Cooking, Cakes and Chemistry

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Wednesday, November 16, 2011

UK's cheapest meal - a toast sandwich

The Royal Society of Chemistry announced today that it has identified the cheapest meal you can make - a toast sandwich for 7.5p (about $0.12 Canadian).

Recipe: Toast a piece of bread  - cool to room temperature.  Place bread between two buttered slices of fresh bread and add salt and pepper to taste.

Great for invalids or the elderly back in the 1800s.

They have even offered a reward if anyone can make a cheaper meal that has as many calories!
Toast Sandwich recipe from Mrs Beeton's cookbook

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key words Breads, links, nutrition

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

The science in thanksgiving feasts!


A bit late for our Canadian Thanksgiving but right on time for the US one:


The Chemical Keys to Thanksgiving Dinner

Joy of Science: Food Chemistry Series“A good meal must be as harmonious as a symphony and as well-constructed as a Norman cathedral.” Fernand Point, ‘Ma gastronomie’ (1897-1955).  This can be said of Thanksgiving.  Home cooked meals that traditionally took a full day and a host of hands to prepare now take just hours. So what have we lost with these age-old preparations? Chemistry.  It’s in techniques like brining, marinating, basting, and slow cooking. It’s where seasons marry and interact – producing tender, succulent and flavorful dishes. Learn why old-fashioned, time-staking approaches to cooking still provide the best results. 
Join us with celebrated scientist and author of the New York Times column, The Curious Cook, Dr. Harold McGee!  
Learn More >> 
 
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key words ACS, holiday food, physical chemistry, techniques, turkey, webinar

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Playing with liquid nitrogen

Liquid nitrogen is cold - very very cold:  -196°C or -321°F



But that does not mean it isn't safe!

The Modernist Cuisine Blog has an interesting post on this:
Is Liquid Nitrogen Safe?

I've used it in demos to create instant ice cream or frozen caramel corn.  And I would concur with them that boiling oil is much more dangerous!!
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Monday, October 31, 2011

Carbonated fruit

I loved the idea of carbonated grapes as described in Modernist Cuisine (vol.2 page 469 ). They used a pressure chamber (such as a cream whipper or soda siphon), added the grapes and pressurized with carbon dioxide cartridges.  This pushed the carbon dioxide into the fruit and caused it to fizz once the pressure is released and the grapes removed. Martin Lersch on his Kymos blog used this technique successfully on strawberries with a great scientific explanation.

I don't have a soda siphon - only a chemistry department.  Inspired, I looked for alternative techniques.

The book on page 472 uses an alternative method to add fizz to an orange.  According to MC take a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and fill the bottom with dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide - be careful those pellets are cold cold cold!  -78 degrees Celsius in fact) and if you happen to use a metal container to hold them, DO NOT touch it with your tongue like my son did...

Then place some paper towels or kitchen towel on top of the dry ice and place the fruit on top of that - this keeps the fruit from becoming frostbitten by the ice.  Close the container and let the pressure build up inside - the lid may pop an number of times but just re-close it.  After 30 minutes for grapes or much longer (overnight) for whole oranges or apples, you should have carbonated fruit.

I did try this but I think I did not have the right container because my fruit just got cold not fizzy.  Here is an Instructable on another similar method: http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Make-Carbonated-Fruit/

So I began to think about other ways to maintain a pressure while allowing some release.  No one at my Chemistry Department had a container that was big enough or could release pressure as needed. Then I thought of my handy dandy pressure cooker!  It held pressure and could release the excess.  So I tried it with the grapes - no luck.  Turns out a pressure cooker only goes up to about 15 psi and I really needed at least 30 psi to get grapes to really fizz.

I then tried using my pressure cooker with watermelon - thinking that it is not so dense so would therefore absorb the gas faster.  And it did! The pressure is too low to get visible bubbles coming off but the watermelon did fizz on the tongue.  A big hit at the Chemistry Nuit Blanche food chemistry booth!

I forgot to take photos so I repeated the experiment recently using raspberries - yum!
I left them in for about 30 minutes.
Dry Ice at the bottom
Raspberries on top of an insulating layer


Odd to see the pressure up
when it is not on the stove!

I did find a couple of videos where they use a similar technique:

http://www.sciencefriday.com/videos/watch/10185
http://www.howcast.com/videos/421415-How-to-Make-Carbonated-Fruit

Next purchase will be a cream whipper - it does not only make whipped cream...it makes carbonated fruit!




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key words dry ice, fizzy treats, healthy food, techniques

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Food myths de-bunked

Here is a neat article de-bunking with science and experts some of the most common myths about food:
http://lifehacker.com/5847591/10-stubborn-food-myths-that-just-wont-die

How many have you fallen for?

