55
votes
Accepted
Why is eating pretzels safe when they are bathed in lye?
Basically, the lye reacts with the CO₂ and moisture present during baking to form a non-toxic carbonate. This makes it safe to eat.
The reaction:
CO₂ (g) + H₂O (l) ⇄ H₂CO₃ (aq)
H₂CO₃ (aq) + ...
- 4,051
55
votes
What happened to my egg?
Your egg whites were cooked by the alcohol in the extract. Cooked, in this case, means denaturing, which means unfolding the protein molecules. There are many ways to denature proteins. Acid, such as ...
- 5,134
53
votes
How can I tell if this is baking soda or powder?
Baking powder contains starch, which is insoluble.
Baking soda is completely soluble
Take a small bowl, and put 1/8 tsp of the substance in the bottom.
Add water.
If the substance is bicarbonate ...
- 1,065
53
votes
Accepted
Why is it faster to reheat something than it is to cook it?
"Cooking" is often a chemical process. Denaturing proteins, gelatinization, causing chemical reactions like browning, or even causing state changes like evaporation.
In many cases for these ...
- 81.6k
52
votes
Can something have more sugar per 100g than the percentage of sugar that's in it?
Looking up Shreddies, I found this site. It lists, in the ingredients
Whole Grain Wheat (96%), Sugar, Invert Sugar Syrup, Barley Malt Extract, Salt, Molasses, Vitamins and Minerals (Niacin, Iron, ...
- 140k
47
votes
Accepted
What is going on genetically that restricts the number of generations a yogurt starter will last?
I had a look at the manual, and there is quite a lot of more or less wrong, or at least misleading information in there, especially around the biology. I am a virologist by training, but have had a ...
- 16.2k
45
votes
Accepted
What happens when you reduce stock all the way?
If you reduce filtered broth all the way, you get portable soup. It dries down into a solid that looks a bit like leather. Because of the gelatin from the bones, portable soup is bendy and flexible. ...
- 3,148
38
votes
Accepted
Why should (or shouldn't) we wash rice before cooking?
Reasons to wash your rice:
Reduce/Control Starch levels
Often when you're cooking rice you want distinct grains of rice and for your rice to have texture. In the case of Chinese fried rice for ...
- 11.2k
38
votes
Should pasta be started in cold or boiling water?
As stated in another answer, Italian tradition is that all pasta is cooked in boiling water. A reasonable explanation for this usage is that it's easier to get the time right this way.
Pasta is very ...
- 1,067
38
votes
Accepted
Why is churro dough created with boiling water?
Churro dough is a variant of choux pastry. While yeasted doughs rise through the expansion of gas created by the yeast, and "quick bread" batters rise through gas created by chemical ...
- 30.2k
38
votes
Accepted
How did replacing flour in muffins go so wrong?
Muffins and cakes rise because of chemical leavening agents and the expansion of hot gasses, they stay risen because the flour and sugar forms a structure which traps the air, then solidifies enough ...
- 77.2k
37
votes
Why is eating pretzels safe when they are bathed in lye?
The purpose of dipping in lye (or other basic solution, like baking soda...or even baked, baking soda) is that it promotes coloring, as the solution reacts with the surface of the dough. It also ...
- 77k
37
votes
Can something have more sugar per 100g than the percentage of sugar that's in it?
I suspect that 96g of whole grain goes into the recipe for 100g, along with 13g of sugar and some salt, vitamins, and flavouring ingredients. At that point there's at least 109g. Then it's formed and ...
- 45.2k
34
votes
Why is eating pretzels safe when they are bathed in lye?
The reason it is safe is three-fold.
First, the concentration is only 1% NaOH and the pretzels are only dipped for 10 seconds (see Snack Food Technology pages 180-182) which limits the amount of ...
- 966
34
votes
Accepted
Why should I cook the flour first when making bechamel sauce?
