Sarah Huh 1K wrote:ahah boba is getting me through this class :(
Boba is the one thing getting me through the pandemic lmao. If i was asked to sum up my life at the moment, I would legitimately say boba + UCLA.
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Sarah Huh 1K wrote:ahah boba is getting me through this class :(
Sebastian2I wrote:Does anyone have any good tips for preventing rice from getting stuck to the bottom of the pot?
Sebastian2I wrote: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.
Lorena_Morales_1K wrote: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.
Alan Nguyen 3H wrote:After seeing the original post in this thread, I immediately thought to my previous job as a waiter before moving to Westwood! The FDA and local county health department has many regulations in place about how food should be stored, what temperatures it must be heated to, etc. We always had to use certain solutions in cleaning or to wipe down certain surfaces. It all comes back to chemistry and the way different substances interact with each other or how they react to temperature. One of the many great real-world applications of chemistry!
Kathrine_Samia_1A wrote:Kaley Qin 1F wrote: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 :)
Nane Onanyan 1G wrote: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.
Sebastian2I wrote:Charlie Russell 2L wrote: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 :)
Jane Wang 3J wrote:Can someone explains why vegetables turn brown/dark after I put vinegar into the plate? Thanks!
Aditya Sundaram 3D wrote:Sarah Huh 1K wrote:ahah boba is getting me through this class :(
Boba is the one thing getting me through the pandemic lmao. If i was asked to sum up my life at the moment, I would legitimately say boba + UCLA.
Harrington Bubb3A wrote:I never really thought of that! I think it would be really cool to understand what the chemistry of spicy food is and what chemicals make our mouths feel hotter.
George Kaleb Jimenez 1K wrote: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
105714861 wrote:Hey All!
I'm unsure if someone has said this already, or if this even relates, but a trick I do know in the kitchen is when it comes to preparing... (drumroll) ONIONS! It's incredibly easy to prevent the onslaught of tears, all you have to do is place a wet paper towel on your cutting board while you cut. The quick release by cutting mixed with the new exposure to air creates a chemical called Syn-Propanethial-S-Oxide. This super complicated name just means that the gas is really attracted to water, and usually the quickest port is your eyes. Anyways, if you're ever in a quick pinch and don't feel like crying over onions, use that trick!
105714861 wrote:Hey All!
I'm unsure if someone has said this already, or if this even relates, but a trick I do know in the kitchen is when it comes to preparing... (drumroll) ONIONS! It's incredibly easy to prevent the onslaught of tears, all you have to do is place a wet paper towel on your cutting board while you cut. The quick release by cutting mixed with the new exposure to air creates a chemical called Syn-Propanethial-S-Oxide. This super complicated name just means that the gas is really attracted to water, and usually the quickest port is your eyes. Anyways, if you're ever in a quick pinch and don't feel like crying over onions, use that trick!
Nandini_Parmar_1I wrote:Jane Wang 3J wrote:Can someone explains why vegetables turn brown/dark after I put vinegar into the plate? Thanks!
I believe since vinegar is super acidic this happens. However, if you are trying to preserve fruits/vegetables and prevent them from browning, try putting a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice in some water. This will help reduce the pH on the surface of the fruit and reduce the amount of oxygen the fruit is exposed to, thus preventing browning. Browning occurs through oxidation once peeled/opened and even overtime.
805774026 wrote:That's cool! I am learning how to cook as well, and it feels fantastic to hear from someone sharing the same interest!
sadiebrebes wrote:Aditya Sundaram 3D wrote:Sarah Huh 1K wrote:ahah boba is getting me through this class :(
Boba is the one thing getting me through the pandemic lmao. If i was asked to sum up my life at the moment, I would legitimately say boba + UCLA.
Do you like the boba at rendevous? Or do you go to westwood for that?
Samantha Low 3D wrote: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.
Emily Wan 3A wrote:Love this thread! One thing I have recently began to do is add vinegar when I am boiling or poaching eggs. The acid in the vinegar prevents the water from spilling out of the pot if a shell breaks and helps with the coagulation of the egg whites.
daniellediem3j wrote:I think it is so fascinating that literally everything can relate back to chemistry! Even cooking/baking. I think it’s a great analogy when doing limiting reactant problems to think of them as ingredients for a recipe!
Sabine Salvucci 2E wrote: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.
805829316 wrote:Actually I learned awhile ago that you can un-boil an egg using chemistry and thought it was pretty cool.
Sebastian2I wrote: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!
205769933 wrote:I don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet, but Adam Ragusea on YouTube does a great job of explaining the science behind food!
905715668 wrote:205769933 wrote:I don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet, but Adam Ragusea on YouTube does a great job of explaining the science behind food!
I love his videos!!
305405193 wrote:What in chemistry makes flavors in food taste different other than heat?
Sabine Salvucci 2E wrote: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.
805829316 wrote:Actually I learned a while ago that you can un-boil an egg using chemistry and thought it was pretty cool.
Polo Morales 3C wrote:I also find it pretty impressive that we subconsciously learned a few of the very basics of chemistry as children through the process of cooking or watching others cook. (ex: melting solids by adding heat, combustion, etc)
Valerie Tran 2B wrote: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.
Aimee Alvarado 3J wrote:Sabrina Galvan 3J wrote: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 wrote:For some reason, I always find myself stress-baking during finals week--just to get my mind off things.
tholz11 wrote:Speaking of culinary chemistry, if anyone has any recipes that can be made with ~microwave~ radiation let me know. Dorm life is a struggle.
Nane Onanyan 1G wrote: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.
Valerie Tran 2B wrote: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.
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