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key words cool stuff, health effects

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

All the caffeine - none of the calories

Using chemistry to keep away from that Double Double at Tim Hortons or the Grande Moccachino at Starbucks:
What We've All Been Waiting For: Zero-Calorie, 'Inhalable' Caffeine


   or     

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key words coffee, equipment, health effects

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Comfort food taken to the MAX!

How to turn our everyday food into incredible visual and delicious courses...

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

unusual way to decant wine

Modernist Cuisine reports a quick way to decant wine - with a blender!

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key words modernist cuisine, techniques, wine

Friday, September 23, 2011

got my library copy of Modernist Cuisine!

And boy is it big! And beautiful!  Already had found an idea for a demo - carbonated grapes....
I think I need to try this today! Can you tell I am excited - so many exclamation marks...

Modernist Cuisine - 40 lbs of yumm...

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Thursday, September 1, 2011

Cyanide in fruit pits - how many are safe to eat?

The Art of Drink blogger, Darcy O'Neill, calculates how much cyanide can be produced in the human body by the ingestion of cherry and apricot pits: http://www.artofdrink.com/archive/research/cyanide-in-apricot-cherries-pits/

Cherry Pit Spit contest held at Blenheim Cherry Fest, 2009

http://ckdp.ca/2009/07/17/cherry-pit-spit-contest-held-at-blenheim-cherry-fest-photos-and-video/
Best to spit them out!!
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key words fruit pits, health effects, links

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Just in time for the summer heat - iced coffees and teas!

Harold McGee just wrote an excellent column for the New York Times on the merits of hot brewing and cold steeping coffee and tea.

His conclusion - both are delicious but in different ways!

I think I will go and start some cold coffee steeping...hot days ahead....
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key words coffee, Harold McGee, iced drinks, tea

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Another ACS webinar on food chemistry - BBQing!!

Just in time for the long weekend in Canada and the US!  A webinar on the chemistry of grilling.


Advanced Culinary Chemistry — Sizzles for the Summer


Joy of Science: Food Chemistry SeriesThe ability to control fire for cooking meat was a major advancement in human progress. Sometime in the 20th century, men gathered to brag about their barbecue prowess and “The Great American BBQ” contest was born. Depending on where you’re from, “barbeque” might even be a local sport akin to the Olympics! What’s really behind the best barbecue? Is it the perfect blend of secret seasonings, the marinating, the basting, the wood chips, or is it the chemistry? Whether you’re a BBQ Olympian or just king of the backyard patio, get ready for the chemistry behind one of the most sought after aromas in barbecue – smoke house flavor!

If you can't tear yourself away from work (or the grill) to watch and listen tomorrow, the webinar will be available later for on demand viewing.
Gorgeous cutaway of a BBQ grill
from Modernist Cuisine



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key words ACS, grilling, meat, webinar

Thursday, June 23, 2011

In the "because you can" category...

Scott at Seattle Food Geek just wrote a post on zapping pickles, bacon and soy sauce with direct electric current: http://seattlefoodgeek.com/2011/06/video-electrified-pickles-high-voltage-bacon-shocking-soy-sauce/

Awesome photos!!
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key words cool stuff, equipment, links

Feasting with your brain

Here is a fascinating article on a different kind of culinary mastery - neurocuisine.  A chef (and neurosurgeon!), Miguel Sánchez Romera, is opening a new restaurant in New York that offers tastes to stimulate your brain. He had already successfully owned a Michelin starred restaurant in Spain but was lured by Sant Chatwal, an Indian-born hospitality tycoon to open a New York restaurant in his new hotel this June.


His meals are a feast for the eyes which have direct connections to the brain and also are delicious, healthy and filling as well.  But at $245/meal, his food is not for everyone.  It will be interesting to read more about Romera's ideas in the future....if you can read Spanish, he has published some books already: http://www.miguelsanchezromera.com/
and here are some photos of his dishes:
http://obcn.zenfolio.com/neurogastronomy_by_miguel_sanchez_romera_and_oliver_brenneisen
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key words art, healthy food, medicine, restaurants

Monday, June 6, 2011

magnifying magnificent food!

Cake sprinkles - http://carenalpertfineart.com/img/gal/AlpertEM17.jpg
One food photographer decided to go up close and personal with food.  Caren Alpert has produced a set of unbelievably beautiful photos of ordinary ingredients incredibly magnified using scientific equipment:
http://carenalpertfineart.com/gallery.html

If you couldn't quite make the connection between food and chemistry - these photos really help!
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key words art, cool stuff, equipment

Monday, May 30, 2011

Burgers!!!

Scientific American has just published an article highlighting a series of videos from NBC Learn's Chemistry Now series on the "Chemistry of Burgers" just in time for understanding all our summer BBQing...

