absolutely love Good Eats. It is such a good show and I was so happy when he came out with Good Eats Reloaded.

[305405193]

What in chemistry makes flavors in food taste different other than heat?

[305405193]

Also, are there certain videos that help explain the chemistry behind cooking different foods?

[Naomi Hernandez-Ramirez 1J]

This is interesting because my family has had that same debate. How do you feel about adding a few drops of olive oil to the boiling water? My mom has always done this because she says it prevents the pasta from sticking...

I read somewhere that putting oil in the water actually coats the pasta with the oil and makes it more difficult for sauce to stick to it![/quote]

I our family we do the same thing, put oil in the pasta water to prevent it from sticking. In my own experience I’ve found that it does make a difference just in when I drain I can tell if I forgot or didn’t because the pasta will get sticky! I’ve never actually paid attention to the sauce but will take a look into it

[Matlynn Giles 2E]

Wow this is so cool! I've definitely noticed it applying in real world too!

[Sarah Huh 1K]

wow this is so cool! I did not know this before

[Kylie Joe 2A]

This is awesome! I was thinking about the relationships between chem and culinary arts just yesterday making cookies, and having to pay attention to something as specific as temperature of eggs.

[Tiao Tan 3C]

Thanks for recommending all these youtube channels!! I always enjoyed the relationship between cooking and chemistry but never got to systematically learn about them :)

[Maddie Turk Disc 2J]

If you're interested in learning more about the science behind baking and chemistry, I would totally recommend watching a TedEd video about the science of cookies! That video got me interested in baking in the first place since I was excited to learn the science behind it. And as a reward for learning, I got delicious desserts!

I watched this vid, Its super interesting! Thanks for the recommendation:)

[jia207]

This is so cool! I will definitely look more into it. I love learning about real life application when it comes to my classes

[Kelly Singh]

My brother and I once shattered a glass pan of brownies after putting it on a cold metal table straight out of the oven...truly tragic

Lmao I've done this too

Me too!!

[Kelly Singh]

What in chemistry makes flavors in food taste different other than heat?

I have always wondered this!

[Anvy 1G]

Ever cook something and just admire the art of what was just there. The entire amalgamation of what existed all it needed was heat to make it into a tasty treat (well it could be tasty assuming you cook well). All things considered, it is a very interesting thing, If anyone would like to cook and allow me to see it and eat it, LET A GUY KNOW.

[TJ Lai 2H]

This is such a great thread! I love cooking and it's really cool to apply things I learned in chem class to my cooking :)

[Edwin Liang 1I]

Yeah, learning about Chemistry definitively helped further my knowledge on cooking. I always wondered the relationship between temperature on the stove and it's effect in the food. After learning more about thermodynamics, I learned that the rate of heat transfer is proportional to the heat transfer coefficient of the fluid, meaning if you increase the heat on the stove, the food will heat up faster.

[ShinwooKim_3E]

This thread makes me want to start baking more. :((

[Juliana Rosales 1H]

The only thing I think that I really have to contribute to this thread is about this lady I saw on TikTok who put baking soda in a pot of boiling water and it like foamed up and spread all over the kitchen. Usually putting something in water is a physical change I think, so I thought it was really interesting this happened. People in the comments acted like everyone already knew about it, but honestly I probably would have done what she did.

[Juliana Rosales 1H]

Additionally I have been interested in finding out why oil fires need to be put out with a fire extinguisher and not water. I saw online a demonstration of what happens when you put water on an oil fire and I really don't understand why it happens, but Im assuming its some type of chemical reaction.

[Juliana Rosales 1H]

In all honestly when I do stuff like baking I am reminded of balancing equations and the likes. It ruins my mood for the most part to think about chemistry outside of class time, so to make up for it I usually add a little more or less then the required amount just so everything is not exact. On top of that I''ll add in even more unnecessary ingredients with no exact ingredients, just so the recepie strays farther from an exact chemical equation

[Emily Jacobo 1C]

Wow! I just read through this entire thread because I never thought of chemistry in that way really. Not only was this super helpful for chemistry, but I might just have to try a few of these tips myself! Thank you to everyone who shared some tips!

