Did you score with the fish and squid?
Surface area. Collagen. Muscle fibres. And why we score fish and squid before we cook them.
February 2, 2016
The Archive
194 nom-nomena and counting — newest first.
Splashed from my head to-ma-toes!
Convection. Viscosity. Bubbles. And how to prevent splattering when cooking thick sauces.
February 2, 2016
Think the chocolate won't lose its temper? Fat chance!
Temperature. Crystals. Structure. And why good chocolate is well-tempered.
February 2, 2016
Tongue (pro)teases.
Proteases. Heat. Stomach acids. And why pineapples burn our tongues (and when they don’t).
February 2, 2016
The bacteria did not see that cumin.
Phytochemicals. Protection. Culture. And how spices kill food spoilage bacteria.
February 1, 2016
Burn (sugar) baby burn.
Sugars. Heat. Pyrolysis. And what chefs and scientists know and don't know about caramelization.
February 1, 2016
Physics culture.
Levers. Versatility. Design. And how physics and culture meld into one in a pair of chopsticks.
February 1, 2016
Baby, I'm hot outside and cool inside.
Phase transition. Evaporation. Condensation. And how heat transfer made refrigerators indispensable.
February 1, 2016
Too spicy? Keep calm and curry on.
Biology. Evolution. Geography. And why some cultures like their meats hot.
February 1, 2016
The smells arose durian the reign of the King.
Smells. Discovery. Culture. And why the durian is a scientific marvel.
January 31, 2016
Can't you see I'm cereals about you?
Cereal packaging. Eyes. Evolution. And what supermarket aisles tell us about the white of the eye.
January 19, 2016
Eggs-tra white.
Light scattering. Molecular size. Wavelengths. And how physics and chemistry turn transparent egg white to opaque white.
January 19, 2016
Fear and loving in Las Egg-as.
Molecular structure. Hydrophilic. Hydrophobic. And the science of protein denaturation, simply explained.
January 19, 2016
Pass the salt!
Denaturation. Proteins and cells. Osmosis and diffusion. And what salt and water do to meat at the cell level.
January 18, 2016
Water you mean I’m fat too?
Ethanol. Fat and water molecules. Solubility. And why meat cooked in alcohol tastes and smells better.
December 4, 2015
Water you mean I smell?
Water and ethanol. Atomic weights and density. Solubility and volatility. And why cooking with alcohol smells better.
December 4, 2015
See stars and the Sun in your kitchen.
Cooking temperature. Wavelengths. Electromagnetic spectrum. And what the colors of space tell us.
December 3, 2015
Do you see what I see?
Photoreceptors. Cone cells. Tetrachromats. And why different species see different colors.
December 2, 2015
Bean feeling bitter? You can choose to feel butter!
Roasting coffee beans. Caramelization. Maillard reactions. And the secret Southeast Asian recipe for great coffee.
November 29, 2015
Colors!
Additive. Subtractive. Wavelengths. And the amazing things colors do for food.
November 24, 2015
Eye see we are on different wavelengths.
Chlorophyll. Wavelengths. Eye. And how these give us color vision.
November 24, 2015
Want to feel better? Try a lithium bit of this.
Electrons. Energy levels. Brain neurons. And how a little lithium helps to make moods better.
November 18, 2015
Release the cracking!
Exothermic. Endothermic. Cooling. And how energy is transferred when we roast coffee beans.
November 18, 2015
How to be a crack at roasting coffee.
Steam. Pressure. Sound. And how to go from cool beans to hot stuff when roasting coffee.
October 29, 2015