Of course, the definitive how-to-make-the-best-burger-in-the-world is from Modernist Cuisine!!
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key words frying, hamburger, meat, modernist cuisine

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

The Wonderful World of Cheese!!

Flickr photo by _gee_
Want to know more than you ever wanted to know about cheese?
There is another American Chemical Society food chemistry webinar tomorrow - all about cheese!

Remember if you can't be there on time tomorrow - the webinars are archived so you can watch them at your convenience.

So if you missed the wine webinar go here to see it: http://acswebinars.org/fenster
or the holiday cooking one: http://acswebinars.org/kitchenchemistry2010
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Sunday, April 10, 2011

Spagetti harvest

An April Fools joke from the distant past!!

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key words funny, pasta, video

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

playing with food



From http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2002/2051520228_c387fa4ea7_m.jpg

Here are some incredible examples of what you can create with veggies!!  Not terribly chemistry oriented but fun nonetheless!

Joost Elffers and Saxton Freymann have created these creatures and published a number of books filled with them.

You can also go the very high art way too with veggies: the Art Chef creates masterpieces and passes on his skills in classes as well.
http://www.artchef.com/images/480_Watermelon_carving1_109_25335_36125_.jpg
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key words art, cool stuff, vegetables

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Not strictly chemistry - but fun and useful!

This hits my other love - power tools!

Cooking with Power tools: Stuffed Zucchini











Makes coring a zucchini or any other veggie a bit easier.
Part of the "Duh! why didn't I think of that!" category.

Molecular gastronomy is bringing constant temperature baths, vaccuum sealers and many other "power tools" into the kitchen...
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key words cool stuff, equipment, vegetables

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Unusual soft drinks

The New York Times recently highlighted a couple who are using their daytime work skills to create a new afterwork business: designer soda drinks!

A Chemist, an Artist and a Lot of Fizz

By day, Antonio Ramos is a medicinal chemist at the drug maker Sanofi-Aventis in Bridgewater, N.J., where he helps develop molecules for prescription drugs. In the evening, he puts his chemistry skill set to a different use: developing formulas for Brooklyn Soda Works, the artisanal soda company he started last year with his partner, Caroline Mak. 
The flavours they have concocted include:

  • cucumber, lime & sea salt
  • grapefruit, jalapeno & honey
  • apple & ginger
  • Concord grape & fennel seed
  • strawberry, hops & pink peppercorn
  • raspberry & green peppercorn
and more are coming each week.

You can follow their progress and experiments with new flavours through their blog:
Brooklyn Soda Works

Making your own unusual sodas is as easy as getting a soda siphon and some juice!  You can buy the siphons and cartridges of CO2 at many cooking stores or online.

You can also make fizzy drinks using baking soda:
But what if you didn’t have the money to buy soft drinks? What then? Believe it or not, people used to make their own soft drinks! Yep, right at home in their kitchens. Mostly, it was lemonade or limeade, or other fizzy or sweet drinks made from the juice of various citrius fruits. You took lemon-juice, sugar, water and baking-soda (that’s Bicarbonate of Soda or Sodium Bicarbonate) and mixed the ingredients in correct quantities. You left the mixture to stand for a while, to give the baking-soda time to react with the lemon-juice and the other ingredients, the result being that it fizzed up, to create fizzy lemonade. You can still make homemade lemonade like this, and recipes are available on the internet. Some substitute the baking-soda and water for soda-water instead, but the results are all similar. Fizzy, sweet, lemon-flavoured goodness on a hot summer’s day.
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key words baking soda, CO2, juice, soda siphon

Thursday, March 24, 2011

The chemistry involved in making beer (not drinking it!)

Another webinar from the American Chemical Society
Advanced Chemistry of Beer and Brewing    Live on March 31, 2011

Do you like your beer malty? Hoppy? Smooth? Light? Dark? How about in a chilled glass with a side of chemistry, instead of bad bar food? With over 1,500 professional breweries and many dedicated home brewers, the United States takes the lead in producing this popular alcoholic beverage. Whether you’re a seasoned home brewer or just like to go “where everybody knows your name,” you don’t want to miss Dr. Charlie Bamforth, brewskie extraordinaire and Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting & Brewing Sciences at UC Davis, as he brews up advanced insights and explanations about the chemistry behind beer brewing!
“Advanced Chemistry of Beer and Brewing” A short presentation followed by Q&A with speaker Charles Bamforth, Anheuser-Busch Endowed Professor of Malting & Brewing Sciences at UC Davis.
What You Will Learn
  • The chemistry that underpins the quality of beer (foam, color, clarity, flavor).
  • The chemistry that makes beer the healthiest of drinks.
  • Differentiate between beers based on their chemistry
  • And much more…
Webinar Details
Date: Thursday, March 31, 2011
Time: 2:00-3:00 pm ET
Fee: Free
Register Now!
(https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/961101282)

All webinars are available as recordings afterwards too if you can't make the "live show"
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key words ACS, beer, webinar

Monday, March 14, 2011

Meat stocks examined

Imagine doing a PhD in the kitchen? No, you don't get credits for cooking for the family or yourself everyday!

