Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science - Week 2

As I posted in my October 13th blog entry, I've enrolled in an on-line course about the relationship between science and cooking. Still haven't had the chance to try any of the recipes, still trying to a get a better grasp of the science portion of the lessons. Not enough hours in the week, but no one ever said taking a Harvard on-line course would be easy.

Here's what went down on the second week.

• This week's guest lecturer is Dave Arnold. Week 2's focus is on energy, temperature, and heat, so naturally we begin with a recipe to carbonate a cocktail to show what happens when you mix ethanol and water. I knew I signed up for this class for a reason.
• Because they're scientists, the instructors like to make things quantitative, in the belief that when we start to make ideas quantitative, then we'll start to understand qualitatively better.
• The benefits of sous-vide cooking is then demonstrated in an example using eggs cooked at various temperatures in a very small window between 57 Celsius and 70. Accurately controlling the temperature can make a great deal of difference - something to keep in mind when you're trying to make the perfect Eggs Benedict or eggs on toast.
• Equation of the week:  equals mc sub p delta t. (Or heat equals mass x specific heat capacity x change in temperature). You can use that equation to calculate how much energy you have to put into heating a cup of  water.
• Start with water that's at room temperature, in this case, about 23 degrees Celsius. One cup of water is 237 grams. We are going to heat it to the boiling point, 100 degrees Celsius. The specific heat (c sub p). for water is 4.18 joules per gram degree Kelvin.
• How much energy do I have to dump in? Using the equation Q is equal to mc sub p delta t, put in that m is equal to 237 grams, that c sub p is equal to 4.18 joules per degree Kelvin, and that delta T is 77 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Celsius - 23 degrees Celsius, the final temperature minus the initial temperature) If we multiply all of these things out, we got 237 times 4.18 times 77. So that's how much energy it takes to boil a cup of water -76 280 joules.
• What does that mean? Think about it like this, how much wood would you have to burn in order to make this much energy? If you take the energy density of wood, 14 megajoules per kilogram, then you can calculate for yourself that the amount of wood that it takes is 76 280 joules divided by 14 megajoules per kilogram, which is 5.4 grams of wood.
• Just for fun!: Go look at the power output of your microwave, calculate how long does it take for you to generate the 76 280 joules needed to boil water. If you put water in a cup in your microwave for that amount of time, does it actually boil? If not, why not?
• NOTE: Most microwaves have a power output of about 400 watts.
  The watts to joules calculation is the energy E in joules (J) is equal to the power P in watts (W), times the time period t in seconds (s): E(J) = P(W) × t(s).
• I got 190.7 seconds, feel free to let me know if my math is off (scroll over to see).
• You really see how much you don't know about a topic when you answer all the week's pre-questions.
• The liquid nitrogen lecture reminds me of an experiment I've been meaning to try, and of a cool food truck I saw on an episode of Eat St. recently.
• Think of heat as the most used and the most mysterious ingredient in your kitchen --> Harold McGee
• Heat: the total energy that results in the temperature of a system
  Temperature: the measure of energy in the motion of molecules in the material
• Want a quick way to calculate the number of calories in what you're eating? Use the 449 rule.
• We end with a demonstration of the coffee-infused rum cocktail the cafe Touba being made, and some more fun with equations involving latent heat.

Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science - Week 1

As I posted in my October 13th blog entry, I've enrolled in an on-line course about the relationship between science and cooking. Here's what went down on the first week. I'm liking the course so far, I just wish I could manage my time better to get through all the labwork. Just like back at Algonquin - some things never change.

• The course starts with a welcome and an overview from some of the instructors Michael Brenne, Pia Sorensen, and Dave Weitz, an applied mathematician, a chemist, and a physicist, respectively. They talk about learning about the underlying scientific principles of food and cooking, and about some of the cooking labs we'll get a chance to do in the course.
• Ferran Adrià introduces himself in the next video, and talk about his background in cooking, and his new project, the El Bulli Foundation.
• The author of the textbook we're using, Harold McGee  talks for a bit about the place he did most of his research for the book, the Schlesinger Library for the study of women in history at Harvard. I was surprised to learn that people where interested in the science of cooking since the 17th century, and that the pressure cooker has existed since 1681 (thanks Denis Papin).
• In between the videos are a series of short-answer questions about what we've watch so far. Participation in the online exercises do not contribute to my grade, what counts are the homework assignments, the lab exercises, and the final project. I'm still not sure if I'm going to complete the course for the certificate, or if I'm just learning for the sake of learning yet...
• Next we see an example of spherification, a form of gelation first pioneered by Adria. 
• Lecture 2 get right into the science part of the course with a decision about the molecules that make the food we eat. We are then asked to calculate the number of molecules in a 250mL glass of water. Terms like grams per mole, atomic mass unit, and Avogadro's number are being thrown around. I now see why a knowledge of high school physics and chemistry was considered a useful prerequisite for this course. So if you thought this was going to be a bird course, you're either sadly mistaken, or a lot smarter than I am.
• I'm introduced to the practice of clapping when the Equation of the Week is introduced during the lectures as a way to get people excited about the science...sure. I'll just say I clapped while I watch the lectures.
• One of the tasks in the week 1 lab is calibrating your oven using sugar. Sugar melts at 366 F (186˚C). If sugar melts at 350 F (177˚C), your oven is running hot. I preheated my oven at 350 F for 10 minutes and placed in it half a teaspoon of sugar in an aluminum pan.
  