This link explains the science behind what is known as "the mother sauce", béchamel. Essentially, the steps of first creating a roux, then adding cold milk, are about manipulating the glucose chains ...
- 77k
33
votes
Accepted
Should pasta be started in cold or boiling water?
For dried pasta it doesn’t really matter if you start with cold or hot water, as most of the time pasta spends in water is for hydration. And once the hydrated starches reach a certain temperature ...
- 4,276
32
votes
Accepted
What scientific evidence there is that keeping cooked meat at room temperature is unsafe past two hours?
Picking one of many bacteria with heat-resistant spores:
Prevalence of B. cereus in meat:
https://bmcmicrobiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12866-024-03204-9
Heat resistance of B. cereus spores
...
- 19.1k
30
votes
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Can one eat a balanced diet if one only cooks once a week?
The types of foods that reheat well are also quite suitable for being balanced in one main dish. Generally speaking, dishes with stuff in sauce freeze/chill and reheat well. So stew, curry, chilli, ...
- 45.2k
30
votes
Accepted
Does the preparation of chicken liver mousse require force feeding of chickens?
There's no need to force-feed the chickens.
Chicken Liver Mousse is just a posh word for a smooth paté, with sometimes a bit of extra aeration.
For every chicken, there's a chicken liver. The world ...
- 29.9k
29
votes
How did replacing flour in muffins go so wrong?
what chemical reaction happened
It wasn't a chemical reaction, it was a physical reaction.
Everything you describe sounds like your batter was able to trap air much better than a typical muffin ...
- 140k
29
votes
How do tamales cook?
Cooking isn’t instant. You don’t just bring food to a particular temperature and then the physical reactions have happened and the food is done. Many of the processes happen slowly at the target ...
- 30.2k
25
votes
Kneading causing gluten
Yes, kneading develops gluten. Specifically, the gliadin and glutenin proteins in flour form gluten when mixed together with water. It's common, but inaccurate (and confusing I think) to refer to ...
- 2,396
25
votes
Does 'Non-cold/warm ice-cream' exist?
Much of the distinctive experience of ice cream comes from its temperature, so be prepared for disappointment. However, a set custard like in a crème brûlée or panna cotta is creamy and holds its ...
- 12.1k
24
votes
How can I tell if this is baking soda or powder?
Lick your finger
Dip it in the jar
Lick finger again.
If it tastes of:
Soap: Soda
Very faintly of soap and faintly of starch and slightly fizzes in your mouth: Baking powder
- 5,837
22
votes
Accepted
Products that can be microwaved and "pop" just like popcorn
Popcorn should be considered one of "nature's little miracles" - & a way to make a huge profit out of air.
Yes, you can pop other dried grains/seeds, but don't expect anything quite so ...
- 29.9k
21
votes
Accepted
What does it mean when an egg splatters and the white is greenish-yellow?
From The Splendid Table:
Older eggs (which are still safe to eat) tend to be more alkaline, which encourages a green reaction similar to that green ring you can get around a hard-cooked egg yolk. The ...
- 3,571
21
votes
How do tamales cook?
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of things going on, physically and thermodynamically, during cooking. The Maillard reaction is not especially important. It is just one of several types of browning, ...
- 140k
21
votes
Is there a simple method to calculate added calories from cooking in oil?
Wellll… not really. Not exactly like you’re asking. But yes, for practical purposes.
Try this: saute a whole eggplant in a reasonable amount of oil (2 tbsp or so) for several minutes, then visually ...
- 30.2k
21
votes
Does the volume of air in an air tight container affect food shelf life?
Yes, but it’s not so much about mold and bacteria, but about oxygen.
Oxygen availability results in deterioration of some foods via chemical reactions. Some packaged foods, especially those intended ...
- 81.6k
19
votes
Accepted
Why does baking cooked rice not overcook it?
Rice does taste a little different after baking, and its texture is also a little different, but the reason it is not mushy or overcooked is that the recipe controls the moisture levels. Totally ...
- 12.1k
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