Martin Lersch from the Khymos blog just wrote an interesting post about a conference paper on meat stock. Pia Snitkjær studied meat stocks and how the cooking times and temperatures affected the outcomes.  The thesis is downloadable from here: http://curis.ku.dk/portal-life/files/32448394/PHD.0111.pdf


PhD Thesis
It may not give you a recipe for the "perfect meat stock" but it might give you ideas as to what effect temperatures and times will have on the flavours you are seeking!

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key words links, meat, properties, stocks

Friday, February 25, 2011

To refrigerate or not to refrigerate- that is the question

Is mayonnaise the real culprit in a picnic food poisoning?  Turns out that is probably not the case - it is most likely the food handling of the other ingredients that was the real reason.
Lee from the Chemist's Kitchen lays out the reasons that some old adages are incorrect:
  • Commercial mayonnaise is made in sterile conditions so the mayo itself is not a problem.
  • Mayo has a low water content and a high acid content so it is not an ideal environment for bacteria.  
  • The main problems with the picnic/potluck potato/chicken salad is the the handling of the other ingredients - the potatoes, the chicken, etc. if left out too long prior to making the salad can begin to go bad or not washing raw vegetables well enough. 
  • Also personal hygiene is often a source of bacteria - improper hand washing or a dirty cutting surface can introduce germs.

Typical ingredients in mayonnaise:

Homemade:   egg, oil, spices, vinegar and/or lemon juice
A great simple recipe here: making mayonnaise with a stick blender
Commercial:
Hellman's mayonnaise contains
CANOLA OIL, WATER, LIQUID WHOLE EGG, VINEGAR, SALT, LIQUID YOLK, SUGAR, SPICES, CONCENTRATED LEMON JUICE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA.
The commercial version will use pasteurized eggs so that they are sterilized and will also be made in a sterile environment.

The main preservatives in mayo are the vinegar and the lemon juice and, in the case of the commercial stuff, the calcium disodium EDTA (see below for more info on this chemical as an additive).

Here is an extended excerpt from Harold Mcgee's book, The Curious Cook (1990) with more info that you really need to know on Mayonnaise!
He also has a long section on mayonnaise in his book, On Food and Cooking.
Turns out you should be able to make about 23 litres of mayo using one egg yolk if done properly!!

Maria's Curry Mayo Dressing

My sister-in-law introduced me to her delicious dressing/dip/sauce!

Mix mayonnaise, curry powder (or curry paste), lemon or lime juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
All amounts are to your desired taste and texture.

Use it:
  • on cooked vegetables such as green beans or cauliflower
  • as a dip with rice crackers or french fries (or sweet potato fries - Yumm!)
  • in a thinner runnier form  of caesar salad dressing
This a a great substitute for a cream sauce, sour cream or cream cheese in these situations.  You can substitute almost any other flavours as well!

Extra info:
calcium disodium EDTA
FDA regulations as a food additive:
Calcium disodium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate [(calcium ethylenedinitrilo) tetraacetate]; calcium disodium EDTA - AF, REG, 25 ppm - Fermented malt beverages - 172.120; Antigushing agent; MISC, 60 ppm - Spice extractives in soluble carriers; Color & flavor; 100 ppm - Pecan pie filling, promote color retention; 340 ppm - Clams (cooked-canned), promote color retention; 800 ppm - Dry Pinto beans, promote color retention; 310 ppm - Promote color retention in dried lima beans (cooked, canned); 275 ppm -Crabmeat (cooked- canned), retard struvite formation, promote color retention; 250 ppm - Shrimp (cooked-canned), retard struvite formation, promote color retention; 33 ppm -Promote flavor in carbonated soft drinks; 110 ppm - Promote color retention in canned white potatoes; 200 ppm - Mushrooms (cooked, canned); 220 ppm - In pickled cucumbers or pickled cabbage; To promote color, flavor & texture retention; 100 ppm - Promote color retention in artificially colored lemon-flavored and orange-flavored spreads; 100 ppm - Potato salad, preservative; 75 ppm alone or comb with disodium EDTA - French dressing, mayonnaise, and salad dressing; non-standardized dressings and sauces, preservative; 100 ppm alone or comb /w disodium EDTA - Sandwich spread, preservative; 200 ppm by wt of egg yolk portion - Egg product that is hard-cooked & consists, in a cylindrical shape, of egg white w/an inner core of egg yolk, preservative; 25 ppm - In distilled alcoholic beverages - 172.120, promote stability of color, flavor and or product clarity; PRES, REG/MIA, 75 ppm - Oleomargarine - Part 166; 365 ppm - Promote color retention in legumes (all cooked canned, other than dried lima beans, pink beans and red beans) - 172.120
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key words food preservation, label ingredients, mayonnaise

Friday, February 18, 2011

Honey - an almost perfect food

Did you know that honey is one of the only foods that does not spoil easily?  The high sugar content means there are very few unattached water molecules so it is not a very hospitable environment for microbes.

