Posts Tagged ‘ Classic Science ’

Bring On The Spice: How To Teach Science With Garlic

May 13, 2010
By

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!

Share

Bring On The Spice: How To Teach Science With Onions

May 6, 2010
By

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!




Share

20+ Free Resources To Use Technology In Your Science Lessons

April 29, 2010
By

During the month of April, I offered a discount on all of my Classic Science Series Textbooks in exchange for some of the most used online resources for science education.

This discount offer expires on midnight Friday April 30th.  So if you are interested, act fast!

The responses I received were exceptional!  Thank you all very much!

I have placed these SCIENCE WEBSITES online for all of you to explore.  The comments I received from the families and educators concerning these sites have been placed under the links for you to read as well.

I hope to be able to provide these kinds of offers periodically throughout the year.  Stay tuned to my monthly newsletter – Mr.Q’s LabNotes to find out about these offers AND receive a free monthly activity as well.  And, as always, I promise NO SPAM!

Wait a minute… SPAM.  I think I just thought of another idea for a blog entry.  Hmmmm…..

Take care everyone.  Check out these great science websites.  And once again, thank all of you who took the time to share your ideas.  These are excellent resources!



Share

How To Teach Science During Dinner – With BBQ

April 22, 2010
By

The days are getting longer, bugs are flying all over the place, and shorts are rapidly becoming the standard outfit for the day.  This means one thing:

It’s almost summertime.

And I don’t know about you, but I log in several hours around the grill over the summer.  So this week, let’s take a look at a delicious method of preparing…

BBQ

The first thing we should do is review our four main concepts of teaching science in the kitchen.

Now I know there are as many ways to prepare BBQ meats as there are people reading this blog!  However, we need to identify a couple of terms that are easily confused.  Grilling is the process of cooking meats directly on a metal grate directly over a heat source.  What I am going to look at today is barbecuing, which is a little different.  When you prepare BBQ you do not place the meat directly over the heat source.

Since it is not placed directly over the heat, BBQ meat is cooked much slower and at a lower temperature.  This helps to tenderize the meat slowly during the cooking process.  Yummm…..

Now that we have our terms straight, let’s dig into the science of BBQ!

SLOW DOWN WHEN PLAYING WITH ATOMS

You’ve heard me say that good food takes time to prepare.  Well, BBQ is no different!  When you are grilling, the meat is only a few inches away from a 2,500 °F heat source.  This will cook your steaks and hamburgers very quickly!  However, barbecued meat is slowly cooked within a (relatively) cool smoke around 200 °F.  Cooking tougher pieces of meat like ribs and brisket need this “cooler” temperature to slowly tenderize it to perfection!

You might think that the atoms in your BBQ meat get destroyed in such high temperatures, but this is far from true!

You learned in How to Teach Science During Breakfast – With Bacon that heat does a very good job at MOVING atoms all around.  As they move around, they slam into each other a lot and, at times, they bond with each other forming different groups of atoms.  This follows the Law of Conservation which states that atoms cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged.

It may LOOK like those slow-cooked ribs were magically created while inside that BBQ grill, but the only thing that was changed was how the atoms were rearranged.

LET’S TALK ABOUT FLAVOR

The flavor that we love within our BBQ meats comes from many different sources.  Some of these flavors are naturally found within the meat itself while others are created when the atoms rearrange themselves throughout the cooking process.

However, there is one property of nearly all cooked BBQ meats that is the same – The Smoke Ring

The “smoke ring” is the thin area near the surface of the BBQ meat that has a very easy-to-see red or pink color.  You can easily see this layer when you pull apart or cut into your smoked meats.  You can see it very easily in the picture in today’s post.

THERE’S A LOT OF MOVEMENT GOING ON IN THERE

This thin layer of pinkish red color is caused by a gas (nitrogen dioxide)that is produced by the smoking wood in a BBQ grill.  This gas is not found within your raw meat.  So, when it is released from the smoldering wood into the grill, this gas diffuses into the meat and bounces into large molecules (groups of atoms) that we have learned about in a previous post – protein.

