Kitchen Science

Cooking is a science. It lets us explore and ask questions about food. When you cook, you are acting like a scientist. There are some similarites with cooking in a kitchen and doing science experiments in a lab. Both cooks and scientists follow steps. Cooks call the instructions a recipe and scientists call it a protocol. Both cooks and scientists use materials to work with. Cooks use ingredients and kitchen tools. Scientists use chemicals and equipment. Both cooks and scientists use measurements and certain amounts.

The kitchen can be a place for kids and their families to learn about science as they investigate what happens when ingredients are mixed together, why it matters how much of an ingredient to use in a recipe, and how food changes when it is cooked. Cooking often involves changing the chemical make up of food, altering its texture, flavor, nutritional properties, and appearance.You use math and science when you pour, measure, and mix. Cooking helps you develop math and science skills.

Here are some interesting science facts about things in the kitchen.

Why does a refrigerator slow down the spoilage of food?

Bacteria and fungi grow best at specific temperatures, usually between 40 to 140ºF. By lowering the temperature below 40ºF, their growth is slowed. Cold temperatures decrease their metabolic and reproductive action, but do not kill the bacteria and fungi. The proper temperature to set a refrigerator is somewhere between 35 and 38ºF (1.7 to 3.3ºC). These cold temperatures will slow down the spoilage process of food.

Why is some food fermented?

Some examples of fermented food are yogurt, cheese, soy sauce, sauerkraut, and pickles. Fermenation is the process of using bacteria or yeast to convert sugar into either an acid or alcohol. When the bacteria or yeast are controlled, it can safely produce a food wanted. Some kinds of yogurt have probiotics, bacteria that are healthy for digestion because they increase the levels of helpful bacteria in the gastrointestinal tract.

What makes bread rise in the oven?

There are 3 ways to make dough rise. One way is to use yeast to feed on sugar in the dough to make carbon dioxide. A second method is a chemical way by the use of baking powder or baking soda to release carbon dioxide. A third method is a mechanical way of steam in which you add air to the dough by whipping and folding. In each of these methods, the dough mixture heats up and makes bubbles of carbon dioxide that get trapped in the dough. These bubbles grow bigger in the heat, and make the bread rise.

Why does cutting an onion make you cry?

Cutting onions releases a gas. The gas changes to an acid when it comes into contact with your eyes. This acid irritates your eyes and causes your body to produce tears to dilute the irritant and remove it from your eyes.

Why does popcorn pop?

The outer shell or hull of popcorn is not porous. Other grains like wheat or rice do not pop because their outer shells are porous (has small holes through which air may pass). Popcorn kernels are about 13% water. When the popcorn is heated, the water in the kernel boils and turns to steam.The hull is sealed so the steam creates pressure inside the hull. When the temperature and pressure rises high enough, the hull pops.

What happens when an egg is boiled?

An egg contains lots of water and protein. When you boil an egg, the heat first breaks the protein bonds in the egg.Then the proteins form bonds to other proteins and this pushes out the water that surrounded each protein molecule when the egg was liquid. This results in the egg turning hard.

How is olive oil made?

Olive oil is made from pressed olives and is used in cooking and adding flavor to food. Some olive oil is made with the use of chemicals or refining, while virgin olive oil is made by crushing olives and taking out the juice without the use of chemicals. Olive oil is a healthy fat.

Why can applesauce sometimes be used in place of oil in baking?

Applesauce can be used to reduce the fat and calories in a cake. Some cooks prefer to substitute only half of the oil so that the cake is not too dense and chewy. In baking, the role of oil is to coat flour, preventing it from combining with water and developing gluten. Applesauce contains pectin which competes with flour for water and interferes with gluten.

Why does pasta stick together?

The starch in pasta makes it stick together. As pasta cooks, it releases starch. To prevent sticking, boil pasta in lots of water to dilute the starch. You can also add a little olive oil to the boiling water before adding the pasta to help keep it from sticking.