Tag: Kitchen chemistry

According to chemistry Nobel Prize winner Jean-Marie Lehn, the Maillard reaction is “by far, the most widely practiced chemical reaction in the world”. It's just one example of the myriad of processes that explain what happens to food when it undergoes a chemical reaction, affecting its flavor, texture, and appearance.

According to America's Test Kitchen, adding baking soda to cooking water can reduce the cooking time for dried beans by up to 50%. This surprising kitchen hack has a solid scientific basis, explaining why chefs and home cooks alike turn to this simple pantry staple to improve the texture and speed of their bean dishes.

According to the USDA, a single teaspoon of baking soda contains a staggering 1,260 milligrams of sodium, which is more than half of the daily recommended intake for most adults. This highlights the crucial fact that baking soda, a common kitchen staple, is a major source of dietary sodium.

The perfect jam set is not a matter of luck but of precise chemistry, where a delicate balance of ingredients is key. Understanding what strengthens pectin is crucial for any home preserver looking to create delicious, firm, and stable fruit preserves without guessing.

According to manufacturers and food science experts, many marshmallows contain a tiny amount of blue dye to make them appear whiter. While it seems counterintuitive to add a dark color to a white food, this is a classic optical trick of color theory used by food producers and even home bakers. The small amount of blue cancels out the natural yellowish tint from ingredients like vanilla and gelatin, resulting in a brighter, more appealing final product.

The FDA recognizes sodium bicarbonate, or baking soda, as "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) for use as a direct food additive. However, this safety is dependent on proper use, moderate quantities, and using the correct grade of baking soda for consumption.

While most people associate "salt" with common table salt (sodium chloride), baking soda's chemical structure involves a different type of salt entirely. Specifically, baking soda is the common name for sodium bicarbonate, a single chemical compound with the formula NaHCO₃. This salt plays a crucial role in baking and cleaning due to its unique reactive properties.

Did you know that dried pasta can absorb up to 1.8 times its weight in water during cooking? This dramatic transformation is why pasta swells, a culinary phenomenon driven by the fundamental processes of osmosis and starch gelatinization.

Butter is churned cream, while margarine is made from vegetable oils and water. Knowing this fundamental difference is key to understanding what happens if you substitute margarine for butter, as it directly impacts your recipe's flavor and texture. The outcome can vary significantly depending on the recipe type, from cookies to flaky pastries.

Worldwide, iodine deficiency affects nearly two billion people, making iodized salt a critical public health initiative. To ensure you're getting this essential nutrient, it's helpful to know how to know if salt is iodized or iodine.