Monthly Archives: March 2010

How To Teach Science During Dinner… With Mac and Cheese

March 25, 2010
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Whether it comes from a box (ewww…) or is made from scratch (oh yeah!) you have to enjoy the cheesy goodness of the ever-popular…

Macaroni and Cheese!

I’ve put down more bowls of this gooey comfort food than I can count.  Despite the MASSIVE amounts of recipes out there (I received nearly 700,000 results from an Internet search for “Mac ‘n Cheese Recipes,) there is still ONE ingredient that remains the same in all of these dishes… the macaroni.

This week, we are going to take a look at what goes on inside our favorite curved pasta.  Before we do, be certain to check out the four main concepts you’ll need to explain the science behind Mac and Cheese:


Most of the macaroni you see either in a bag or stuck to a piece of artwork on your refrigerator door is nothing more than a hardened mixture of wheat flour and water.  In two previous posts, you learned that wheat flour is made up of many different molecules (aka – groups of ATOMS).

The majority of wheat flour (about 70%) is made up of an amazing group of molecules known as starch.  And after you add water to flour, large molecules known as gluten make up most of the remaining 30%.

Now when you place the uncooked macaroni into a pot of boiling water, all sorts of cool things start to happen!

We learned all about the science of water within the post on How to Teach Science During Breakfast…with Coffee.    Basically, the molecules within the boiling water receive a HUGE amount of energy from the stove.  This DIFFUSION of energy from the stove, onto the pot, and into the water causes all of the water molecules to start moving around a lot.

You’d move around a lot too if there was a fire under you?  I bet you would!

There is a lot more DIFFUSION going on when the macaroni finds its way into that boiling pot of water.  As soon as the pasta gets into the water, the starch within the macaroni starts to absorb some of that hot water.  Another way to say this is:

The water molecules begin to DIFFUSE into the starch.

What does that moving water do to the DENSITY of the pasta?

Nothing!

Density is defined as the amount of atoms found within an object (of a particular size.)  This means that every uncooked piece of macaroni has a measurable density.  But if you have ever spent time cooking pasta, you would know that pasta SWELLS as it is being cooked.  Since its size increases, its density will remain the same.

Don’t fall into the trap that so many people do!

You may BELIEVE that the swelling pasta is actually making new atoms to cause its increase in size.   BUT THIS IS NOT TRUE!   Remember the LAW OF CONSERVATION:

Atoms cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged.

The swelling of the pasta is simply the diffusion of water molecules into the starch molecules!

Anyone can take out a box of instant macaroni and cheese, cook the pasta, and dump that weird-looking “cheese powder” into the mix.  But as we all know, good food takes time to prepare.  Below is my recipe for homemade Mac and Cheese.   I promise that once you try this recipe, you’ll never buy another box of “mystery powder” cheese in a box again.  Cheers!

Mr. Q’s  Macaroni and Cheese

1 pound elbow macaroni
1 stick unsalted butter
5 Tablespoon flour
3 (12 oz) cans evaporated milk
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoons dry mustard
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
2 cups extra-sharp cheddar
1 ¼ cups American cheese
¾ cup Monterey Jack
¼ cup Bread crumbs
¼ cup Parmesan cheese

Cook macaroni in plenty of water and drain.  Set is aside for a bit.

Melt ½ of the stick butter until foaming.  Stir in flour and cook (about a minute with CONSTANT stirring) until the mixture turns brown.  Wisk in the evaporated milk, nutmeg, dry mustard, and hot pepper sauce for 3-4 minutes until mixture is slightly thick and simmering.

Remove pot from heat and stir in the cheeses and ½ cup of hot water.  Stir until the cheeses melt, then stir in the macaroni.

Top with mixture of ¼ cup bread crumbs, ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, and ½ stick of melted butter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20(ish) minutes in 9-in baking dish.

And, as always, good food takes time so….

SLOW DOWN and let this bubbly meal sit for 5-10 minutes before you eat!

Find out more about scientific concepts for your family within the Classic Science Curriculum

Be certain to check back every Thursday or subscribe to the Blog of Mr.Q for weekly updates.


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How to Teach Science During Dinner… With Pizza!

March 18, 2010
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Oh yes.  Pizza.  What more can be said?  Most of us have tried many different kinds of pizza and have found at least one favorite for the dinner (or breakfast) table.

So this week, let’s pull a little information from my Classic Science Chemistry book and dig into a little of the science behind this tasty item.  Rather than focus on the science of MAKING a pizza, let’s look more at the science of EATING our pizza.  First of all, let’s review some of the basic concepts we will be looking at from our previous series on the Science of Breakfast:


As you already know, pizza (like everything else in the universe) is made up of atoms.  And atoms usually do not just hang around by themselves.  They stick together with each other to form a larger group called a molecule.  Pizza is filled with billions of molecules!

This fact is both good and bad for us.  You see, our bodies need many of the atoms within these molecules to live.   That’s right!  We use these atoms to help us move, breathe, walk, talk…

But there is a HUGE problem!  These atoms are stuck together in such LARGE molecules that our bodies cannot use them.  Another way to say this is the density of our pizza is too large.  There are too many atoms stuck together in that piece of pizza for our bodies to be able to use them. We need to move them away from each other!

