Category "food-science"

Does oil boil just like water does?

When one heats oil in a pan, there comes a time when it starts boiling (bubbles coming up) just like water. Now I know that water bubbles are formed to the th

What's the benefit of chilling my cookie dough before baking?

I'm making some chocolate crinkle cookies, and one of the recipe steps is to refrigerate the dough at least four hours before baking. Does this cause any chang

How to compensate for diminished taste when cooking?

I have a condition known as hyposmia, or a diminished sense of smell. For instance, I cannot smell flowers unless I am within 1" or so of the centers, but I can

Is there a scale for measuring level of roast?

Similar to, for example, how the Scoville scale measures spiciness by concentration of capsaicin, is there a scale that measures how toasted/roasted something i

Why do chefs in cooking shows not always seem to do things the "right" way?

I've read some books about the science behind cooking, and I've watched videos of chefs like Gordon Ramsey and Jamie Oliver on YouTube. It seems like those famo

Food science of thickeners such as starches and gelatins

What types of recipes are best to thicken using gelatin and which are best to thicken using starches, such as corn starch or potato starch.

Does there exist a non-rust substitute for an iron-cast pan?

I recently bought a new cast-iron pan and I am enjoying very much the upgrade in the quality of my food. As I understand it, the reason why food cooked in an

Extracting the flavour of single vegetables for the purpose of sauce

I am interested in making vegetable sauces that are concentrates of a particular vegetable. So a concentrated sauce that has just the flavour of a chosen vegeta

Purging air from a pressure cooker

Many years ago, while instructing me in the use of our pressure cooker, my father told me to always let steam escape from the top stack for a couple of minutes

Are there advantages to an unlined copper jam pan?

What are the advantages (if any) for unlined copper jam pans? Apologies for this long question, but I've spent a lot of time searching for an answer to this an

How does a chocolate pudding cake work?

The name pretty much says it all. This cake consists of a brownie batter, on which is sprinkled brown sugar and coco. Then hot water is poured slowly on it an

At what pressure is whipped cream stored in a can?

Whipped cream is often sold in pressurized cans. At what pressure is the cream stored in such a can when it is new? Thank you!

Do older apples contain more or less pectin in the skins/cores?

In order to make apple jelly and not use pectin, just fresh (not frozen) apples skins and cores: Do older, stored apples have more concentrated pectin in their

Why does the grated coconut "float" to the top of quindim while baking?

Quindim is a typical Brazilian dessert made from sugar, egg yolks, butter and grated coconut. All those ingredients are mixed (yolks and sugar first, then the

How do potatoes work against salt

For people cooking now and then it is common knowledge that you have to add an extra of salt if you're including potatoes in your meal. But what is the (biolog

Is onion good with leek?

I have onions and leek and I want to sautee the two together. Can I use both?

How do I add citric acid to my hard candy without it burning?

Every time I try a recipe and add the flavoring and citric, within seconds the citric burns and gives the candy a horrible taste. How or when should I add it so

Sourdough starter not buoyant

If my sourdough starter does not float in water, does that mean it is not ready?

Is salty tongue effect normal after eating sichuan peppercorns?

I've used sichuan peppercorns many times previously and never had this effect before where my tongue becomes salty for a while after eating it. Normally I would

Improving texture of yogurt based ice cream- stabiliser?

I've made a test on a recipe for coconut-yogurt ice cream, and I need some thoughts on improving the texture. It was churned using an industrial ice-cream mak