Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [chemistry]

Questions about the chemical composition or properties of ingredients and dishes.

186 questions
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Pitaya Red Velvet Cake became brown

Starting point: I was trying to follow a red velvet cake recipe from the internet, but since I always try to replace industrial/artificial ingredients by more "natural" ones (just out of curiosity), I decided to replace the buttermilk and the liquid…
Pedro V. G.
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What is meant when a spice is water-soluble?

Coriander and basil are said to be water-soluble. However, I'm not quite sure what this means. If you put the leaves into water the leaves do not dissolve. They are still there at the end. I know certain nutrients can be water soluble — e.g.,…
James Wilson
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What protease is in avocado?

What protease in particular does avocado contain? I've been searching everywhere for it on the internet and still couldn't find any answers.
Zohaib Hafiz
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Triple cooked chips: Removing moisture by cooling

Triple cooked chips (French fries) are made by: Boiling the chips, then cooling them in the fridge/freezer to remove moisture Deep frying at a low(ish) temperature, then cooling again as above Deep frying at a higher temperature The intermediary…
Xophmeister
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Chemical process behind hardening ice cream

We made a simple ice cream by mixing whipping cream, sugar, and Nutella. After 5-6 hours (surely enough time for the ice cream to cool to the temperature of the freezer), it was soft (mechanically soft, while getting it out with a spoon). After…
hulkingtickets
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Preserving Nerds / Pop Rocks so they activate in the mouth and not in the food

I want to be able to use Nerds and/or Pop rocks in cooking. However, unless the food is ultra dry, the food itself activates / dissolves it; I want it activated in the mouth. a) Is there a way to do this that does not involve coating them with…
Sai
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How can I avoid getting swindled? How can I detect polyphosphates in fish fillets?

Fish fillets are treated with polyphosphates for several reasons, but mainly to increase their weight (and hence the profit). According to this FAO paper: The first and universal effect of all polyphosphate treatment is to increase the weight of…
Dr. belisarius
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Vinegar in stock

One day I finished cooking a beef stock. When I poured the stock into a glass bowl and added some vinegar, a cloudy precipitate formed and remained suspended in the stock, leaving it somewhat cloudy. Chemist chefs, what happened?
Simon Kuang
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Why brewed coffee in a pot needs a lid?

Coffee in an electric drip brewer (a model like this) goes all murky brown and opaque very fast, when the pot is left without a lid. With lid, it stays translucent and bright dark brown for quite a bit longer. What is the process that happens…
hyde
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Differences between gel and gelatine

Are they physically different? If so, what is the difference, between a gel and gelatine, or it's proccesses gelation and gelling (gelatinization. gelatinisation)?
J.A.I.L.
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How come mere water buffalo milk and lemon juice mixture turn into yogurt?

Yogurt is produced by the fermentation of lactose in milk by the bacteria of yogurt-ferment. Without those bacteria it is not possible to make yogurt. But surprisingly, water buffalo milk and lemon juice mixture turns into yogurt without any third…
hkBattousai
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Dissolving Egg Shell

I know that an egg shell is made up of approximately 92% Calcium Carbonate. The remaining percentage of the mass is a protein matrix. I know that vinegar (5% acetic acid) dissolves the Calcium Carbonate. Does any other food (such as lemon juice…
cytinus
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Can homemade vinegar be safely sealed in a bottle?

When I've read kombucha recipes a last recommended step was to bottle the liquid, allow some gas buildup to carbonate it, and then refrigerate it to stop the bacteria from continuing to produce gas. My understanding is that if you just left the…
qfwfq
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How to get crystallized honey out of a bowl

I was attempting to make a teriyaki sauce with soy sauce generous amounts of honey and orange juice boiling it all down on medium heat with some starch to thicken it. I ended up overdoing both the boiling and the honey. Pouring it into a ceramic…
cyan txt
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Can I use washing soda to cook noodles?

I found a recipe for homemade ramen noodles that calls for 'baked baking soda'. Based on some research, baking sodium bicarbonate will convert it to sodium carbonate. Na2CO3 is more basic than NaHCO3 and apparently basic water is good for chewy…
Ethan Reesor
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