Monthly Archives: May 2010

Bring On the Spice: How To Teach Science With Chile Peppers

May 27, 2010
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Okay, I saved the best for last.  We are going to check out the “granddaddy” of all spicy foods. No other veggie can brag about such remarkably strong sensations as the fruit-bearing shrubs that are native to South America.

Grab a glass of milk and some tissues because it is time to dig into the…

CHILE PEPPER

There is a lot of science to be found within the chile pepper, and we are going to look at a few of these facts.  Fortunately, a solid understanding of the four basic concepts of science will help us out considerably:


BRING ON THE ATOMS

In the past three weeks, we learned that onions, garlic, and mustards store different kinds of molecules (groups of ATOMS) within their cells in different areas.  When we chop up these veggies, these molecules are allowed to come into contact with each other.  When this happens, these molecules rearrange their ATOMS into those delicious spicy-flavored chemicals.  Of course, all of this follows the LAW OF CONSERVATION as no ATOMS are created or destroyed throughout this movement.  However…

NO ATOMS REARRANGE TO PROVIDE THE SPICY CHEMICALS INSIDE CHILE PEPPERS!

You don’t need to wait for any rearranging of ATOMS within chile peppers to cause that amazing sensation.  Chili peppers make a special molecule known as capsaicin (“kap-say-sin”) which causes that feeling of heat in your body.

Chile peppers are mostly hollow on the inside and have a light-colored tissue which hangs below its stem.  Attached to this tissue (called the placenta) you will find the seeds of the pepper.  For years, people believed that the spicy capsaicin molecules were located within the seeds of a chile pepper, but this is not true!

IT IS THE PLACENTA THAT PRODUCES NEARLY ALL OF THE CAPSAICIN WITHIN CHILE PEPPERS!

Naturally, whenever you cut open a chile pepper you will cut through the placenta.  This will cause the capsaicin to DIFFUSE all over the seeds and tissues of the pepper (and your fingers too!)

You REALLY want to be careful not to touch your eyes after chopping up a chile pepper!

NOT ALL CHILI’S ARE THE SAME!

There are many different kinds of chile peppers in the world and all of them contain a different DENSITY of capsaicin.  The greater the DENSITY of capsaicin – the spicier the pepper.

For example, many people can eat the popular Jalapeno pepper by the handful!  Is this pepper hot?  Oh yeah!  But fewer people would ever TRY to eat a Cayenne pepper.  Cayenne peppers have THREE TO FIVE TIMES the amount of capsaicin within its placenta!

PUTTING OUT THE FIRE

Inside your mouth you have little sensors (like the ones that are in your car or computer) that can tell you if anything dangerous is going on.  Whenever you bite into a chile pepper, your saliva does an excellent job at DIFFUSING the capsaicin throughout your mouth and onto these sensors.

When this connection is made, the sensor sends a message to your brain that there is a HUGE amount of heat within your mouth.

Even though capsaicin DOES increase the temperature of your mouth a tiny bit, your brain may believe your mouth is on FIRE!

Naturally, the best way to put out the “fire” that is raging in your mouth is to remove the capsaicin.  But how can you do that?

DRINK MILK

There is a molecule in milk that sticks very well to capsaicin and will actually pull it away from the sensors in your mouth!  Neat trick, huh?  The coldness of the milk doesn’t hurt, either. If you don’t have any milk around, try some sour cream, yogurt, or ice cream. All of them have the same molecule.

Another way to cool the fire is to drink a sugar water solution (like Kool-Aid) as the sugar tends to reduce the capsaicin’s effect on your tongue.  Jalapeños and Kook-Aid?  I know it sounds a little strange, but it works!

We’ve spent a lot of time focusing on foods we typically find at the dinner table.  I think it’s time we start looking at our sweet tooth!  Next week we begin the series, “How To Teach Science With Desserts”

Learn more about chemistry concepts (and many more) in the  Classic Science: Series for the Family and be certain to come back every Thursday or subscribe to The Blog of Mr.Q to learn more about how to teach science during breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

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Bring On The Spice: How To Teach Science With Mustards

May 20, 2010
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Every year I make at least one trip to see a professional baseball game.  Part of this is tradition (my father always found a way to get us to at least one game a year), part love of the game, and part of my excuse to indulge in a baseball treat – the hot dog.

