Food & Cooking Chemistry

Do you want to explore science, but can't find or can't afford chemicals? Here are science experiments and projects you can do that use common kitchen chemicals.

You can make baking powder yourself using other common kitchen ingredients.

It's important to drink plenty of fluids, but can you overdo it? Learn the truth about water intoxication and hyponatremia.

Make liquid nitrogen ice cream as a cool cryogenics or phase change demonstration or for a quick and tasty treat.

Absinthe has been enjoying a resurgence in popularity, as countries lift the ban on making the green wormwood and anise-flavored spirit. Learn about the history of the liqueur, why it was banned, a bit about its chemistry, how to make absinthe, and how to drink it.

This is an introduction to stereoisomerism of amino acids, with Fisher projections and stereorepresentations of serine used as an example. There are links to learn more about amino acids and about chirality of other molecules.

Do you need to replace one ingredient with another in a recipe? This is a table of ingredient substitutions that you can make when baking.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are added to many foods to prevent fat spoilage. This article describes what BHA and BHT are, what they do, and how they do it. There is a fairly lengthy list of references because there is controversy over the health effects of BHA, BHT, and other additives.

Lycopene is the red pigment in tomatoes and several fruits. Find out more about how this antioxidant protects against cancer and heart disease.

Learn about the chemical and biological properties of caffeine, the methylxanthine stimulant found in coffee and other foods.

Wintergreen Lifesavers aren't the only candies that can make a spark in the dark. Take an in-depth look at the mechanism behind this special chemiluminescence caused by friction.

Chemistry and cooking share a lot in common! You can have some Christmas chemistry fun in the lab making these peppermint cream wafer candies.

Analyze the dyes used in your favorite candies with paper chromatography using a coffee filter, colored candies, and a salt solution.

Caffeine occurs naturally in coffee and is added to cola. Does caffeine have a flavor of its own or do decaf coffee and decaffeinated drinks taste different from regular coffee and cola for another reason?

Find out why everyone wants to take a nap after Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner. Let's talk turkey and learn about L-tryptophan and carbohydrate metabolism.

Most slime recipes are non-toxic, but there are only a few you can actually eat and none that taste as good as this one! Here's how to make edible slime.

Perform an experiment to observe the effects of acids, bases, and water on the rate of browning of cut apples or other produce.

This is a list of common food additives and a description of their uses.

These are ideas for science fair projects that involve food or cooking chemistry. Links are provided for additional science fair project help and food chemistry information.

Do you know about the chemistry of food? Test your knowledge with this fun and quick ten-question multiple choice quiz.

Red cabbage juice contains a natural pH indicator that changes color from purple to green under basic (alkaline) conditions. You can use this reaction to make a fried green egg.

If you have fruit, a couple of nails, and wire then you can generate electricity to turn on a light bulb. Learn how to make a fruit battery. It's fun, safe, and easy.

Measure the ripening of fruit from exposure to the plant hormone ethylene by testing starch levels with an iodine solution. This easy experiment can be performed on several types of fruit, such as apples, pears, and bananas.

If you add certain fruits to Jell-O or other gelatin desserts, the gelatin won't set up. Here's a look at which fruits have this effect and what happens that causes them to ruin Jell-O.

Make squishy non-toxic goo that hardens in your hands when you squeeze it, but flows like a liquid when you pour it.

Sugar crystals are also known as rock candy since the crystallized sucrose resembles rock crystals and because you can eat your finished product. You can grow clear sugar crystals with sugar and water or you can add food coloring to get colored crystals. It's simple, safe, and fun.

Honeycomb candy is an easy-to-make candy that has an interesting texture caused by carbon dioxide bubbles getting trapped within the candy.

Baking powder is used in baking to make cakes and doughs rise. The big advantage of baking powder over yeast is that it works instantly. Here's how the chemical reaction in baking powder works.

Baking soda helps make baked goods rise. Here's a look at the cooking chemistry behind how baking soda works.

Baking powder and baking soda both are leavening agents, which means they help baked goods to rise. They are not the same chemical, but you can substitute one for another in recipes. Here's how.

Find out how pop rocks candy works and whether or not it's true your stomach will explode if you wash down pop rocks with soda.

Have you heard about the kitchen tip in which you rub your fingers across the blade of a stainless steel knife to remove odors from onions, garlic, and fish? You have now! Learn about the chemistry behind this interesting bit of cooking magic.

Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) are added to many foods to prevent fat spoilage. This article describes what BHA and BHT are, what they do, and how they do it. There is a fairly lengthy list of references because there is controversy over the health effects of BHA, BHT, and other additives.

Jell-O gelatin is a tasty jiggly treat that results from a bit of chemistry kitchen magic. Here's a look at what Jell-O is made from and how Jell-O works.

Popcorn pops because each popcorn kernel is special. Here's a look at what makes popcorn different from other seeds and how popcorn pops.