But how?

This is where our digestive system comes in!

First, let’s imagine you are eating your favorite kind of pizza. Once that pizza gets in your mouth your teeth get to work.  They grind your pizza into smaller and smaller pieces. By doing this, your teeth start to break down a lot of the large molecules into smaller molecules!

This means your teeth help to diffuse the molecules within the pizza away from each other!  This makes your slice of pizza less dense.

But the molecules that make up your pizza still need to break apart even more! This is when your body starts to attack your food with chemicals called enzymes (“en-zimes”). Enzymes are chemicals made by your body to do all kinds of cool things. Some enzymes are made to help break down the large molecules in your food!

Now if you want to get REALLY gross, you can open your mouth and look at all of that mushed up goodness that was once your pizza.  (Please don’t do that at the dinner table…)

You might be thinking with all of that grinding and tearing from your teeth AND the chemical warfare you are waging against that squished up goo swimming in your mouth that SOME of the atoms within that pizza HAVE to be destroyed, right?

WRONG!

The Law of Conservation states that atoms cannot be created or destroyed, only changed.  That means all those atoms within your pizza are still hanging around inside your body (unless, of course, you left a few crumbs on your cheek.)

Imagine a slice of pizza built out of building blocks.  You could easily take apart that artistic masterpiece with a little effort, right? Of course you could.  Well THAT is what you are doing your pizza with your mouth!  You’re not destroying anything at all, just rearranging the pieces.

I’m not done yet!  We’ve got a lot of science to look at during dinner.  Stay tuned!

Find out more about scientific concepts for your family within the Classic Science Curriculum

Be certain to check back every Thursday or subscribe to the Blog of Mr.Q for weekly updates.




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Patience, Proteins, and the Preparation of Pancakes

March 11, 2010
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I mentioned in my most recent monthly LabNotes newsletter that we were going to start looking at the Science of Dinner.  And we are! But before I do, I feel that I need to provide at least one post on a very important menu item that is found within our dinner nearly every day.   To do this, we are going to look backwards into a previous post on pancakes.  So let’s get started!

First of all, it seems we are ALWAYS in a rush nowadays.  Run… Run… Run…

Regardless of how fast our lives have become, there is one fact that will always hold true:

Good food takes time to prepare.

More importantly, good food deserves even MORE time to savor.  I know what you are thinking, “But my time is so short.  I have to do A, then B, then C…”

Listen, I understand how hectic life can get.  But believe me, slowing down and enjoying something as simple as a meal can bring out so many good qualities in all of us.  And if you can teach someone else an invaluable life skill AND learn a little about the science behind its preparation – everyone wins!

This week, we are definitely going to SLOW DOWN and take our time looking at an amazing staple of our diet:

Wheat Flour

Wheat flour has been the primary ingredient in our ongoing discussion of pancakes.  In fact, I hinted at the important role of wheat flour while discussing all those bubbles within our pancake batter…

“There’s another trick to keeping your pancake fluffy.   I mentioned it earlier in the post when I suggested that you GENTLY mix together your batter.”

Why should you GENTLY mix together your batter?

The answer to his question lies within the chemistry of wheat flour!  As we have already examined, the majority of flour (about 70%) is made up of an amazing group of molecules known as starch.

But what about the remaining 30%?  What is hidden within all that starch?

Well, a portion of that 30% is made up of large, chain-like molecules called proteins.  One of these proteins, called glutenin, (“glew-ten-in”) can do a special little trick that is VERY important in the development of our fluffy pancakes.

While inside a dry cup of dry flour, glutenin just sits there.  (Pretty boring.)  But add a little fluid to that flour and all those protein start to come alive! (Okay… Nothing is REALLY coming to life in your flour!  It’s just a play on words.)

But seriously, each of those glutenin proteins start to attach to each other, end-to-end, until MASSIVE chains of protein exists within that floury batter.  It is these massive chains of protein (called gluten) which causes your pancakes to be light and fluffy – or have the density of a dinner plate.

You see, if you could look at a gluten protein chain, it would look like a coiled-up spring or phone cord.  And if you have ever had one of these phone cords in your home, you know how easy it is turn into a knotted mess.  Gluten is a very tough molecule, and its coiled shape makes it very stretchy.

I don’t think you want your pancakes very tough and stretchy, do you?  Probably not.

So the LAST thing you want is to get all those glutenin proteins together to form long gluten chains!

But how do you keep gluten from forming?  Easy!

  • GENTLY mix your batter.  You don’t want too many of those glutenin proteins bouncing into each other and forming the tough gluten chains.  Remember…  SLOW DOWN.
  • Add oil to the batter.  Oil tends to stick to the glutenin proteins and keeps them from joining together to form gluten.
  • Add sugar and eggs.  That’s right! Sugars and eggs tend to get in the way of glutenin proteins which keep them from forming more gluten.
  • Use buttermilk instead of regular milk.  Buttermilk is very thick compared to regular milk, which means you can create the same thickness of pancake batter without adding as much flour. Less flour=less glutenin.