The two main sugars are fructose and glucose.

So my first molecular cuisine experiment involved honey - Honey sheets!



 Ingredients are simple:
 1/2 cup Honey
 1/2 cup water
 I package agar agar

 Fruit to wrap








Agar agar is a wonderful gelling product - it is made from the mucilage (the gooey stuff that oozes out) of a seaweed.  It also has no calories and is high in fibre. It gels a bit stronger than gelatin so is useful in some recipes.  Some people use it to help dieting by eating less - eating a food with agar agar in it before a meal will make you feel fuller faster.



Recipe instructions (from the Molecule-R DVD):

Boil up the water, honey and agar agar powder. Then pour a small amount on a plate (like making a  pancake) spread it evenly and then refrigerate it for 15 minutes. You can then cut out a round shape on the plate and even pick it up!




Wrap your favourite fruits and enjoy!  The agar agar is tasteless so the gel only tastes like honey -yummm...


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key words agar agar, Desserts, honey, molecular gastronomy

Friday, February 4, 2011

molecular gastronomy lecture/demo?

Just found a lecture to be held in Toronto next week - I can't make it but perhaps some others can!
http://www.otbfoods.com/otbfoods/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=35&zenid=8s7f7gm2htstfbl0sdfi4nb033
It is at the Humber College North campus ( between the 427 and 409)

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key words live events, molecular gastronomy

Friday, January 28, 2011

Edible paper for the edible inks

I should have added this to the other post but in addition to the ink you need something to print on - edible paper!
After some hunting on the internet, I did find the ingredient list for the "frosting paper" sold by KopyKakes.
INGREDIENTS: Water, glucose syrup, corn starch, microcrystal cellulose, sorbit, glycerin, microcrystal cellulose & CMC, starch syrup, locust bean gum, titanium dioxide powder, glucose syrup powder solid, methyl cellulose, potassium sorbate.
From http://www.edibleinkpaper.com/otheredibles.htm 
 Basically it is a sheet made up of sugar and water with some other ingredients added to give to flexibility and strength.
  • Titanium dioxide powder sounds ominous but it is used as a whitening agent (often used in toothpaste as well)
  • Sorbit is a sugar substitute
  • microcrystal cellulose & CMC and methyl cellulose are used in pills and such stuff since makes the material compressible into either pills or, in this case, paper 
There are also edible ink markers for free hand creating!







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    key words baking supplies, label ingredients

    Wednesday, January 26, 2011

    Got time on your hands?

    I kept finding so many cool and innovative ways of teaching/showing/complaining about chemistry that I decided to start a second blog called "off the wall chemistry"

    When you want to goof off for a few minutes or get lost on the digital highway for a few hours - take a look!
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    key words cool stuff

    Tuesday, January 25, 2011

    Everything you didn’t want to know about Cool Whip from Alltop

    I don't usually "do" Cool Whip but it has been known to happen - maybe not anymore?

    Everything you didn’t want to know about Cool Whip [infographic]

    and here is a recipe to tempt you anyway!!

    Berries in a Cloud Jello Dessert
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    key words Desserts, label ingredients

    Friday, January 21, 2011

    I need this too! A molecular cuisine kit

    A reader sent me this link to a most awesome kit for doing some of the most basic molecular gastronomy tricks:
    http://www.molecule-r.com/0-13-promotion-products-cuisine-r-evolution.html
    Order from Molecule-R, a Montreal, Quebec company!
    check out this video:

    Ok, so I ordered it... I'll let you know how stuff came out once I get it!!

    I did look at the ingredients list included and it has a number of the chemicals that are included in so many of the products on the store shelves:
    • Sodium alginate
    • Agar agar
    • Xanthum gum
    • Soy Lethicin
    Should be fun finally understanding why these items are added to everything!!
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    key words cool stuff, kits, label ingredients, molecular gastronomy

    Thursday, January 13, 2011

    Putting photos on cookies and cakes

    Found these neat cookies on one of my blogs and followed the link to the Bridget the baker at her "Bake at 350" blog. She uses edible inks and paper on an inkjet printer.

    So what the heck are edible inks and how does they work?