Most of the BBQ meat that you cook is loaded with large molecules of protein.  The particular kind of protein that gives red meat is red color is called myoglobin (“my-oh-glow-bin”.)  The cool thing about myoglobin is that the atoms that make up this protein bind together with the gases from the smoldering wood as the gas diffuses into the meat.  When this happens, the rearranged atoms give the meat a pinkish-red color.

This is why your steak or hamburger looks pink on the inside if it is not cooked entirely through.  Only SOME of that myoglobin has been affected by the gas.  As the meat cooks longer, more myoglobin proteins react with these gases to produce a grayish-tan color.

WHY DOES THE MEAT SHRINK WHILE IT COOKS?

The answer to this question should be pretty easy if you think about what happens to the water inside the meat when it gets heated up .  If you have ever cooked meat before, you have noticed that it shrinks as it cooks.  It saddens me every time I see it.  Watching those beautiful pieces of meat shrink away is torture.  However, this process is necessary to create such a tasty meal.  This shrinkage is actually a change in the density of the BBQ.

As the temperature of the meat increases, the water within its tissues begins to boil and evaporate into gas.  At the same time, the atoms within the fatty tissues of the meat begin to melt away as well.  All of these atoms diffusing out of the meat cause it to lose some of its density.

TO SUM UP ALL OF THIS DELICIOUS ACTIVITY…

Because of the law of conservation, the atoms within BBQ meat rearrange themselves into different molecules as gas diffuses through the meat’s surface.  At the same time, the density of the meat decreases as molecules of water and fat leave the BBQ.

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 with cheap, everyday items!


Share

How To Teach Science During Dinner… With Salad Dressing

April 15, 2010
By

Last we, we explored just a little bit about the science behind salads.  We specifically looked at how to bring leaf lettuce back from the dead (almost).  Don’t think for one minute that we are done looking at vegetables and salads.  We’re NOT!

This week, we have to add something to our salad.  Something that ALL of us use in one form or another (unless you are a rabbit!)  That’s right.  This week we are going to look at…

Salad Dressing!

The four main concepts of science we explore each week can easily be observed with our favorite saucy topping so let’s review them a bit:

Excellent.  Now we can get down to business…

The easiest and most common salad dressing is known as a VINAIGRETTE which is a fancy word for “a mixture of oil and vinegar.”  All you need to do to make vinaigrette is add three parts oil to one part vinegar (i.e. 300mL of Olive Oil and 100mL of Vinegar), the herbs and spices you prefer, and gently shake the mixture before pouring it on your salad.  But how do you get such a great flavor from a mixture of these items?

THE SECRET IS IN THE ATOMS

Scientists call a vinaigrette an EMULSION which means that the ATOMS within the oil and vinegar do not rearrange themselves when they are mixed together.  They hold on to each other!

Any salad dressing that is an EMULSION can easily be found in any salad dressing aisle of your local grocery store.  They are really easy to find!  All you have to look for are the containers with two layers of liquids just resting in place.

HOW DARE YOU CALL MY SALAD DRESSING “DENSE!”

Many people would incorrectly say that the top layer (the oil) rests on top of the bottom layer (the vinegar and spices) because the oil is lighter than the vinegar.

This is not true!

As I explained  in my Classic Science:  Chemistry curriculum, the layers you find in this tasty salad dressing take place because of a difference in DENSITY!  Remember, DENSITY is the amount of ATOMS found within a certain amount of an object.  So, if you were to measure out one cup of oil and one cup of vinegar, you would find that the total number of atoms within the cup of oil would be smaller than in the vinegar.  To put it simply…

Oil is less DENSE than vinegar so the oil floats on top.

VINAIGRETTE IS VERY SNEAKY

If you have ever placed any kind of oil in  your hands like lotion, cooking oil, motor oil, you probably figured out how quickly this stuff spreads all over your hands.  Even if you scrub really hard, you STILL can feel some of that oily mixture on you!  This stuff gets everywhere!

