Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello experts,
Here are some questions i have for my topic.
My topic is _ Does different oil effect the rising of the cupcake?

Here is my question....

Which oil has the most density, vegetable oil, olive oil, grape seed oil, or butter. what comes 1, 2, 3, 4

If you answer i would be most grateful

Thanks for your help,
Tina Gantz

can you suggest any websites too?

Hi Tina,

Welcome to the forum. I moved your topic to the physical sciences forum where more experts will see it, since 'preparing for the science fair' is geared toward presenting your research after you've finished your project.

You can probably look up the densities of the various oils you mention; try using a search engine such as Google or Yahoo. It's also not that difficult to measure density directly -- all you need to do is accurately measure the mass and volume of some amount of oil! See this thread for some discussion: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentorin ... =24&t=3850

Applying the principles of chemistry and physics to cooking, as you're interested in doing, is becoming more popular. Try searching for "molecular gastronomy" for lots of interesting background info.

Amanda

Thanks a lot amanda!

My name is acually christina. Thanks for your help and i have another ?. Does different oils make the cupcake rise higher?

Thanks a lot!!!

Hi Christina!
Interesting question - here is a general link that might help you out:

http://www.crazyaboutcupcakes.com/learning.htm

I am not an expert in baking myself, but it would seem like different oils impart different tastes and textures, not so much differing in the height that cupcakes rise to. On the other hand, say, if you did not use eggs, then the cupcakes would probably not rise as much. Hope this helps!

wow thanks amanda,
That would help a lot.

Thanks
christina

Do you know anything on does the oil effect the rising of bread?
Another one is does it effect how high the flour rises with different oils?

Can you please suggest some more url on this if you can?

Thanks a lot,

Your AWESOMENESS,

As my class would say it

christina

Tina,

Both of these questions

Do you know anything on does the oil effect the rising of bread?
Another one is does it effect how high the flour rises with different oils?

are things that you could design an experiment to answer, especially if you don't find precise answers anywhere! I suggest putting "bread chemistry" and "baking science" into a search engine and looking at some of the results. You could also look through our list of food-related project ideas:

https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ia=FoodSci

then looking at the bibliography sections of projects that are related to your idea. There might be some useful sources listed.

Amanda

Thanks a lot!!! Hopefully i do not have to ask you more ?'s and bother u. Thanks


Christina

does oil rise or expand when heated.

what temperature does it rise the highest at.

How high does it rise.

sorry.
i had more ?'s

Hi Christina - It sounds like you are working on an interesting science project, but that maybe you need to spend some time doing some research. For example, your questions about whether or not oil expands when heated will be part of your background research for the project. Have you tried searching to see if you can find answers to this question?

We look forward to watching your project develop and seeing the outcome of your testing. If you have questions about your procedure or results as you move forward, please post here.

Amy
Science Buddies

i tried and so did my teacher but it always gives a mathamatical expression. thanks

christina

As most liquids are heated, they expand little by little. (At some high temperature they begin to evaporate, or they might burn, which is a reaction with oxygen in the air.) The exact amount of expansion depends on the exact temperature, so I'm not surprised that you've seen this represented with a mathematical expression or formula. It sounds like maybe the problem is that you aren't sure how to use this formula? If you post it here, preferably with a link to the source that it came from, we can help you understand how to use it.

Something you might also want to think about is that the rising of most baked goods is due to expanding gas bubbles that come from leavening agents. Basic info here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leavening) but searching for "leavening agent" would be a good idea. As temperature increases, gases expand more quickly than liquids.

Amanda

wow thanks what would you call the wrapper that the cupcake batter is put on before going into the tin and then into the oven? thanks

christina

Hi Christina!

Are you talking about that paper that when you are done cooking the cupcakes they are in the paper thing?
I think they are called "baking cups" according to my mom's thing.

Hope that helps!
Rachel

wow rach thanks. You are amassing. Do you really think it is called baking cups? Can some one give me a clear name for a cupcake tin.

Thanks rach

These are what you're talking about, right? http://www.google.com/images?q=baking+cup

If you're concerned about how to describe them in your project report in a way that others will understand, you could always include an image or a diagram.

Amanda