[Kathrine_Samia_1A]

If you're interested in learning more about the science behind baking and chemistry, I would totally recommend watching a TedEd video about the science of cookies! That video got me interested in baking in the first place since I was excited to learn the science behind it. And as a reward for learning, I got delicious desserts!

I did not know that! Thank you for sharing this I'm going to do that now :)

[Lorena_Morales_1K]

This is so fascinating, I am not much of a cook myself but I definitely want to start to cook and make connections to the chemistry we're learning because it sounds super dope.

[Nane Onanyan 1G]

Yesterday, I brought a bag of sliced apples for lunch with me but by the time I got to eat it, it was already browning. Then I remembered how my mom used to cover apples with lemon juice to keep them fresh all day long! The acidity of the lemon slows down the browning because ascorbic acid reacts with the oxygen before the oxygen can react with the enzymes in the fruit.

[Sebastian2I]

Yesterday, I brought a bag of sliced apples for lunch with me but by the time I got to eat it, it was already browning. Then I remembered how my mom used to cover apples with lemon juice to keep them fresh all day long! The acidity of the lemon slows down the browning because ascorbic acid reacts with the oxygen before the oxygen can react with the enzymes in the fruit.

I've always wondered why this works. Thanks for sharing!

[Jacob Schwarz-Discussion 3I]

Something I recently learned was the difference between heat-safe and regular glass. Heat-safe glass (like the kind you can use oven, eg. Pyrex) is made of borosilicate glass, which has a low coefficient of thermal expansion and therefore is less likely to break at high temperatures. I think this is more related to physics but it definitely reminded me of specific heat capacities which we are learning about in Chem14B! Basically, just make sure to check if your glass is heat-resistant or it could shatter.

This post made me laugh because I distinctly remember shattering a glass due to this exact phenomenon. I was confused about it until reading this post and just wanted to thank you

[Sabrina Galvan 3J]

I always found ceviche to be an interesting dish! It's essentially letting raw shrimp marinate in an acidic base (oxymoron haha) mainly composed of lemon or lime juice. The citric acid causes the proteins in the shrimp to go through denaturation, changing its physical and chemical properties so that it becomes "cooked" without any heat! I am not a fan of sea food, but anytime my family makes this I always serve myself a small helping as a way to celebrate the cool science behind it.

[Eric Ngo 1F]

My favorite cool chemistry thing with cooking is cooking shrimp with lemon juice in stuff like ceviche!

[Sarah Huh 1K]

My favorite cool chemistry thing with cooking is cooking shrimp with lemon juice in stuff like ceviche!

that sounds so yummy eric!

[Kathrine_Samia_1A]

My brother and I once shattered a glass pan of brownies after putting it on a cold metal table straight out of the oven...truly tragic

OMG poor brownies! Craving for one now :(

[ShinwooKim_3E]

Does anyone here have an air fryer :3

[Sebastian2I]

Word to the wise for anyone handling frozen meat, try not to refreeze the meat once you have defrosted and opened the package. This is theoretically safe if the meat was carefully defrosted in the fridge and was only out of the freezer for 2-3 days but refreezing multiple times will cause oxidation of proteins and fats, reducing the quality. I happened to make this mistake a few days ago and thought it would make for a good post.

[almost_ethan]

Honestly, I don't really know what's going on with me lately--when it comes to baking. Usually, I'm really good at measuring ingredients and following directions for baking, but lately I've been forgetting steps or adding too much of something and it ends up throwing off the entire recipe. I definitely need to redeem myself after finals week.

[Claudia_Danysh_2B]

Hey for anyone interested in this topic, there's an upper division class called "What's Cooking Chemistry in the Kitchen" I think and it mixes cooking with chemistry!!

[Sebastian2I]

Hey for anyone interested in this topic, there's an upper division class called "What's Cooking Chemistry in the Kitchen" I think and it mixes cooking with chemistry!!