Another way to say this is…

The molecules of oil DIFFUSE very easily onto dry surfaces.

Although this may be nuisance if oil gets on your hands, it is a VERY good property of vinaigrettes.

Since the oil in vinaigrette DIFFUSES very well, it clings to vegetables like lettuce very easily.  And when the vinegar and spices are mixed in with the oil after a good shaking, the flavorful vinegar DIFFUSES around your salad too!

Just remember to keep your salad dry before adding the vinaigrette.  The oil will not be able to DIFFUSE onto the salad if the vegetables are covered in water!

THE MYSTERIOUS LAW INSIDE YOUR SALAD DRESSING

Shaking up an EMULSION doesn’t change any of the ATOMS at all.  You already know that ATOMS cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged.

However, it does not mean that the atoms HAVE to rearrange!

So go ahead and shake that bottle of Italian dressing as hard as you like.  It may look like you’ve created a whole new chemical, but you are only mixing up an EMULSION.

Learn more about emulsions and other 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 with cheap, everyday items!


Share

How To Teach Science During Dinner… With Salad

April 8, 2010
By

I’ve spent many years asking for a side of fries with my meal.  Unfortunately, I’ve reached an age where (perhaps) that is not the best idea all of the time.  Don’t get me wrong!  I love the salty crunch of a deep-fried potato.

However, the more I look at my eating habits over the past few  years, the more I realize how often I turn to our green friends for dinner.

And so, this week, I want to pay homage to…

The Salad!

There is a lot of science going on inside a fresh salad – fruits, stems, roots, leaves…

I COULD GO ON ABOUT THIS ALL DAY LONG!

But I believe we will focus on one little trick that has been known for centuries about salads; namely, how to keep lettuce fresh and crisp.  To do this, we need to review the four main concepts about science in the kitchen:

I’m willing to guess that most of you have seen what happens to the lettuce or any of the vegetables in a salad when it has “gone bad.”  The lettuce wilts as it loses its crispy texture and turns into a gooey mess.

I don’t know about you, but I like the crispy feeling of lettuce when I take a bite.

So how do you keep lettuce crispy?  Easy!  Just put the lettuce in some water and wait for it to firm up again!  How does that happen?

BRING ON THE ATOMS…

The “crispy” feeling of fresh lettuce is really a high DENSITY of water molecules inside the plant cells.  Remember, a molecule of water is a group of three ATOMS (two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom).

When these cells have a high DENSITY of water, they are very full of water molecules which make the lettuce feel crispy when you break it apart.

However, large amounts of molecules (like water) tend to move to areas where there are fewer molecules.  This DIFFUSION of water molecules takes place as your salad sits in the bowl for a few hours.  The water moves out of the plant cells and causes the entire lettuce leaf to become limp and soggy.

If you place your wilted lettuce leaf into a glass of water, you will notice after awhile that it will start to get firm again.  But how does the water get back into the lettuce?

DIFFUSION TO THE RESCUE

Since there are more molecules of water in the glass than in the cells of the plant, the water DIFFUSES back into the plant cells.

EUREKA!  YOU HAVE BROUGHT LETTUCE BACK FROM THE DEAD!

(Okay.  It wasn’t really dead.  Please don’t worry about hoards of zombie salads running through your town…)

Of course, you cannot do this trick too many times OR with lettuce that is too wilty.  Just be certain to keep the lettuce nice and cold while you keep in under water.   Heat tends to do bad things to plant cells (and everything else for that matter.)

A SIMPLE LAW FOR YOUR SALAD

What does heat have to do with your wilted salad?  Well, the ATOMS within your lettuce are moving around a lot more as they heat up in that bowl of salad.  They are not being destroyed though.  This is because the LAW OF CONSERVATION states that atoms cannot be created or destroyed, only moved around.  And if you remember, it is the DIFFUSION of water molecules out of the cells that started this whole problem to begin with!