Although we may not be discussing the hot dog today, we ARE going to take a look at America’s #2 favorite spice…

MUSTARD!

If truth be known, my baseball dog is always smothered in a generous helping of mustard.  This year I was incredibly happy to find a choice between the mild, traditional yellow mustard and the bold, spicy brown mustard.  Oh yes! It is the little things in life…

I have to admit, I did not know too much about the mustard plant before researching this post.  I knew mustard could be spicy or sweet, bold or mild.  But I did not know what caused all of these differences.

First of all, the mustard plant is in the same family as the cabbage.

Cabbage?  Really?

Yep!  The last thing I think of when diving into a serving of coleslaw is mustard, but the facts are there:

“Like the onion family, the cabbage family is a group of formidable chemical warriors with strong flavors.” (On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee)

And, like with onion and garlic, we can utilize the four main concepts of science very easily within our study this week:


If you happened to read the last two blogs on the spicy nature of onions and garlic, you can probably guess how we can turn up the heat with ground mustard seeds.

Before we get started, you need to know that each individual mustard seed is a single CELL that has the possibility of growing into a mustard plant.  And, like within each CELL of onions and garlic, mustard seeds have separate areas where certain molecules (groups of ATOMS) can be found.  The ATOMS within two of these molecules tend to reorganize very well once you start mixing them together.

And, as stated by the LAW OF CONSERVATION, you never create or destroy any of the ATOMS during this rearrangement.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM

There is one large difference between the cells of onions, garlic, and mustard seeds:

MUSTARD SEEDS DO NOT CONTAIN AS MUCH LIQUID AS ONIONS AND GARLIC!

Once you grind mustard seeds into a powder, the two molecules that are responsible for generating an extremely spicy flavor cannot DIFFUSE into each other very well on their own.  They need some kind of fluid to allow them to mix together and start rearranging their ATOMS.

You can add different kinds of fluids to produce different flavors of mustard.  Most of the mustards we eat are mixed together with acidic liquids like vinegar, wine, or fruit juices.  Each of these liquids produces mustards with unique flavors.

TIMING TIMING TIMING

Remember – when the molecules within the mustard seeds have a chance to DIFFUSE into each other, their ATOMS rearrange into different (spicier) molecules.  The “spiciness” of the mustard depends on the DENSITY of the new molecules that are formed.

The DENSITY of these new spicy molecules will continue to increase as the ATOMS from the two DIFFUSING molecules are allowed to rearrange themselves.

Think of this as a car that is constantly speeding up until it finally runs out of gas.  Once the fuel (the two molecules) has run out, the car cannot go as fast (the amount of the spicy molecule decreases.)

Basically, once you mix the ground seeds with a liquid, the spiciness of the mustard will increase until it peaks after 10-15 minutes when most of the “fuel” runs out and no more ATOMS are left to be rearranged.

THE SECRET BEHIND THE HEAT

There is a little trick behind the creation of mustard.  Once the contents of the mustard seed are mixed together and are allowed to DIFFUSE into each other by the addition of liquid, you can control how spicy your mustard can get!  How can you do this?

CHANGE THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LIQUID

What does temperature have to do with all these rearranging ATOMS?

As you know, all ATOMS are in constant motion.  We’ve been talking about that since we took a look at the science of bacon.    And once we add some heat energy, these ATOMS start speeding up and moving away from each other pretty quick.

This is really bad if you are trying to form some spicy molecules!

So, if the temperature of the liquid you add to ground mustard is warmer, you are going to have fewer spicy molecules and much milder mustard.  And if you want a really hot mustard, simply cool down your liquid before adding it into the mix.

Cool, huh?

Onions, garlic, and mustards all have their hot moments.  But next week, we will be looking at the true master of spicy foods.  Get some soothing milk ready because here comes the CHILI PEPPERS!

