Category "chemistry"

Nixtamalization: Am I doing it right?

It's been a few years since I nixtamalizated the last time with the help of my Chilean friend. Now I'm on my own and due to several contradicting information on

Do milk and butter not work in place of cream for whipping, and why?

I’ve seen claims that, while you can replace heavy cream with the proper proportions of milk and butter in recipes that don’t require whipping, the

Is eating soap or bleach dangerous?

i was cooking some dessert today which contains milk as a primary ingredient. While cooking I started to notice that powder ingredients weren't dissolving in th

Separating gelatin from Jell-O powder

So I've been doing a bit more cooking while confined to my home and I wanted to make a recipe that calls for gelatin. I don't have any and I don't expect to be

Why do potatoes cook more slowly in a stew?

I recently made a stew, not for the first time either, and I've tossed in a few potatoes, cut into cubes. It took about an hour and a half until they were soft.

Is it safe to use a grill to cook when chemically treated wood was burned in it?

my son burned chemically treated wood in my grill for a bonfire. Can I still cook in it, is it safe? or do I need to buy another grill?

How can I substitute dutch chocolate cocoa for flour and maintain proper recipe PH in this cookie recipe?

I have an old family recipe for Chocolate chip cookies 2 ¼ cups flour 1 cup white sugar ½ cup brown sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 2 eggs 1 c

How to extract mouth numbing effect from Sichuan peppercorn into a syrup?

I tried following the recipe here to try to create a Sichuan peppercorn simple syrup. The recipe is basically to add slightly crushed peppercorn to sugar and wa

Can I use washing soda to cook noodles?

I found a recipe for homemade ramen noodles that calls for 'baked baking soda'. Based on some research, baking sodium bicarbonate will convert it to sodium carb

Does storing an apple with potatoes prevent the potatoes from sprouting?

I don't know if this is an old wives tale because a Google search didn't bring me conclusive proof: in fact the top two results have exactly opposite answers on

How to get crystallized honey out of a bowl

I was attempting to make a teriyaki sauce with soy sauce generous amounts of honey and orange juice boiling it all down on medium heat with some starch to thick

Is there a way to dilute oil?

I like to drink protein shakes, but I find that it's very hard to dissolve the protein powder into water or milk. You get clumps, and unless you want to get you

Is Manganese Violet suitable as a food coloring?

Can I use Manganese Violet as a food coloring? It's safe to use in cosmetics, and I've got some left over, so I was wondering. Is it toxic, edible or actually p

What causes pollution when cooking? [closed]

I'm having trouble finding the right search terms so perhaps I am just missing some obvious resources. Sorry if that's the case. It is sometim

Food grade lye on counter tops

Long ago, I bought some food grade lye to make pretzels. Then I became afraid to use it cause I didn't think about the potential damage it could cause to my sin

Do yeast pancakes contain alcohol?

I fed my 2 year old pancakes that required yeast: yeast, mashed banana, warm water, whole wheat and buckwheat flour, and salt. I left the batch in the fridge ov

Good book on the chemistry of cooking?

What is a good book on the chemistry of cooking? I am looking for a book that discusses fermentation chemical reactions and reactions that occur when food is he

Pudding vs. laundry starch - Add water gradually or all at once?

I recently watched a YouTube video "How to use old fashioned starch" by Constance MacKenzie about how laundry was starched in ye olde time. The only relevant i

Cheese soufflé with bread cubes instead of egg whites

In this video: Cheese Soufflé that NEVER Falls! - Chef Jean-Pierre, Chef Jean Pierre proposes an interesting method for making cheese soufflé; ins

Can one create any flavor combination by breaking down the five modalities of taste into their chemical form and adjusting proportions accordingly?

Can one create any flavor combination by breaking down the five modalities of taste into their chemical form and adjusting proportions accordingly? Namely, if y