According to former biochemist and current cook, Shirley Corriher, having a basic background in chemistry can help people understand how certain recipes go wrong and how to cook certain foods just right, perfect for any chemistry student who is sick of eating ramen noodles and Easy Mac day after day.
Corriher explains that the color of red cabbage is from a red anthocyanine pigment that changes from an acid to alkaline when heat is added. Adding vinegar, an acid, to the pan will make the cabbage red again while baking soda would take the color away. She also says that cooking green vegetables for prolonged periods of time causes the plants' cell walls to shrink and release acid, making them limp and not as tasty. Her final point comes with fruits and why they rot so quickly. Many fruits release ethylene gas as they ripen and when clustered together, cause each other to often over ripen. However, the gas can also work towards making an unripe fruit become perfectly ripe over night.
For full video and article: http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2009/0112-chemistry_of_cooking.htm
Posted by Sarah Yu
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I have to wonder how much of the fruit we buy in stores has been artificially ripened in this way. It would be interesting to see if there are any significant differences between artificially ripened and natural fruit.
ReplyDeleteI actually read this article a couple months back! As an avid cook I found it very interesting to read about. There are obviously many mysteries to unlock in the kitchen and the grocery stores that make food taste better!
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