Learn more about these chemistry concepts in Classic Science: Chemistry for the Family and be certain to come back every Thursday or subscribe to The Blog of Mr.Q to learn more about how to teach science during breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

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Bring On The Spice: How To Teach Science With Garlic

May 13, 2010
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Pop Quiz: What are four things you SHOULDN’T eat when on a date?

If you said…

Onions, Garlic, Mustards, and Chili Peppers

…you are correct!

Your breath will pay a heavy price after tackling this clan of vegetables.  Without doubt, your date for the evening will thank you dearly by going easy on any of these guys!

Last week, we looked at how onions can bring tears to your eyes.  This week, we are turning up the heat and looking at a member of the onion family which contains nearly 100 times the chemical weaponry that is found in the onion.  And so, I am proud to introduce the one, the only…

Garlic

Before we get started, let’s review the four main concepts of science that you will be using today:

Both onions AND garlic spend an entire growing season storing nutrients and water within underground “bulbs.”   These bulbs are the plant TISSUES we commonly call “garlic” and “onions.”

WHAT ARE TISSUES?

TISSUES are nothing but groups of CELLS that are made up of MOLECULES which are actually groups of ATOMS.

The CELLS of onions and garlic have separate areas where certain molecules chemicals can be found.  Once you cut through these cells, these chemicals have a chance to DIFFUSE into each other which causes their ATOMS to rearrange into different molecules.

All of this follows the LAW OF CONSERVATION perfectly!  No ATOMS are ever created or destroyed when making these new molecules!

This rearrangement of atoms takes place in both onions AND garlic.  However, as I stated earlier, there is one large difference between these two family members:

Garlic produces nearly 100 times the amount of irritating molecules during this rearrangement!

GARLIC BREATH > ONION BREATH

It is without doubt that onions can irritate your eyes.  However, with so many irritating chemicals within garlic, you might think that your eyes may EXPLODE if you peel a bulb of garlic.

But this is not so!

Chopping garlic does not produce the same molecules that can be found after chopping up an onion.  More specifically, the molecule known as “The Lacrimator” is not produced at all within garlic.  So you can relax and not worry about crying your eyes out when handling garlic.  However…

…the oils found within garlic have a nasty habit of giving you REALLY bad breath – for a very long time!

The foul-smelling molecules within garlic cannot be defeated with gum, mouthwash, or other forms of oral weaponry!  Why?

Well, it appears that the DENSITY of these molecules within garlic are so high that it takes a long time for your body to get rid of them.

Think of it this way –

You chew on some garlic bread and instantly your breath starts to smell pretty bad.  No worries.  You simply brush your teeth and the smell is gone… for now.

The same time you are fighting off those foul-smelling molecules within your mouth, your body is digesting that garlic.  The DENSITY of those smelly molecules pass through your body via the blood, and end up collecting in your lungs.  Once they reach your lungs, you breathe them out.  Yep!

It’s like the monster in every bad horror movie – they always come back!

Because the DENSITY of these molecules is so high, you could easily have garlic breath for up to 72 hours after eating that garlic bread!

MY BREATH CAN MELT PAINT OFF THE WALLS

So how do you get rid of this nasty odor from your mouth?  Well, to be honest, not much.

You can chew on a few leaves of fresh parsley which tends to keep your breath from smelling so bad at first.  However, this will not stop you from breathing out the molecules several hours later.

I guess the only real way to keep from getting garlic breath is to not eat garlic.  But let’s not go crazy here.  No more pizza sauce and garlic bread?  I don’t think so…

Learn more about chemistry concepts in Classic Science: Chemistry for the Family and be certain to come back every Thursday or subscribe to The Blog of Mr.Q to learn more about how to teach science during breakfast, lunch, and dinner!

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Bring On The Spice: How To Teach Science With Onions

May 6, 2010
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I’ve been known to run across the neighborhood for a bowl of strawberries and ice cream.  I’ve turned my nose at the thought of cooked broccoli (sorry Mom.)  And I’ve happily consumed enough spaghetti and marinara to feed a small army.