    Well, if you want to know what the ingredients are of anything involving chemicals there is probably an MSDS for it. MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet and is US government mandated for any chemical products produced or sold in the United States. It is a way that purchasers, suppliers and their employees will know what is in the products and be able to handle it safely and dispose of it appropriately.  You can usually google  "productname  MSDS" and something will pop up if it is easily available. Even stuff that is basically harmless will have an MSDS (try: "maple syrup MSDS")

    So I searched for the MSDS for edible inks and found the ingredient list for Candymark edible inks
    FD& C Yellow No.5 (21 CFR 74.705)
    FD& C Red No.3 (21 CFR 74.303)
    FD& C Blue No.1 (21 CFR 74.101)
    FD& C Red No.40 (21 CFR 74.340)
    Deionized Water* (No 21 CFR references exist for water)
    Propylene Glycol* (21 CFR 184.1666)
    Ethyl Alcohol* (21 CFR 184.1293)
    *Volatile components that could remain present in small quantities after printing, depending on the absorptivity of the food product and the drying mechanisms used once the inks have been applied.
    Since edible inks are made up of a number of chemicals, you would have to search for an MSDS for each one since the MSDS's are usually for a chemical not a mixture.  Here is a link to the MSDS for FD&C Yellow no. 5: http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924021

    Section 3: Hazards Identification
    Potential Acute Health Effects: Very hazardous in case of inhalation. Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion.
    Potential Chronic Health Effects:
    Very hazardous in case of inhalation. Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion. CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available.
    Section 4: First Aid Measures
    Eye Contact:
    Check for and remove any contact lenses. Immediately flush eyes with running water for at least 15 minutes, keeping eyelids open. Cold water may be used. Do not use an eye ointment. Seek medical attention.
    Skin Contact: No known effect on skin contact, rinse with water for a few minutes.

    Note that the dangers may seem exaggerated in some cases but that the warning is for the purest form and often in bulk.  A tiny bit of food colouring (which is already diluted in water) is not going to hurt you or else there would be greater warnings on the packaging as well.


    The numbers in brackets are Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) references that cover these chemicals. The regulations determine how much of these chemicals are allowed in food in the United States.

    TITLE 21 - FOOD AND DRUGS
    • CHAPTER I - FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: SUBCHAPTER A - GENERAL: PART 74 - LISTING OF COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION:subpart a - FOODS: 74.705 - FD&C Yellow No. 5.
    (a) Identity.
    1. The color additive FD&C Yellow No. 5 is principally the trisodium salt of 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-4-[4-sulfophenyl-azo]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid (CAS Reg. No. 1934210). To manufacture the additive, 4-amino-benzenesulfonic acid is diazotized using hydrochloric acid and sodium nitrite. The diazo compound is coupled with 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid or with the methyl ester, the ethyl ester, or a salt of this carboxylic acid. The resulting dye is purified and isolated as the sodium salt.
    2. Color additive mixtures for food use made with FD&C Yellow No. 5 may contain only those diluents that are suitable and that are listed in part 73 of this chapter as safe for use in color additive mixtures for coloring foods.

    (b) Specifications. FD&C Yellow No. 5 shall conform to the following specifications and shall be free from impurities other than those named to the extent that such other impurities may be avoided by good manufacturing practice: Sum of volatile matter at 135 C (275 F) and chlorides and sulfates (calculated as sodium salts), not more than 13 percent.
    • Water-insoluble matter, not more than 0.2 percent.
    • 4,4-[4,5-Dihydro-5-oxo-4-[(4-sulfophenyl)hydrazono]-1H-pyrazol-1,3-diyl]bis[benzenesulfonic acid], trisodium salt, not more than 1 percent.
    • 4-[(4,5-Disulfo[1,1-biphenyl]-2-yl)hydrazono]-4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, tetrasodium salt, not more than 1 percent.
    • Ethyl or methyl 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-4-[(4-sulfophenyl)hydrazono]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate, disodium salt, not more than 1 percent.
    • Sum of 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-phenyl-4-[(4-sulfophenyl)azo]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, disodium salt, and 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-4-(phenylazo)-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, disodium salt, not more than 0.5 percent.
    • 4-Aminobenzenesulfonic acid, sodium salt, not more than 0.2 percent.
    • 4,5-Dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, disodium salt, not more than 0.2 percent.
    • Ethyl or methyl 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate, sodium salt, not more than 0.1 percent.
    • 4,4-(1-Triazene-1,3-diyl)bis[benzenesulfonic acid], disodium salt, not more than 0.05 percent.
    • 4-Aminoazobenzene, not more than 75 parts per billion.
    • 4-Aminobiphenyl, not more than 5 parts per billion.
    • Aniline, not more than 100 parts per billion.
    • Azobenzene, not more than 40 parts per billion.
    • Benzidine, not more than 1 part per billion.
    • 1,3-Diphenyltriazene, not more than 40 parts per billion.
    • Lead (as Pb), not more than 10 parts per million.
    • Arsenic (as As), not more than 3 parts per million

    All of the info I found above is freely available on the internet. So if you are interested or suspicious about what you are cooking with or eating - do some browsing!
    at Thursday, January 13, 2011 0 peer review comments
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    key words baking supplies, cookies, label ingredients, properties

    Friday, January 7, 2011

    Monosodium glutamate (MSG) - not an allergy!

