Science in the kitchen: How to get kids interested
Science shouldn't be reserved just for the classroom. There are plenty of science experiments that you can do in the kitchen that involve food. Your kids will learn something while helping you make some yummy treats too.
Turn cream into whipped cream without whipping
Get yourself some whipped cream chargers from www.creamchargersdirect.co.uk and show your kids something magical. Place cream and sugar into the dispenser with the charger attached. Then all you need to do is squeeze the trigger onto whatever your are making. Freshly whipped cream on hot chocolate, sundaes and cakes.
The science: The nitrous oxide in the charger is forced into the cream. It dissolves into the fatty molecules and creates a matrix that will temporarily hold pockets of gas. This forms the whipped cream that comes out. Using a cream charger actually makes a lighter whipped cream than the handmade method.
The juiciness of meat and resting time
This is probably one for older kids but it will teach them about patience, as well as giving them skills for the future.
You can prepare two pieces of meat, let's say a steak. One you should leave to rest in a warm place after cooking – around five minutes – and the other you should cut up straight away. You and your children will see how the difference in texture changes between the two pieces of meat.
Look at texture, flavour and how much juice is retained within the meat.
The science: Resting gives the muscle fibres in the meat time to stretch, which distributes the juices more evenly. Take a look at The Food Lab from Serious Eats for more details.
Crunchy cookies or chewy cookies
If you want to bake deliciously chewy cookies then the trick is to melt the butter first. Experiment with two batches of cookies made from the same recipe. In one batch melt the butter and in another keep it in chunks. If all goes to plan the cookies with the melted butter should be chewy and the other crunchy.
The science: Butter is around 18% water. When you melt it and add it to the mixture, the water will bind with the proteins in the flour to form gluten. It's this that makes the cookies chewy.
The joys of umami
Umami is the fifth taste after salt, sweet, sour and bitter. It can be found in all sorts of food, especially those that have been seared in a hot pan. You can experiment with these flavours by using heavily umami foods in you day-to-day cooking.
Anchovies are a great example of this. Chop them up small and add to dishes such as chilli, burgers and spaghetti bolognese. You won't be able to taste the fish specifically but the overall flavour will be improved.
With your children, try a blind taste test and get them to choose which dish they prefer. Instead of anchovies you can also use Marmite and soy sauce as an umami-bomb.
The science: Umami comes from a mixture of glutamates and ribonucleotides. When you combine foods with these umami-giving compounds, you get a huge flavour impact.