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Cooking with Chemistry (December 24, 2004, One)

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Program Summary

First there was Julia Child, alone in the wilderness. Then came the Galloping Gourmet, The Frugal Gourmet, and a host of other TV cooking shows. Now, food has its own cable network!

Our intense interest in food has grown by leaps and bounds since 1984, when Ira's guest, Harold McGee, first published his book on cooking science. Now, things we encountered only in gourmet restaurants we are making in our own kitchens, and we want to know not just how to bake a flaky pie crust, but why it comes out flaky (or not). Why does French bread have nice, big holes in it? Why can cooked egg yolks sometimes turn green? Why do recipes have a specific order? Don't turn to your cookbook; get out your chemistry text! McGee has updated his book for the 21^st century, focusing on the newest research and food trends.

Ira's other guest, Richard Zare, is a self-proclaimed 'bubble-ologist.' Zare is interested in the action of bubbles in liquids, investigating such questions as why beer has a big, foamy head while soda water doesn't, how to keep an open bottle of champagne from going flat, and why some bubbles actually sink. 'Why bother with bubbles?' one might ask. But studying most anything in nature offers a reward, sooner or later. For example, the study of the bubbles has led to the development of special foam used in oil wells; this foam captures oil that would otherwise be unobtainable.

Guests

Richard Zare, Marguerite Blake Wilbur professor in natural science at Stanford University Stanford, California

Harold McGee, author of "On Food and Cooking: the Science and Lore of the Kitchen" (Second Edition, Scribner, 2004) and "The Curious Cook" (John Wiley, 1992) in Palo Alto, California

Related Links and Resources

Alton Brown.com
Do Bubbles in Guinness Go Down?
Guardian Unlimited Books Review, December 11, 2004: "Taste sensation"
NYTimes.com, November 24, 2004: "Isaac Newton in the Kitchen"
Palo Alto Weekly Online, November 19, 2004: "A Chemist in the Kitchen"
Stanford News, December 21, 2004: "Champagne Bubble Myth Burst: Forget the Silver Spoon"
The Accidental Scientist: Science of Cooking
Wired.com, June 2004: "The Thermochemical Joy of Cooking"

For Discussion:

• Do you think knowing the chemistry of cooking will make you a better cook?
• Why does the surface of guacamole turn brown? What is oxidation?
• When defrosting a turkey, why does Harold McGee put ice packs on the breast?
• What is a surfactant? Why are bubbles surfactants? How does this affect their behavior?
• How does the foam used in oil wells work?

Activities

Egg-citing food facts. The Exploratorium's Science of Cooking is an entertaining, colorful and thorough explanation of cooking chemistry basics, covering pickles, eggs, bread, meat, and candy. Recipes, activities and Web casts add flavor, and students can spice things up by writing in with questions. Visit the BBC's Hot Topics: Cooking for even more information, animations, and a couple of fun quizzes. At Cooking Up an Explanation, a lesson plan from the New York Times Learning Network, students have tons of fun with food by answering common food questions, writing recipes, and creating a TV food show. Howstuffworks "Food Channel" addresses some unusual topics, such as MREs ('Meals Ready to Eat'), Krispy Kreme doughnuts, pop-up turkey timers, and winemaking.

All's fair in love and cooking. Get science fair project ideas at Food and Cooking Chemistry - Science Fair Project Ideas from about.com. You can also try the technical recipe for chocolate chip cookies, make your own baking powder, remove odors with stainless steel, and more at Food & Cooking Chemistry - Kitchen Science

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

Hear the Program

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