chemistry
Chemistry of Cooking
How does the ingredient you experimented with effect the food’s overall characteristics?
In macarons, the main dry ingredients are almond flour and powdered sugar so I altered those to create different outcomes. In my preliminary research, I came to the conclusion that having more almond flour would create a more chewy and dense cookie while using more powdered sugar would result in a crispier, more delicate cookie. For this experiment, I created two trials: In the first one, I used 85 grams of almond flour and 80 grams of powdered sugar and in the second trial, I used 75 grams of almond flour and 90 grams of powdered sugar.
My first batch of macarons created a much thicker batter that was not an ideal consistency which made it difficult to pipe onto the baking sheet. Once they had set for 20 minutes, they still looked dense. After they were baked, they had more of a traditional cookie texture and were missing the traditional delicacy of macrons. The second batch produced a much thinner batter which was easier to pipe out. They came out of the oven with a much lighter texture and that had a better balance of crisp and chewiness. I liked the second batch better and decided to make it the main recipe.
In what way(s) are cooking and doing science similar and in what way(s) are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar or different?
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I think that all cooking is just a specific type of science. In preparation for this project, we learned about the reactions that take place when ingredients are combined or cooked. The reactions we learned about in the cooking project shared many similarities with the labs and demonstrations we did in class. I think the difference between the two is that cooking is adjusted to be food that people enjoy eating, so not all the ingredients or components are necessary for the reaction.
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For example, macarons are a very specific recipe that requires a lot of precision, but there are additional ingredients that can be added for aesthetics or flavor. In my recipe, I added food coloring, flavor extract, and sprinkles. In a chemical reaction, you would not add additional ingredients for aesthetic purposes.
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