It’s a good thing ALL of these ingredients are found within your pancake batter, huh?

You also will want the batter to sit still for a few minutes before you start cooking too.

Why?  Because you want to make certain that all of the baking powder you added to your batter has time to create a few million bubbles.  Bubbles are very good in your pancakes and they take TIME to form!

Oh yeah… have I mentioned how important it is to SLOW DOWN yet?  Hmm….

Next week, we are going to use our knowledge of these powerful proteins as we turn our attention towards the preparation of a dinnertime favorite.  Can you say PIZZA?!?!?


It seems we are ALWAYS in a rush nowadays. Run… Run… Run…

Regardless of how fast our lives have become, there is one fact that will always hold true:

Good food takes time to prepare.

More importantly, good food deserves even MORE time to savor. I know what you are thinking, “But my time is so short. I have to do A, then B, then C…”

Listen, I understand how hectic life can get. But believe me, slowing down and enjoying something as simple as a meal can bring out so many good qualities in all of us. And if you can teach someone else an invaluable life skill AND learn a little about the science behind its preparation – everyone wins!

This week, we are definitely going to SLOW DOWN and take our time looking at an amazing staple of our diet – wheat flour.

Wheat flour has been the primary ingredient in our ongoing discussion of pancakes. And as I stated last week during our look at all those bubbles within our pancake batter…

“There’s another trick to keeping your pancake fluffy.   I mentioned it earlier in the post when I suggested that you GENTLY mix together your batter.  Why shouldn’t you put your pancake batter in a blender for awhile?”

The answer to his question lies within the chemistry of wheat flour! As we have already examined, the majority of flour (about 70%) is made up of an amazing group of molecules known as starch.

But what about the remaining 30%? What is hidden within all that starch?

Well, a small portion of that 30% is made up of large, chain-like molecules called proteins. One of these proteins, called glutenin, (“glew-ten-in”) can do a special little trick that is VERY important in the development of our fluffy pancakes.

While inside a cup of dry flour, glutenin just sits there. Pretty boring. But add a little fluid to that flour and all those protein chains start to come alive!

In fact, each of those glutenin proteins start to attach to each other, end-to-end, until MASSIVE chains of protein exists within that floury batter. It is these massive chains of protein (called gluten) which causes your pancakes to be light and fluffy or have the density of a dinner plate.

You see, if you could look at a gluten protein chain, it would look like a coiled-up spring or phone cord. And if you have ever had one of these phone cords in your home, you know how easy it is turn into a knotted mess. Gluten is a very strong molecule, and its coiled shape makes it very stretchy.

I don’t think you want your pancakes very tough and chewy, do you? Probably not.

So the LAST thing you want is to get all those glutenin proteins together to form long gluten chains!

But how do you keep gluten from forming? Easy!

1) GENTLY mix your batter. You don’t want too many of those glutenin proteins bouncing into each other. Remember… SLOW DOWN.

2) Add oil to the batter. Oil tends to stick to the glutenin proteins and keeps them from joining together.

3) Add sugar and eggs. That’s right! Sugars and eggs tend to get in the way of glutenin proteins which keep them from forming more gluten.

4) Use buttermilk instead of regular milk. Buttermilk is very thick compared to regular milk, which means you can create the same thickness of pancake batter without adding as much flour. Less flour=less glutenin.

It’s a good thing ALL of these ingredients are found within your pancake batter, huh?

You also will want the batter to sit still for a few minutes before you start cooking too.

You want to make certain that all of the baking powder Bubbles are very good in your pancakes! you added has time to create a few million bubbles.

Have I mentioned how important it is to SLOW DOWN yet? Hmm….

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Making $1000 Pictures For Free – With GIMP

March 4, 2010
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There are a lot of websites out there that are truly amazing.  Some provide a specific purpose like simulations or videos of a scientific concept.  The internet is overflowing with these sites and many of them are excellent.

What I like to find, however, are the programs out there that can be used as tools to create something.  And if the price is right (and FREE is the right price), then I am really interested.  That is why I would like to introduce a little program that I think all of you future artists should have at your disposal.  I give you… GIMP!

Have you ever wondered how to create a picture with your head on another person’s body, or place your family photo on the surface of the moon?

If you have, then you must try out GIMP.  Having worked with some of the high-dollar picture editors before, I can say that GIMP is much more user-friendly.  Best of all, the number of online tutorials for this program are amazing!  Here are three that I found with a simple search for “gimp tutorials”:

http://gimp-tutorials.net/

http://gimpology.com/

http://www.gimp.org/tutorials/

Oh yeah.  Did I mention that GIMP is completely free?!?!

You would pay over $1000 for imaging software for what GIMP can do for free!  The volunteers who have worked hard on this program since 1996 are doing something right.  That is for certain.  I hope you will check it out.  If you have an inspiring artist in your home or classroom and money is tight (go figure) then check out GIMP.

Please read some of the reviews for GIMP and download your copy today!


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