    In my grad school days, I revelled in the cheap and tasty eats in Toronto's Chinatown but found that after these meals my ears would ring and the tip of my nose would get numb - I thought I had an allergy to MSG.



    Turns out a lot of folks thought that too (called it Chinese restaurant syndrome) but they/we were too quick to point fingers.  Turns out that there was a bit of racialization in this accusation that it was Chinese food only that creates these reactions. Professor Ian Mosby of York University  wrote a history article on how the connection between MSG and chinese food came about:
    This paper examines the ‘discovery’ of the Chinese restaurant syndrome in 1968 and subsequent reactions by the medical community, scientists, public health authorities and the general public to dangers posed by the common food additive monosodium glutamate (MSG) and by Chinese cooking more generally. It argues that Chinese restaurant syndrome was, at its core, a product of a racialised discourse that framed much of the scientific, medical and popular discussion surrounding the condition. This particular debate brought to the surface a number of widely held assumptions about the strangely ‘exotic’, ‘bizarre’ and ‘excessive’ practices associated with Chinese cooking which, ultimately, meant that few of those studying the Chinese restaurant syndrome would question the ethnic origins of the condition.
    Research has shown that allergies to the MSG are few and far between - for most people it is probably a sensitivity to something else in the food. In proper clinical trials, people who were convinced they were allergic, could eat food with MSG added without any reaction if they did not know it had been added.  There is some speculation that MSG could increase a person's sensitivity to something else in the food though.

    In fact, the flavour imparted by MSG, unami, is one of the five primary tastes (salty, bitter, sweet, and sour are the other four) and is present in many foods that we eat regularly.
    In the West, Brillat-Savarin in his classic 1825 treatise “The Physiology of Taste” proposed the name “osmasome” to identify the essence of meaty taste, but was not able to isolate the key substance. The discovery of umami in Japan may have been in part due to the simplicity of “dashi,” which is prepared simply by dipping dried kelp (konbu) into boiling water. At the beginning of the 20th century, Ikeda noticed that an unidentified taste quality, dis- tinct from the four basic tastes (sweet, salty, sour and bitter), was present in palatable foods. He detected this taste most clearly in soups and in “dashi” prepared from kelp (konbu) or dried skipjack (katsuobushi), both of which have been used traditionally in Japanese cooking. Subsequently, he investi- gated the constituents of the dried konbu and discovered the taste to be contributed by the glutamate it contained. He named this taste “umami”.  From: Yamaguchi S, Ninomiya K., J Nutr. 2000 Apr;130(4S Suppl):921S-6S. Umami and food palatability 
    This table shows some of the glutamate levels in food ("no msg added"):
    Yamaguchi S, Ninomiya K., J Nutr. 2000 Apr;130(4S Suppl):921S-6S. Umami and food palatability
    [This table begs further research into why parmesan cheese has such a high glutamate count compared to other cheeses - in a future post perhaps.]

    L-Glutamic acid is the amino acid component of MSG, and has a long history of use in foods as a flavor enhancer. It is added either as the purified monosodium salt or as a component of a mix of amino acids and small peptides resulting from the acid or enzymatic hydrolysis of proteins. This amino acid is a major constituent of food proteins (in some foods comprising 20% of the total amino acid content), a pivotal metabolic intermediate in amino acid metabolism and a major energy source for cardiac myocytes. Regardless of dietary source (protein, protein hydrolysates or salts of free glutamic acid, including the monosodium salt MSG), all glutamate molecules entering the circulation from the gastrointestinal tract are structurally identical.
    Raif S. Geha, Alexa Beiser, Clement Ren, et al. Review of Alleged Reaction to Monosodium Glutamate and Outcome of a Multicenter Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study. 
    J. Nutr. April 2000 130: 1058 suppl.
    So according to Geha et al ("et al" means "and all the other authors of the paper") it should not matter where you get glutamate molecules - they should all give you a reaction if you are going to get one.