  Here's the result 15 minutes later.
  
  Looks like I'm running hot, I may choose to calibrate it better using a oven thermometer.
• The homework portion finally gets to some cooking, but I didn't get a chance to buy the required groceries. I'll keep you posted my efforts.

The Perfect Cup of Tea

Want to make a spot-on cup every time and learn a bit about what's in the cup you're drinking? Check out this handy guide from Life Made Simple.

Class is in session

If you're a foodie like me, you're as interested in the science of cooking as much as you are in the art of cooking - you've read "Cooking for Geeks" numerous times, and Marcel Vigneron hasn't turned you off of molecular gastronomy completely. This is why I enrolled in the online course Harvard is offering on edX, Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science. The idea of expanding my cooking knowledge from world-renowned chefs all from the comfort of my own home, and for free was too tempting an offer to pass up.

Developed as a way to teach science to non-science majors at Harvard, this course has been four years in the making. The course textbook is "On Food and Cooking", by Harold McGee, one of the lecturers, and some of the instructors include cooking superstars such as Ferran Adrià, David Chang, and Wylie Dufresne. Through interactive lectures, each week will focus on a single scientific topic related to cooking. In order to complete the course, I will have to complete homework assignments, problem sets and labs as I would in a brick-and-mortar classroom. The labs range from calibrating your oven to making molten chocolate cake. There is a final project where I get to conduct my own scientific study of a recipe or aspect of cooking. While earning a certificate at the end of the course is not my goal,  I will attempt to complete as many of the course activities as possible, and chronicle my efforts here on the blog. I believe there is still time left to enroll in the course, so for those who are interested, maybe I'll see you in the Discussion Forums. Until then, I got to finish the requirements for week 1.

Quick and Dirty Chicken Marinade

Has this ever happened to you - you see a recipe in your favorite cookbook that you want to make, you go to your pantry, and you discover that don't have some of the necessary ingredients? When this happens, you can do one of two things - head to the grocery store, or improvise with what you got. I chose the latter when I made a chicken marinade from a recipe in The "Joy of Cooking", and all things considered, I think it turned out fine.

Mix in a bowl until well blended the following:

1/4 cup beer
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoon lemon juice or Italian salad dressing
1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons soy sauce
4 to 6 garlic cloves, minced
3 dashes hot sauce

Back to School Special - Shelf Life of Food

Now that school is back in session, with all the things you now have to worry about - where you're going to live, your class schedule, your teachers, midterms - you don't have time to worry about how long your leftovers are going to last. Refer to this handy chart from the good people at Visual.ly.

Easy baking

I don't bake. Like some of the contestants on "Chopped", I freeze up at the thought of having to bake a cake. It's not like I don't like baked goods, it's just that I would rather not try to make any. My wife does the baking in our house, and she does a good job making cookies, muffins, and pies for me and our son. But for whatever reason (not a big dessert guy, still foolishly equating baking as a girlie activity), I've never felt the need to give baking a try until recently. I came across a recipe on Instructables that was so easy and pain-free that even a novice like myself could bake someone happy. And since I needed to bring something to a pot-luck brunch I was invited to over this past long weekend, it was the perfect time to try it out.

Ingredients for Ice Cream Bread

3 cups self-rising flour (Or make your own using this simple equation: for each 1 cup of flour add 1½ teaspoons baking powder, and ½ teaspoon salt)
3 cups of your favorite ice cream (REAL ice cream, no low-fat or lite stuff)

1. Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃). Grease and flour bread pan, or line with parchment paper.
2. Mix melted ice cream and flour until well combined. Pour into prepared bread pan.
3. Bake for 45-90 minutes; the bread is done when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If the top starts to brown too much, cover it with aluminum foil and continue to bake.