Cooking Stack Exchange
Cooking Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [food-science]

All about the scientific theories behind food. Cooking myths debunked here.

Questions in this tag usually begin with "why", although the tag may also apply to more experimental science.

If you're looking for a scientific explanation of why a particular technique works (or doesn't work), or why some food looks or tastes the way it does, or if some common bit of cooking wisdom has ever been proven or disproven experimentally, then this tag is for you.

If you just want to know why your recipe didn't turn out right, please don't use this tag.

Note that we also have a tag which should be used for applied science questions, especially those on the subject of food additives such as buffers and hydrocolloids.

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Are there unwanted effects to simmering vegetables for days?

Simply put, will continuously simmering vegetables for days, even up to a week or two, in a perpetual stock lead to unexpected or unwanted results? Since even the longest stock recipes I know don't take more than a day to make, I assume flavour…
Hugo
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My Sourdough Starter has a brown layer at the top?

So my sourdough starter is about two weeks old, but it suddenly stopped growing three days ago (after a couple days of very active growth)and developed a brown layer on top.The layer is mostly brown with about 15 percent of it being normal starter.…
Pandai
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Why don't I have to refrigerate store-bought baby food but have to refrigerate home-made purees?

If I make an apple (or fruit) puree at home, the internet says I have to refrigerate it and then only have a couple of days to feed it to my child. But I can go buy a jar of Gerber baby puree off the shelf at the store and have it sit in my pantry…
BabyFood
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how to calculate a standard drink from the alcohol percentage?

Part science, part arithmetic question. For alcohol with proof x what volume constitutes a single drink? Defining a standard drink as 14 grams of alcohol: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standard_drink although it seems to be the wrong units. I…
Thufir
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Sourdough starter at elevation

I started my starter from a friends thanksgiving gift of a sample. I live at 6200 ft. Elevation. My issue i've run in to is after feeding it grows and bubbles within 4 hours and thickens. The next day its lost it's expansion and bubbles are smaller…
Bob
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Can opened cooking cream in frozen state go bad?

I opened this cooking cream 2 months ago and it stayed in the refrigerator in an almost fully frozen state (right under the cold air blowing fan). It also has lost its flavour (not bitter, doesn't have a taste) and doesn't have an odour (slightly…
TheLostInUnknown
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Potato chips lose crunch and taste within a week

We make potato chips commercially, but they lose crunch and taste within 7 days. How can one delay or prevent potato chips from losing their crunchiness and taste?
khuram
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What is the role of butter in mash gravy?

I am making a gravy for mashed potatoes. Looking at recipes online, I have found that a few of them don't require any butter, while others use them to varying ratios (to broth/water) What is the role of this ingredient in an excellent gravy for…
user60513
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How can I prove ganache is safe at room temperature?

Ganache I make is a ratio of 2:1, cream is boiled 3 times to reduce water content, chocolate is a mixture of dark and milk. Upto 50g of glucose syrup is added as a preservative. I know the ganache is perfectly fine to eat for upto 10 days at room…
Racheal
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Which factors determine the absorption levels of foods?

I wonder if there are some general rules for primary food groups (meat, veggies) that a cook can use to increase/decrease the amount of oil, water, and other compounds uptaken by the target ingredient from surrounding ingredients. For example, when…
vantage5353
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Does liquid glucose contain as much fructose as high fructose corn syrup?

Does liquid glucose contain fructose in the same ratio as high fructose corn syrup?
Bob Lister
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How does bacterial contamination grow on food, and is the standard advice to cook your food to a high internal temperature wrong?

The standard advice, for both steak and fish is to cook them to an internal temperature of 160 degrees to kill any bacterial contamination. Is this overly simplistic advice that's mostly incorrect? Please hear me out: In the case of fish, the…
Greg Sherman
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What determines if something is easy to chew? A lot of liquid or totally dehydrated?

On one hand, we have foods like jelly or melted cheese which are primarily liquid and seem very easy to eat and swallow. On the other hand, we have astronaut food or some pastries (or cotton candy?) which have no liquid at all. They essentially…
personjerry
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When is the expiry date?

Honest to god, I tried so hard to identify it. I do see JAN 17 but I'm not sure if its January of 2017 or January the 17th. Plus I see 00:42 there but I'm not sure what it means, but I have a feeling its to do with its creation date. I have checked…
user3412975
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Breading/Crumbing Chicken in their own eggs

I have heard of a new trend for recipes involving breaded chicken meat. Instead of using random eggs, the eggs laid by the very chicken you're preparing should be used for breading. This way a special flavor is reached. Can anyone confirm special…
Marcus
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