Chemistry in the Kitchen Week 2

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Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5
The Chemistry of Food & Cooking
Some of the science topics this week:  denature gelatin, breaking up sucrose with an acid, covalent bonds, emulsions, water molecules, phospholipids, hydrogen bonds, monoglycerides, diglycerides, polysorbates
Culinary Reactions: The Everyday Chemistry Of Cookingp. 24-27 (Stop at sugar foam.)p. 27-35Chapter 3 Emulsions

p. 36-44
(Stop at Other Emulsifiers.)
p. 44-45
Activities – Choose one or more recipes.Make homemade marshmallowsp. 29 – 35 Optional recipe: Whipped creamsicle topping

NOTE: Make sure all items / chemicals / ingredients are food grade, and approved by the USDA, before using in a recipe!
Make Eggs Benedict (See video linked below.)
Activity notes:
Homemade marshmallows
This recipe is made after learning about foams. Remember that a foam is essentially a structure that encloses air or gas bubbles. This structure can be formed from various materials, including proteins, water, or fats. The texture of a foam is influenced by the size of its bubbles and the amount of liquid it contains.

Here are some explanations about the science behind marshmallows, which are a foam stabilized by gelatin. We recommend watching/reading them in the following order:

First watch this very simple explanation: Recipe – The Science of Marshmallows with Dan Kohler – Hallmark Channel (4:12m)
Then, read this more detailed explanation: Marshmallow Science
Finally, read this even more detailed explanation with diagrams of molecules, etc.: The Sweet Science of Candymaking

Whipped creamsicle topping
Whipped cream is also a foam. As you whip cream, you introduce air into the liquid. As you continue to whip it, the fat molecules in cream start to break down and surround the air bubbles. Learn more about the science behind whipped cream here. Then, watch this video: Spectacular Science – Whipping Cream (7:25m)
Instead of the whipped creamsicle topping recipe from the book, you can learn the same concepts by just making homemade whipped cream with a mixer, if you wish.

Eggs Benedict
In chapter 3 of Culinary Reactions, you learned about emulsions. An emulsion is a mixture of two or more liquids that are normally immiscible (can’t be combine into a *homogeneous mixture).
*A homogeneous mixture is one in which the composition is uniform throughout. An example of a homogeneous mixture is perfume or sugar dissolved in water.  

Hollandaise sauce (the topping on eggs benedict) is an emulsion because it combines two liquids that normally don’t mix—fat (butter) and water (from the egg yolks and lemon juice)—into a stable mixture.  The lecithin from the egg yolks is the emulsifier that helps to bind the fat and water together. Here are some additional explanations of the science behind it:
 
First, read this: Food Science 101: Emulsifiers
Then, read this: The Accidental Scientist: Science of Cooking: Hollandaise Sauce – What’s going on?
Then, watch this video: The Science of Hollandaise Sauce (6:42m)
Additional Reading
Dr. Joe & What You Didn't Know: 177 Fascinating Questions About the Chemistry of Everyday LifeQuestion 6 – Wine vinegarQuestion 7 –
Gel candles
Question 8 –
Dalton and color blindness
Question 9 –
Acrylamide
Question 10 –
Fizz Keeper
Mixing History and Chemistry
The Mystery of the Periodic TableChapters 11-12Chapters 13-14Chapters 15-16Chapters 17-18Elements Listed by Date of Discovery (End!)
Learning About the Periodic Table
Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universep. 22-23 Boronp. 24-25 Carbonp. 26-27 Nitrogenp. 28-29 Oxygenp. 30-31 Fluorine
The Periodic Table of VideosBoronCarbonNitrogenOxygenFluorine
Introducing BoronIntroducing Oxygen
Activities and Assignments
Printables
Videos
TED-Ed: How Atoms Bond

Take the video quiz here.

Dogs Teaching Chemistry: Chemical Bonds

How to Make Homemade Marshmallows
Chemical bonds song by Mr. Edmonds

SciShow: Why Do Atoms Bond?
Chemical Bonds: Covalent vs. Ionic

How to unboil an egg

Emulsifiers
Octet Rule Song

The genius of Mendeleev’s periodic table

How to Make Eggs Benedict

Food Science 101: What is an emulsion?
Solving the puzzle of the periodic table
 
Food Science 101: How Emulsifiers and Stabilizers work

Food Science 101: The Emulsification Process
Online
Color blindness test

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