Questions about the chemical composition or properties of ingredients and dishes.
Questions tagged [chemistry]
186 questions
52
votes
2 answers
Why drain soaked rice?
When cooking black rice, I’ve been told I need to soak it for a few hours, then drain and finally cook with 1:3 parts regular rice (i.e., topped up with fresh water).
Black rice is a type of glutinous rice, so I can understand the soaking stage.…
Xophmeister
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32
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7 answers
Can one bake a cake with a cooked egg instead of a raw one?
This recent question about a person who wanted to bake a cake but only had a cooked egg left suggested me an even stupider one: is it possible to bake a cake with a cooked egg instead of a raw one? After all, the egg is going to end up cooked inside…
Federico Poloni
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31
votes
2 answers
Why do shrimp / lobster / crab turn pink or red when cooking?
Cooking is a form of chemistry - so there must be a scientific reason behind this.
Why do all crustaceans turn pink or red when cooked?
SnakeDoc
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29
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8 answers
How long is garlic butter safe, and why is it not a botulism risk like garlic in oil?
I've been making garlic butter for years, storing it for months at a time. When I read that garlic-in-oil can grow dangerous amounts of botulinum toxins after similar lengths of time, I wondered how safe garlic butter is and why.
Evidently, the…
FvD
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25
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3 answers
How deeply will the flavors in a brine penetrate chicken?
I'm not asking about salt or "juiciness". I think there is enough evidence here and elsewhere to answer that question with "pretty deep, or all the way to the bone". My question concerns spices and other flavorings in the brine. I want to know not…
Jolenealaska
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20
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2 answers
Why does rapeseed oil turn sticky but coconut oil doesn't?
Whenever I season my cast iron pan with canola/rapeseed oil it turns sticky after a few weeks. It also gets sticky on the bottle and glues the cap on sometimes. When I season it with coconut oil, it doesn't get sticky and looks beautiful. Why does…
Chloe
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18
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3 answers
What is the purpose of oil or butter in bread?
Specifically in wheat and potato breads, what is the purpose of adding oil or butter to the dough?
I have always assumed it was just for flavor, but I suspect there is some background chemical reasons for adding it.
Gabriel Fair
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17
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2 answers
Why does my banana bread have a moist top?
My mother always made banana bread when I was growing up, and my favorite part was the the fact that the top of the loaf was sweet and moist, to the point that it would leave residue if you touched it! Hers is the only banana bread that I've seen…
sgbrown
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17
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3 answers
Coconut Water from White vs Brown Coconuts
The warning label on each coconut describes how to treat the water within each. The water on the brown coconut is to be discarded; the water on the white coconut is safe for consumption.
In what ways is the water from the brown coconut different…
ProductionValues
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16
votes
3 answers
Does chlorine evaporate from water when cooking?
Most municipal water supplies in the U.S. include noticeable levels of chlorine or chloramine added to kill microbes, and often adds an objectionable chemical smell.
Does chlorine evaporate when cooking? If so, does it require boiling…
Jeff Axelrod
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15
votes
2 answers
Why do people recommend cream of tartar when whipping egg whites to the exclusion of all other acids?
Virtually every single egg white recipe will say add some cream of tartar to egg whites to help them whip better because the cream of tartar will lower the pH and make it more stable. But if all it's doing is making it more acidic, why exclusively…
Shalmanese
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15
votes
1 answer
Why does my deep fryer say not to use peanut oil?
I got a Tefal deep fryer for Christmas (yay!) which has an automatic filtering system so you can re-use oil multiple times. When reading through the manual it says 'Do not use groundnut (i.e. peanut) oil', without any explanation as to why. My…
GdD
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14
votes
2 answers
What is the film on top of tea?
The quiet surface of a cup of tea always seems to be covered by a thin, immovable film, even when convection currents are still moving things around inside the liquid at some speed. The surface reflects light a bit like oil. When touching the film…
l0b0
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13
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1 answer
Does sputtering butter mean that water is present?
When I place a pat of butter in a hot pan, the butter melts and begins to sputter and steam. Then steam bubbles pop which sends tiny grease drops flying out of the pan. This happens consistently whereas oil into a hot pan does not show the same…
Keith Payne
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13
votes
4 answers
homemade mint extract
I've got some mint in the yard (I think it's apple mint, as the leaves are very fuzzy and rounded) from which I'd like to make mint extract. No specific use in mind (except perhaps insect repellent), just a kind of home chemistry experiment.
I've…
Kricket
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