    So try a tomato and polenta tart (loaded with naturally occurring glutamates):


    From: http://guiltykitchen.com/2010/08/20/heirloom-tomato-polenta-tart-and-a-giveaway/

    Heirloom Tomato & Polenta Tart

    Photo from Guilty Kitchen
    Yield: One 9″ Tart, about 8 servings
    Prep Time: 30 minutes

    Cooking Time: 60 minutes
    4 cups  low sodium chicken stock
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 cup coarse whole grain cornmeal
    2 Tbsp butter
    2 medium sized cobs of fresh corn
    2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
    1 clove garlic, minced
    90g Parmesan Cheese, grated fine
    2 Tbsp butter
    300 g ricotta cheese
    1 large egg
    1 1/2 lb. Heirloom tomatoes (about 2 large tomatoes), sliced (about 1/4″ thick)
    sea or kosher salt to taste
    fresh cracked pepper to taste
    1. In a large, heavy bottomed sauce pan, bring stock to a boil.
    2. In an even stream, pour in the cornmeal, whisking as you do so. Stir in salt.
    3. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer, stirring very often. Continue to stir and check on the polenta for the next 30-40 minutes.
    4. Meanwhile, in another large saucepan, fill about half way with water and add about a tsp of salt. Bring to a boil, add in the corn and cook for about 5 minutes.
    5. Remove the corn and run under cold water to stop the cooking process and make it easy to handle.
    6. Hold the corn upright (vertically) and run a knife blade down all sides to remove the kernels.
    7. In a large sauté pan, melt 2 Tbsp of butter and add in the corn, rosemary and garlic. Sauté on medium high until the corn begins to take on a golden look to it and the garlic is fully cooked. About 6-7 minutes.
    8. When the polenta is finished, stir in 2 tbsp of butter, some pepper and the Parmesan cheese. Mix in the corn and rosemary mixture as well and set aside for a minute.
    9. Remove ricotta from refrigerator and stir in one egg and salt and pepper to taste, mixing until completely incorporated.
    10. Grease a 9″ round baking dish (preferably glass).
    11. Line greased baking dish with polenta, pushing it up so it meets the sides and leaves a bit of a well in the center for the remaining ingredients. Kind of like you are making a very thickly crusted pie.
    12. Pour the seasoned ricotta into the well and even it out with a spatula or large spoon.
    13. Top tart with concentric rings of tomato slices. Season with salt and pepper and bake in a 400°F oven for 45-60 minutes.
    14. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before slicing and serve with a side salad for a wonderfully refreshing, seasonal dinner.


    UPDATE: Additional reference!
    If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn't everyone in Asia have a headache?
    Alex Renton
    The Observer, Sunday 10 July 2005

    References

    A. N. Williams, K. M. Woessner, “Monosodium glutamate 'allergy': menace or myth?” Clinical & Experimental Allergy May 2009, 39(5), Pages: 640-646

    Ian Mosby, `That Won-Ton Soup Headache’: The Chinese Restaurant Syndrome, MSG and the Making of American Food, 1968–1980 Social History of Medicine April 2009, 22 (1), pg. 133-151 



    Raif S. Geha, Alexa Beiser, Clement Ren, et al. Review of Alleged Reaction to Monosodium Glutamate and Outcome of a Multicenter Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Study.  Journal of Nutrition April 2000 130, 1058 suppl.
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    Tuesday, January 4, 2011

    "colors of chemistry" and cooking!

    The American Chemical Society is celebrating the International Year of Chemistry with a monthly photo contest called the "Colors of Chemistry" and each month will have a different theme - coincidentally, the first month's theme is "chemistry in our food"!

    Here is a list of the other themes and the entry dates:

    MonthThemeEntry DeadlineVoting Phase
    JanuaryFoodJan 15, 2011Jan 16-31, 2011
    FebruaryAnimalsFeb 15, 2011Feb 16-28, 2011
    MarchWaterMar 15, 2011Mar 16-31, 2011
    AprilPastimesApr 15, 2011Apr 16-30, 2011
    MayDrinksMay 15, 2011May 16-31, 2011
    JuneAtmosphereJun 15, 2011Jun 16-30, 2011
    JulyTechnologyJul 15, 2011Jul 16-31, 2011
    AugustGardensAug 15, 2011Aug 16-31, 2011
    SeptemberMicrobesSep 15, 2011Sep 16-30, 2011
    OctoberForestsOct 15, 2011Oct 16-31, 2011
    NovemberSoilNov 15, 2011Nov 16-30, 2011
    DecemberCitiesDec 15, 2011Dec 16-31, 2011
    For examples of photos used in the ACS Colors of Chemistry calendar click here.

    So if you like photography, food and chemistry, here is a contest for you!
    at Tuesday, January 04, 2011 0 peer review comments
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    Who and Why

    Patricia
    I am a chemistry librarian but I studied as a chemist (once upon a time). I also enjoy cooking and with the relatively new field of "molecular gastronomy" exploding on the interwebs, I thought there was some call for explaining the chemistry of everyday cooking as well.
    Who is this blog for? Anyone who is interested in the why's behind the recipes - young and old.
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