BESIDES THIS TRICK, WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO KEEP YOUR SALADS CRISPY?

Eat all your vegetables as soon as you can! (You’re welcome Mom!)

Check out the Classic Science:  Physical Science and Chemistry curriculum to learn more about ATOMS, DENSITY, DIFFUSION, and the LAW OF CONSERVATION!

Also be certain to subscribe to Mr.Q’s blog every Thursday to learn more about how to teach science with cheap, everyday items!


Share

How To Teach Science During Dinner…With Pizza (Part II)

April 1, 2010
By

This week we are going to dig even deeper from a previous post on pizza by studying a few concepts I have included within the Classic Science:  Physical Science curriculum.  Let’s see how our four main concepts of science relates to the concepts of heat and temperature…

Okay…

It is dinner time and you are very hungry! Your pizza just got out of the oven and you are ready to eat!

You let it rest on the plate for a few minutes to cool off…

You carefully grab the crust and you find that it is not too hot.  So you pick up the pizza and take a huge bite out of your slice…

OWWW! The pizza sauce is still too hot!

How could this happen?  The crust was fine, but the sauce was still too hot! I am sure you will understand what is going on after we take a closer look at two scientific concepts:

Thermal Energy and Heat

Before we jump into these new concepts, let’s review a few things:


ATOMIC PIZZA ON THE MOVE…

Everything in the universe is made up of ATOMS which are always in motion.  That’s right!  If you could see every atom within your pizza you would find each of them moving around a bit.  Even the atoms that make up the solid crust would be vibrating in place!

All of this motion can be measured just like everything else in the world!  Scientists call the measurement of energy in moving atoms – thermal energy.  The cool thing about thermal energy is that it can move too!

What we call heat is really the movement of thermal energy from a hotter object to a colder object.  This means that energy, like ATOMS, can go through DIFFUSION!  Another way to say this is: Large areas of ENERGY tend to move to areas that do not have as much ENERGY.

HOW DENSE IS YOUR PIZZA?

The DIFFUSION of heat energy depends on a lot of different factors.

One of these factors is the DENSITY of the object that is transferring the energy!  Some objects (like the water within your pizza sauce) can hold onto a lot more energy than other objects (like the crust of your pizza.)

It is the different DENSITIES between the sauce and crust that causes the four-alarm fire in your mouth when you bite down into your pizza!

Let’s take a closer look at that slice of pizza again!

When you pulled your pizza out of the oven, the crust and the sauce was at the same temperature. This is because you pulled them both out of the same oven at the same time!

But even though both the crust and the sauce are at the same temperature …the sauce has more thermal energy inside it!

When you bite into the pizza, thermal energy DIFFUSES between the pizza (higher temperature) and your mouth (lower temperature).  Since the sauce has much more thermal energy to give off,  it burns you!  OUCH!

THE LAW OF CONSERVATION… OF PIZZA?

It is true that the LAW OF CONSERVATION states that ATOMS cannot be created or destroyed, only rearranged.   However, this law also applies to energy as well…

The LAW OF CONSERVATION of ENERGY states that ENERGY cannot be created or destroyed only moved from one place to another.

This means that none of the energy from the pizza that burned the roof of your mouth was destroyed.  It only moved from the pizza INTO your mouth.  See, doesn’t that make you feel better?  Now, if you don’t mind, all this talk about pizza has made me a little hungry.  I’m out of here!

Check out the Classic Science:  Physical Science curriculum to learn more about ATOMS, DENSITY, DIFFUSION, and the LAW OF CONSERVATION!

Also be certain to subscribe to Mr.Q’s blog every Thursday to learn more about how to teach science with cheap, everyday items!




Share

How To Teach Science During Dinner… With Mac and Cheese

March 25, 2010
By

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.


Share

How to Teach Science During Dinner… With Pizza!

March 18, 2010
By

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.




Share

Patience, Proteins, and the Preparation of Pancakes

March 11, 2010
By

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….

Share