However, there are certain foods I truly love which bring out the most unique, pleasurable, and sometimes painful feelings in my life – and they ALL come from our green friends.

This month we will be looking at four types of veggies that really pack a spicy punch:

Onions, Garlic, Mustards, and Chili Peppers

We are going to start with the onion as it is the least fiery member of this clan.  But first, please take a minute to review the four main concepts of science before we get going…

Excellent!  Let’s get going!

Onions, like everything in the universe, are made up of ATOMS.  One of the cool tricks that nearly all ATOMS perform is to bond with each other to form large groups of atoms called MOLECULES.  These MOLECULES bond together within onions (and every living organism as well) to make up untold millions of microscopic “building blocks” called CELLS.  So what we would call an onion is really just a group of CELLS bonded together to make up TISSUE.   So if we were to put these guys into order from smallest to largest, it would look like this:

Atoms – Molecules – Cells – Tissues

ONION “GOO” ON THE RUN

Each onion cell is a miniature factory that uses resources to make fuel, process waste, create new cells, and a whole list of other cool activities.  And, like any factory, some areas are blocked off from other areas like different departments in a store.

You wouldn’t want areas in a factory filled with pools of water mixing together with the electrical areas would you? No way!

Cells do a very good job at separating their departments as well.  But when we cut through an onion, we rip apart these cells and cause the molecules within each “department” to DIFFUSE into each other.

I’M NOT CRYING.  THERE’S JUST SOMETHING IN MY EYE!

After chopping up an onion the contents of the cells DIFFUSE into each other.  When this happens, the ATOMS within the molecules start to rearrange into different kinds of molecules.

One of these new molecules is responsible for making you cry your eyes out!

This follows the LAW OF CONSERVATION which states that ATOMS cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged into different molecules.

BEWARE – THE LACRIMATOR

This new molecule which causes your eyes to water is known as “The Lacrimator” and its DENSITY very low at the surface of the onion tissue when it is cut.  However, as time goes on, more and more Lacrimator molecules form as the contents of the onion cells continue to DIFFUSE into each other.

This is why your eyes do not immediately begin to water once an onion is cut.  It takes a little time for this new molecule to form.

As the DENSITY of Lacrimator molecules increase, they begin to float through the air.  If this molecule touches your eye, it attacks your nerves and causes your eyes to DIFFUSE more water (so that the Lacrimator can get washed out of your eyes.)

PLEASE!  MAKE IT STOP!

If you have ever experienced this common burning feeling while cutting onions, let me assure you:

There is a way to make it stop!  But first, a story…

I remember my aunt Teddy making gallons of spaghetti sauce at a time.  She would spend hours in the kitchen and I appreciated every bit of it!

One of her methods of preparing sauce was always curious to me – she would always put a match in her mouth while cutting the onions.  She said it kept your eyes from crying.  Naturally, I followed her lead.  Unfortunately, I still found my tears soaking the matchstick to the consistency of a soggy twig.

To be honest, I really do not know if this “trick” works.  I have never found any research on this myth.  However, there are two methods I know for certain to keep myself from turning into a blubbery mess while preparing onions:

#1 – Chill the onion for 30-60 minutes in ice water.

ATOMS do not move as fast when they have a smaller amount of heat energy.  Once you start to chop your onion, the molecules within each “department” of the onion cannot DIFFUSE into each other as easily.  Therefore, it will take longer for the Lacrimator to form and move around into the air.

*FYI, by soaking the onion in water you increase the DENSITY of the papery onion skin.  This makes the skin tougher.  Since it is not as brittle, you can peel that brownish skin off a lot easier.  You can learn more about this concept at How To Teach Science During Dinner – With Salad

#2 – Cut faster!

I’m not saying your hands should look like a lawnmower blade… just make certain your knife is sharp and you make each cut count!

Learn more about chemistry concepts in Classic Science: Chemistry for the Family and be certain to come back every Thursday or subscribe to The Blog of Mr.Q to learn more about how to teach science during breakfast, lunch, and dinner!




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