Cooking & Food Science Science Experiments (Page 11)

Making a Sugar Thermometer

STEM Activity

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Bakers (and those who help bakers!) know that at some point in every baking recipe, the instructions will tell you to preheat your oven to a certain temperature. But if you’ve ever tried to bake cookies and they come out flat, or take too long, it’s possible that your oven is to blame. You might set your oven to 350°F, but how do you know that the inside of your oven actually reaches that temperature? You could use a thermometer…. or you could use sugar! Because we know… Read more

Mean & Green: Fruit & Vegetable Hardening

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

When you open a can of green beans, have you ever wondered why the beans are not mushy, or more like a puree? Canning requires boiling the beans for a long period of time to kill bacteria, so why don't the beans fall apart into small pieces? Some fruits and vegetables—like cherries, apples, potatoes, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, beans, cauliflower, and tomatoes—have the ability to undergo hardening, or firming of their plant tissues. A special enzyme, called pectin methyl… Read more

Pass the Cranberry….Volcano!

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While you might enjoy cranberry sauce, if you’ve ever tasted a real cranberry you were probably surprised by the taste – definitely not as sweet as the sauce! Cranberries and cranberry juice are very tart to eat, but they can be delicious when combined with other ingredients (such as orange zest and sugar, or cranberry muffins!). Cranberries add tartness to these foods because they are acidic, similar to lemons or limes. Foods that are acidic will usually taste sour or tart,… Read more

Saucy Science: Exploring the Science of Marinades

STEM Activity

Have you ever tasted a delicious burger and wondered how it got so much flavor? Maybe you have heard your family talk about marinating foods before cooking or grilling them. A marinade is a mixture of seasonings used to flavor or tenderize food. Most cooks have strong opinions about the best way to marinate their favorite food, be it a large steak or a tofu burger. In this activity, you will do a test to see what factors might be most important in making a marinade stick to the surface of food.… Read more

Scrumptious Science: Great Globs of Gluten!

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Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dinner dish? Maybe it’s an aunt’s special cranberry sauce, or mashed potatoes combined with perfectly-seasoned gravy. Or perhaps you enjoy sinking your teeth into a succulent roasted turkey the most. Dinner rolls, biscuits, corn breads, muffins, pastries and pies may also be baked for this special meal; the foods in this group typically all contain a substance called gluten. In this science activity, you’ll explore why some foods, all made… Read more

Scrumptious Science: How Much Baking Powder Does Cornbread Need?

STEM Activity

Have you ever wondered about the purpose of each of the ingredients in your favorite recipes? For example, why is baking powder used in some muffin recipes? How does the baking powder affect how the muffins look, feel and taste? In this science activity, you will use a scientific method to make some cornbread muffins to find out. And then you can decide on the best recipe to use if you want to make some cornbread for New Year’s Day, which is part of a Southern tradition where the… Read more

Smashing for Mash: The Science of Making Memorable Mashed Potatoes!

Science Fair Project Idea

Scientific Method

What do you look forward to when the holidays arrive? Spending time with friends and family? Having lots of free time? How about the delicious food that comes out of the kitchen? You bet! What kinds of food do you have on your table during those special times of the year? For many people, mashed potatoes and gravy are usually on the holiday menu. Whether light and fluffy or smooth and silk-like, mashed potatoes are very satisfying. What is not satisfying is when the cook makes a mistake in… Read more

Soft-Boiled Science: Egg-cellently Cooked Eggs

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Have you ever been in such a rush in the morning that you barely had time for breakfast? Eggs can be a perfect breakfast choice because they can be cooked quickly and in many different ways. Not only do eggs have a spotlight right now because of Easter approaching, but eggs have been commonly eaten for thousands of years, all year round and all over the world. A soft-boiled egg is a choice that many people make. They like the way the thickened tasty yolk coats their hash… Read more

Solidifying Science: Which Fruits Can Ruin Your Gelatin Dessert?

STEM Activity

Have you ever noticed that if you’re making a gelatin dessert, like JELL-O, it’s not recommended to use certain fruits, like pineapple? Why is this? It’s because these fruits may prevent the gelatin from solidifying. In this activity you’ll get to determine if certain enzymes in some fruits are preventing the gelatin from solidifying, and whether there’s a way to still include these fruits without ruining your gelatin dessert! Read more

Soupy Science: Investigate How Dried Beans Absorb Water

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Have you ever had black-eyed peas for New Year’s Day? They’re often used as part of a traditional meal in the South on this day. Dried beans themselves are a major ingredient in dishes served all over the world. In their dried form, they can be stored for years and then “brought back to life” by soaking them in water. In this science activity, you will explore how the temperature of the water used to rehydrate dried black-eyed peas (which are technically beans) affects… Read more

Cooking & Food Science Science Experiments (121 results)

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