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Questions tagged [chemistry]

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

186 questions
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Aiding the Maillard reaction: Baking Powder or Baking Soda?

I will attempt to cook a Thai Green Chicken Curry. I'll be using cubed boneless chicken thigh which I would like to brown really well. I remember reading somewhere that Baking Powder or Baking Soda could be used to aid the Maillard reaction by…
seeker
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Dry aging at home - is it really possible?

I am thinking to test the process of dry aging at home. I have some questions: What exactly are the processes a piece of meat experiences, in this case, beef, from the time it is slaughtered to the time its cuts show up in the meat counter in your…
l3win
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Create hot "sauce" from capsaicin extract

There are a lot of hot sauces like "Blairs Mega Death" with more than 500.000 scoville heat units. However, they do have some odd taste, which I don't really like. So I'm thinking of creating a sauce from capsaicin or nonivamide extract. These are…
bytecode77
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How can I get a syrupy "mouth-feel" in sugar-free syrup?

I viscerally hate low calorie sugar replacements - all of them, including Splenda (sucralose), except in one application. In my iced coffee I like sugar-free hazelnut syrup. The brand that I've been using is sweetened with Splenda (and sneakily,…
Jolenealaska
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Why should I add salt to my curries?

I've been advised by a friend of mine that I have to add salt to my curries if I want the spices to come out and not leave me with a bland curry. Now after being a doubter, as I never add salt to my food (for flavour reasons), I tried once or twice…
AncientSwordRage
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Separating Chlorophyll didn't work

I tried to extract chlorophyll from spinach by blending up some spinach and water and straining out the green juice, then heating the juice. I've done it before, but this time, it wouldn't separate. Does it not work if you overheat it? I brought…
Allison
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Flavor and Chemical Composition of Thyme

What is the flavor of Thyme? What chemicals give it this flavor?
cytinus
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What chemical(s) gives molasses its flavor so that it is used as an ingredient?

I'm curious why there isn't a zero-calorie molasses substitute. The USDA nutrient database lists a bunch of minerals, but what is it that gives it the "taste" of molasses?
Matt Chambers
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Can I rescue unwhippable cocoa-meringue?

I had a bunch of egg whites leftover so I thought I'd make meringues. And for fun I thought I'd throw in some cocoa powder. This is a Swiss meringue recipe where I warmed the whites, cocoa, and sugar over steam until the sugar dissolved (about 60…
spraff
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Black stains developed on the bottom on stainless steel pot

Black stains developed on the bottom on stainless steel pot. These are coming back after cleaning the pot when I cook chicken. What are these, whether it is possible to get rid of these and it is it still safe to use this cooking pot? Here are the…
user1234883
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Maillard Reaction at Higher Pressures

The Maillard Reaction requires temperatures of 140 to 165 Degrees Celsius; hence "browning" cannot be achieved with water when cooking under normal conditions since the boiling point of water is 100 Degrees Celsius, therefore to brown food we use…
Bertrand Einstein IV
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Disolving chocolate in vodka?

I wanted to make a chocolatey drink, but creme de cacao is way too sweet. So I decided to try making chocolate vodka. I added about 3/4 cup of 63% chips (Guittard extra dark) into a small magic bullet blender cup. I then covered it in vodka, plus an…
Ethan Reesor
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Why adding soda without vinegar to the cake batter?

I have this well-rated chocolate cake recipe that I have not baked yet. It's ingredients (among others) are 175g self-raising flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda My understanding is that soda is needed to make the cake fulffier, and it only works when…
Yulia V
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Good book on the chemistry of cooking?

What is a good book on the chemistry of cooking? I am looking for a book that discusses fermentation chemical reactions and reactions that occur when food is heated.
Geremia
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Do yeast pancakes contain alcohol?

I fed my 2 year old pancakes that required yeast: yeast, mashed banana, warm water, whole wheat and buckwheat flour, and salt. I left the batch in the fridge overnight, and in the morning added a teaspoon of sugar, some more water, and a bit of oil.…
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