Science of Candy: Visit the Fudge House!
When the desired temperature is reached, Tom pours the fudge out onto a marble table. Marble is smooth, nonstick, and can absorb a lot of heat due to its high density. Co-owner Tom Lowe keeps a log of the temperature to which each batch of fudge ... [... more]
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Science of Bread: Yeast-air Balloons Activity
The purpose of any leavener is to produce the gas that makes bread rise. Yeast does this by feeding on the sugars in flour, and expelling carbon dioxide in the process. While there are about 160 known species of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ... [... more]
Exploratorium |
Science of Eggs: Kitchen Lab
Experiment with cooking methods and seasonings in this classic egg dish. In hollandaise sauce, butter and water form a creamy mixture. Egg yolk helps the two liquids stay together. This delicious dessert is made when egg proteins form a network ... [... more]
Exploratorium |
Science of Candy: Candy Around the World
People everywhere, particularly children, seem to have an innate liking for sweets and candy. Some scientists explain this “natural sweet tooth” as an evolutionary safety measure—many sweet-tasting foods such as ripe fruits and vegetables are ... [... more]
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Science of Candy: Visit a lollipop factory!
The first thing you notice when you walk in the place is the wonderful smell. That smell is a mixture of 60% corn syrup and 40% sugar, steam-cooked to 310° F, or hard-crack stage. The hot candy dribbles out of the boiler onto a metal table. To ... [... more]
Exploratorium |
Science of Candy: Science of Sugar
The white stuff we know as sugar is sucrose, a molecule composed of 12 atoms of carbon, 22 atoms of hydrogen, and 11 atoms of oxygen (C12H22O11). Like all compounds made from these three elements, sugar is a carbohydrate. It’s found naturally in ... [... more]
Exploratorium |
Science of Bread: Kitchen Lab
See science working in delicious ways with the following recipes: Confused about gluten? Baffled by yeast? Try these activities. Baking bread is part science and part art. Make the two come together by baking a loaf yourself. Different grains ... [... more]
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Science of Bread: Ethiopian Injera Recipe
Injera is not only a kind of bread—it’s also an eating utensil. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices ... [... more]
Exploratorium |
Science of Eggs: Experimenting with Naked Eggs Activity
Dissolve the eggshell—without breaking the membrane that contains the egg. Then use your naked egg to experiment with osmosis, the movement of water across a membrane. Put one of your shell-less eggs into a small container and add enough corn ... [... more]
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Science of Candy: Saltwater Taffy Recipe
Saltwater taffy is a candy and an upper-body workout all in one. To give it its light but chewy texture, you’ll be pulling it, and pulling it, and pulling it for up to 15 minutes. Still want to make it? Here’s a recipe! More about taffy. Use a ... [... more]
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Science of Cooking: Pickles
Learn about the science behind pickling with fun online exhibits, articles, recipes, and activities. Pickling is the ancient culinary craft of preserving foods in salt brine or vinegar. Over millennia, cultures across the globe have tinkered with ... [... more]
Exploratorium |
Science of Candy: Lightning in Your Mouth Activity
Crunching on a wintergreen LifeSaver® makes a miniature lightning storm in your mouth. Go into the dark room and wait until your eyes adjust to the dark. Bite down on a wintergreen candy while looking in the mirror. (This is one of the few times ... [... more]
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