It's easy to grow your own table salt or sodium chloride crystals. All it takes is salt and boiling water. One method even yields crystals within a few hours. Here's what you need to know.

Make a tasty treat and learn about freezing point depression, too! All you need are some basic ingredients and two ziploc baggies. It's easy, fun, and educational.

Moonshine is a liquor made from fermented corn. Learn about distillation, condensation, and how this alcoholic beverage is made.

Make your own pH indicator solution! Red cabbage juice indicator is easy to make, exhibits a wide range of colors, and can be used to make your own pH paper strips.

If civilization ended right now, could I still make beer? Learn about how beer is brewed and what is required to make this popular alcoholic beverage.

Is it safe to use your kitchen glassware and utensils for chemistry experiments? Here's a look at some of the risks involved in using your dishes for chemistry.

Candies and diet soda together can make a chemical 'volcano' with an eruption several feet high. If the normal baking soda volcano is too tame for you, give this project a try.

These are easy instructions for making your own natural Easter egg dyes, using fruits, vegetables, and spices.

Learn how to make Oobleck, a type of slime that has properties of both liquids and solids.

Have you heard that adding pineapple to Jell-O or other gelatin will prevent it from gelling? It's true. The reason pineapple prevents Jell-O from setting is because of its chemistry. Learn about what is in pineapple that causes this to happen.

A potato can function as an electrochemical cell or battery. It's fun to use a potato to power an LED clock.

This article describes the four levels of protein and polypeptide structure, with examples and links for additional reading.

Make a rainbow in a glass using colored sugar solutions with different densities. This project is very easy and safe enough to drink.

Learn how to make your own pH indicator test strips using red cabbage. This is a fun, safe, and easy chemistry project that you can do at home.

Rock candy is candy made by crystallizing sugar. You can grow sugar crystals yourself, plus add color and flavor to make rock candy that you can eat.

Why do you add salt to boiling water? There are a couple of answers to this common cooking question. Here's a look at the reason for salting water.

Salt and sugar are two materials you probably have on hand. There are many science fair projects you can do with either of these ingredients. Here's a list of ideas to help get you started on your science fair project.

Here is a collection of several quick and easy recipes for ice cream you can make using snow.

Salt and sodium content are related, but are not the same. Learn about the difference between salt and the sodium in sodium chloride and how to calculate sodium levels in salt.

Are you exercising or sweating away under a summer sun? Find out what beverage to drink to get and stay hydrated. Do you think water is best? Are sports drinks worth the money? What about a beer? Here's what you need to know.

Do you know what rock candy looks like? See rock candy and other images of sugar crystals including a micrograph of a sucrose crystal.

The primary methylxanthine in chocolate is theobromine, a molecule similar to caffeine. See the structure of theobromine and read about its chemistry, effects on people and animals, and uses. There are links to chocolate history and chemical research, veterinary advice for theobromine poisoning, and related resources.

Use this redox-based iodometric titration to determine the amount of Vitamin C or ascorbic acid in juice and other samples.

Why doesn't vodka freeze when you put it in the freezer? The answer to the question has to do with the chemical composition of vodka and a phenomenon known as freezing point depression.

Carnauba wax is an ingredient in many foods and household products. Here's a look at what carnauba wax is made of and the properties that make it such as useful chemical.

Learn about the ingredients in chewing gum and find out whether it's true gum stays in your stomach seven years if you swallow it.

Learn about the difference between these two common cooking ingredients, the effect of substitutions, and find out how you can use baking soda to make your own baking powder.

I've had some scorched coffee that I'm sure should have qualified for this award, but it turns out there's a real answer to this question of taste. Do you know what it is?

Did you know there are sweeteners that are 200,000 times sweeter than table sugar? Take a look at this list to find out how your favorite sweetener rates.

Learn why apples, pears, bananas, potatoes, and other fruits and vegetables turn brown when they are cut or damaged.

Have you ever had a hard boiled egg that had a green yolk? Here's a look at the chemistry behind the phenomenon.

Find out why you cry when you cut onions and how you can keep it from happening.

Anne Helmenstine's reasons for opposing the fluoridation of public drinking water.

Find out what it means when wine has wine legs or tears of wine.

Here's how to make a safe and easy chemical volcano using two common inexpensive household ingredients.

Cream of tartar or potassium bitartrate is a common household chemical and cooking ingredient. Here's a look at what cream of tartar is, where it comes from, and how cream of tartar is used.

This video explains what baking soda and baking powder are, how they are used and how baking soda and baking powder are different from each other.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with a number.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter A.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter B.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter C.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter D.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter E.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter F.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter G.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter H.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter I.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter J.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter K.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter L.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter M.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter N.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter O.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter P.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter Q.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter R.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter T.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter S.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter U.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter V.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter W.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter X.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter Y.

This is a list of common food additives having names starting with the letter Z.

Have you ever wondered about the pH of milk and whether it is an acid or a base? Here's a look at the pH of milk.