Thank you for bringing this up. I will definitely be checking that out :)

[Anvy 1G]

If physics and scopes were more powerful I would like to put one into a food mic or something like that and bake it to see the actual atoms and molecules form together to make the food we eat on a daily basis. Something about seeing the actual thing that goes into our body makes it all worthwhile to get to know your body and yourself a little better.

[Mari Williams 1K]

Butterfly pea flower tea changes color with pH! People add lemon juice and it makes it look really cool.

[Maddie Turk Disc 2J]

Butterfly pea flower tea changes color with pH! People add lemon juice and it makes it look really cool.

I've seen videos of this before it is so pretty! I really wanna try it haha.

[keely_bales_1f]

Its crazy to think that any cooking we do involves chemistry. Like even cutting an avocado in half sets off a chemical reaction that changes the green flesh of the avocado to a brownish color. CRAZY

[Kathrine_Samia_1A]

Butterfly pea flower tea changes color with pH! People add lemon juice and it makes it look really cool.

I've seen videos of this before it is so pretty! I really wanna try it haha.

I would want to do this to trick my family haha!

[Kathrine_Samia_1A]

Hey for anyone interested in this topic, there's an upper division class called "What's Cooking Chemistry in the Kitchen" I think and it mixes cooking with chemistry!!

Woah! that would be cool to take!

[Ziyan Peng 3A]

wow I am loving this topic and how y'all are connecting chemistry to real life. it's so interesting to think about haha

[Truman Chong Dis 3G]

Something I learned was how to tenderize meat using various fruits such as pineapple or papaya or even using sparkling water. For the Fruits you can blend all of it and use the mush to cover a piece of meat and in an hour the meat will be significantly more tender.

[305405193]

is there any chemistry that is connected with making cake pops and can someone possibly explain that? maybe to improve how one can make them at home?

[tholz11]

Speaking of culinary chemistry, if anyone has any recipes that can be made with ~microwave~ radiation let me know. Dorm life is a struggle.

Trader Joe's has a lot of really nice and delicious frozen food. I really like their potstickers and butter chicken, but they have a lot of variety. I also recently made raspberry sauce for a parfait in the microwave. You just put frozen raspberries in a bowl with some sugar since frozen raspberries can be tart, and you heat it for a minute to a minute and a half. Then you mash it with your fork and strain it to remove the seeds. You can use a spoon to mash the raspberries against the strainer to get the most juice/sauce out. I use this for parfaits with vanilla ice cream and granola, and it's delicious! You can do this with any frozen fruit that's easily mashable like strawberries or blueberries.

omg this is great! thank you

[tholz11]

Butterfly pea flower tea changes color with pH! People add lemon juice and it makes it look really cool.

I just bought some! Im very excited to use it haha.

[Katie_Dinh_1D]

is there any chemistry that is connected with making cake pops and can someone possibly explain that? maybe to improve how one can make them at home?

I'm not so sure if this is relevant to making cake pops, but if you are microwaving chocolate, make sure to melt in increments. There were many times when I burned chocolate, or it started sparking because the microwave was too hot! Tempering chocolate is also a really cool process, and it gives really pretty and shiny chocolate.

[Aimee Alvarado 3J]

I always found ceviche to be an interesting dish! It's essentially letting raw shrimp marinate in an acidic base (oxymoron haha) mainly composed of lemon or lime juice. The citric acid causes the proteins in the shrimp to go through denaturation, changing its physical and chemical properties so that it becomes "cooked" without any heat! I am not a fan of sea food, but anytime my family makes this I always serve myself a small helping as a way to celebrate the cool science behind it.

Yes, my family also does this! I always wondered how it was cooked without actually being cooked.

[almost_ethan]

For some reason, I always find myself stress-baking during finals week--just to get my mind off things.

[Sebastian2I]

Its crazy to think that any cooking we do involves chemistry. Like even cutting an avocado in half sets off a chemical reaction that changes the green flesh of the avocado to a brownish color. CRAZY

Quick life hack for this. If you ever want to use half of an avocado and save the rest for later, cut it in half lengthwise, pull it apart, and save the half with the pit. The pit results in less surface area affected by this reaction and will make cutting away browned flesh simple later on.

