Cooking & Food Science Project Ideas

Chemistry of Baking Ingredients 2: Can Baking Soda Substitute for Baking Powder in a Recipe?
There's nothing quite like the smell of fresh-baked muffins for breakfast on a Saturday morning! If you're into baking, you might want to try this project, which will give you insight into some of the chemistry that's going on in your muffin batter. You'll get some practical knowledge about substituting ingredients. Who knows, it may even get you started on the path to some new culinary inventions! Read more

Choice Cheesecakes: Which Baking Method is the Best?
Since ancient times, nothing has said "special" and "dessert" quite like cheesecake! The Romans even sacrificed their form of cheesecake, called libum, in religious ceremonies. Modern cheesecakes are more likely to be eaten at parties and at restaurants than used as sacrificial offerings, but no matter how they're enjoyed, all cheesecakes require some finesse in their baking and mixing to avoid common cheesecake faults, like cracking,… Read more

Cookies: Can You Blame the Burnt Ones On the Cookie Sheet? *
Have you ever bitten into a beautiful golden-brown cookie only to realize in dismay that the bottom is burned and black? What causes that uneven baking? Can it be prevented? You can discover the answer by conducting a science fair project to determine whether different types of cookie sheets result in noticeably different cookies. First you'll need to do some background research to figure out what kinds of baking sheets you can buy. For example,… Read more

Fresh Whipped Cream That Lasts *
Fresh whipped cream is the final touch for many delectable desserts. One issue with fresh whipped cream is that it has to be used soon after it is made, especially if it is at room temperature, or it starts to collapse into goo. This is a problem for its use in frostings or inside pastries as filler. Whipped cream can be stabilized by adding unflavored gelatin. Stabilized whipped cream can be used at room temperature and it has a much… Read more

Great Globs of Gluten! Which Wheat Flour Has The Most?
Close your eyes for a moment and think about your favorite cake, pasta, and crusty bread. OK, you can open your eyes now, and please don't drool on your computer! What was the cake you pictured like? Was it light and fluffy? Did you imagine pasta with a silky, smooth texture? Was the bread you pictured wonderfully chewy? Did it give your jaws a workout? In this science fair project, you'll explore an amazing substance in these foods, called… Read more