[Sebastian2I]

Butterfly pea flower tea changes color with pH! People add lemon juice and it makes it look really cool.

I just bought some! Im very excited to use it haha.

So does this mean that I might be able to perform a titration and drink the leftover indicator once I'm finished? :)

[Sebastian2I]

Some tips I just picked up for anyone looking to buff their mashed potato game:

- Red Bliss Potatoes are the best for rustic smash potatoes by virtue of their thin skin and waxy texture
- If you're after creamier mashed potatoes, go for Yukon Gold, which is less waxy than the Red Bliss
- The classic Russet Burbank has a higher starch concentration so you should always be careful about overmixing to prevent coagulation and paste-formation (I very
recently made this unfortunate discovery firsthand)
- Smash potatoes with a ricer instead of a masher for even texture and fewer cells being ruptured - again avoiding that gluey paste problem

Shoutout to Binging with Babish for this and many other amazing cooking tips :)

[Sebastian2I]

For some reason, I always find myself stress-baking during finals week--just to get my mind off things.

Can definitely relate. These past couple of weeks I've been cooking a lot more because it helps take my mind off of finals and experimenting in the kitchen always yields interesting lessons.

[Sebastian2I]

I was just reading the textbook's chapter on catalysts and enzymes and happened across a line describing how the enzyme amylase breaks down starches as you chew them into digestible glucose. As a result, chewing starchy foods for extended periods of time will make them taste sweeter. I suppose this is more focused upon the chemistry of taste than cooking but I still thought it deserved a mention here.

[Lily Anne Garcia 1C]

bon appetite is amazing!!!

[Sebastian2I]

Appropriate to the subject we're covering rn: I just learned that you season the skin of a turkey with baking soda because it acts as a catalyst which speeds up the Maillard reaction - giving it a nice brown coloring. If anyone has any more info on the Maillard reaction pls share I've heard it referenced a few times but I am eager to learn more!

[Aditya Sundaram 3D]

My brother and I once shattered a glass pan of brownies after putting it on a cold metal table straight out of the oven...truly tragic

I think I broke like at least 4 glass cups trying to rapidly cool my fresh hot boba. My parents have now forbid me from touching the glass and I'm an adult lmao.

[Aditya Sundaram 3D]

For some reason, I always find myself stress-baking during finals week--just to get my mind off things.

I can relate to this one. I'm stress-making boba and drinking way too much tea. It's scary and yet so tasty. My weighing scale going up up up.

[Sarah Huh 1K]

For some reason, I always find myself stress-baking during finals week--just to get my mind off things.

I can relate to this one. I'm stress-making boba and drinking way too much tea. It's scary and yet so tasty. My weighing scale going up up up.

ahah boba is getting me through this class :(

[Maddie Turk Disc 2J]

Some tips I just picked up for anyone looking to buff their mashed potato game:

- Red Bliss Potatoes are the best for rustic smash potatoes by virtue of their thin skin and waxy texture
- If you're after creamier mashed potatoes, go for Yukon Gold, which is less waxy than the Red Bliss
- The classic Russet Burbank has a higher starch concentration so you should always be careful about overmixing to prevent coagulation and paste-formation (I very
recently made this unfortunate discovery firsthand)
- Smash potatoes with a ricer instead of a ricer for even texture and fewer cells being ruptured - again avoiding that gluey paste problem

Shoutout to Binging with Babish for this and many other amazing cooking tips :)

Yum now I want mashed potatos haha

[Valerie Tran 2B]

For some reason, I always find myself stress-baking during finals week--just to get my mind off things.

I can relate to this one. I'm stress-making boba and drinking way too much tea. It's scary and yet so tasty. My weighing scale going up up up.

Boba has to be my ultimate weakness, I could save a lot of money by making it but I may die of too much sugar.

[Valerie Tran 2B]

When you melt sugar and water into invert sugar syrup, it is a hydrolysis reaction that can be sped up with catalysts such as cream of tartar or lemon juice. I never thought about it but I do make a lot of syrup so it's interesting to see the chemistry in action and I have this thread to thank for that.

p.s. be careful when making it because it will burn you badly. Sugar is hot when melted.