/oss/taxonomy/term/844/all en /oss/article/student-contributors-general-science/whats-difference-between-baking-soda-and-baking-powder <p>What if your significant other gifted you baking powder instead of chocolates? What if they <i>invented</i> baking powder? In 1843, British chemist Alfred Bird did just that for his lucky, yeast-allergic, bread-loving, wife. This same recipe for baking powder is used to this day. But when it comes to baking cookies, muffins or cakes, recipes will call for baking soda, baking powder, or both. Just like their names, these products are very similar, but not exactly the same.</p> Fri, 20 May 2022 16:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang 9117 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/concerns-about-cookware-chemistry <p>Like most chemists, I like to cook.  After all, what is cooking but the appropriate mixing of chemicals?  In the lab we use flasks and beakers, but how do we equip our kitchen?  Tiffany's in New York offers a silver frying pan for thousands of dollars, specialty stores sell gleaming copper pots for a couple of hundred while a thin aluminum pot can be had almost anywhere for a few bucks.  What's the difference? </p> Fri, 21 Jan 2022 19:45:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9001 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-you-asked/it-true-pine-nuts-can-cause-lasting-taste-disturbance <p>In 2001, a Belgian physician experienced two episodes of bitter, metallic taste that lasted for several days and noted that both had occurred after he had eaten pine nuts. He mentioned this to a colleague who was intrigued enough to look into the matter further and learned that six similar cases had been recently reported to the Belgian Poison Control Center. This resulted in the publication of a case report in the European Journal of Emergency Medicine, albeit it was hardly an emergency. As stated in the paper, an analysis of the nuts did not reveal any mould or pesticide contamination.</p> Fri, 17 Dec 2021 22:19:38 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8952 at /oss /oss/article/health-general-science/science-basil <p>Sir Francis Bacon, an important figure in the development of the scientific method, claimed in his work on natural history that<a href="https://www.google.cat/books?id=Tv4rAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA248&dq=editions:HARVARDHN6ADI&hl=ca&output=html_text&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4"> </a><a href="https://www.google.cat/books?id=Tv4rAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA248&dq=editions:HARVARDHN6ADI&hl=ca&output=html_text&source=gbs_toc_r&cad=4">when a basil plant was exposed too much to the sun</a>, it became wild thyme.</p> Sat, 11 Sep 2021 08:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 8840 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/why-cant-you-use-low-fat-margarine-frying <p>Margarine is fat. It’s just a different kind of fat from butter. Whereas butter contains mostly saturated fats, margarine’s fats are unsaturated. This just refers to a slight variation in the molecular structure which does have consequences in terms of blood cholesterol levels. Essentially saturated fats increase cholesterol, while unsaturated ones in moderation do not. So if margarine is just fat, how can there be a “low fat” version? Easy. Just mix the fat with water.</p> Fri, 06 Aug 2021 20:40:54 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8800 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/why-does-lettuce-turn-brown <p>That’s an interesting question. How lettuce turns brown is well known. But why this happens is a different story. Let's deal with the how first. The chemistry that takes place when lettuce leaves become brown is the same chemistry we see when an apple is cut and turns brown, when green guacamole turns brown or when a green olive ripens and turns black. All these reactions occur when chemicals in the fruit or vegetable called polyphenols react with enzymes called polyphenoloxidases. Enzymes are specialized protein molecules made within cells and serve as catalysts.</p> Fri, 04 Jun 2021 20:24:53 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8755 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-technology/science-sourdough-and-how-jar-microbes-could-help-keep-your-bread-fresher-longer <p>Its catapult to popularity may have been triggered by the pandemic-induced yeast shortages, but even months later, when instant yeast is once again available at most grocery stores, sourdough’s contemporary stardom is barely starting to fade. Sure, many of us turned to making a sourdough starter to simultaneously combat yeast scarcity and our newfound fear of going to the grocery store. But lots of us have kept up with our strange new hobby of mixing water with flour and leaving it on the counter for reasons beyond just the practical.</p> Tue, 28 Jul 2020 21:49:47 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 8347 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/how-can-i-make-perfect-french-fry <p>So, you’re tired of eating lousy french fries. You’re sick of those limp dark brown grease sponges. What can you do? Make them! Let’s for a moment forget nutrition and health. In this area, french fries have no redeeming value. We eat them because we like them, in spite of what they may be doing to the lining of our arteries. So let’s at least make it worthwhile. A perfect fry has to be cooked through and through, should be a golden brown on the outside, cannot be limp and must not be saturated with grease. This is no small task. Numerous factors come into play.</p> Fri, 29 Nov 2019 17:05:34 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 8012 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-health/youre-probably-storing-leftovers-wrong-especially-if-you-eat-rice <p>If, like me, you aim to cook dinners that provide both your next day’s lunch as well as a freezer portion to be thawed at some future date, you may want to stop. At least with rice.</p> Fri, 12 Jul 2019 00:17:05 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7827 at /oss /oss/article/videos-technology/right-chemistry-teflon <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-8hm-q3bgi74" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on Teflon chemicals" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/8HM_q3Bgi74?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-8hm-q3bgi74&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on Teflon chemicals" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on Teflon chemicals</iframe> </div> </p> Mon, 17 Jun 2019 14:01:44 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7799 at /oss /oss/article/health-nutrition-you-asked/whats-difference-between-regular-salt-and-kosher-salt <p>Kosher salt should really be called “koshering salt” because it is used to draw blood out of meat based on the biblical reference that consuming blood should be avoided. It is not blessed by a rabbi nor is it healthier than any other salt. The only difference is that it is composed of large irregular shaped flakes which, after slathering it on a piece of meat to draw out the blood, can be easily washed off.</p> Fri, 17 May 2019 18:47:03 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7769 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/did-you-know-science-can-help-us-make-better-pizza-and-better-roasted-potatoes <p>Students from the Edge Hotel School have brought us some <a href="https://theuijunkie.com/edge-school-method-roasted-potatoes/">starchy math </a>that can improve the quality of roasted potatoes the world over.</p> <p>The theory is that maximizing the internal surface area of the tuber will maximize the crispiness and therefore the desirability of roasted potatoes. Most of us cut our potatoes at 90˚ angles, in half, and then into quarters. These students realized that just by cutting at 30˚ angles, an increase of up to 65% internal surface area can be achieved!</p> Fri, 15 Mar 2019 16:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7648 at /oss /oss/article/health/secret-more-flavourful-stew <p>The secret is the Maillard reaction! In 1912, Louis-Camille Maillard discovered that bread crust, coffee beans, beer and roasted meat all turned brown because of a chemical reaction between sugars and proteins they contained. But the reaction produced not only brown pigments, but it also produced flavours. Indeed, chemists soon made the first artificial flavour, that of maple syrup, by combining the amino acid serine with glucose. </p> Mon, 14 Jan 2019 16:14:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7533 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition-you-asked/what-aquafaba <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aquafaba">Aquafaba</a> (literally the amalgamation of the Latin words for water and bean) is the liquid that remains after boiling legumes. In 2014 a French musician <a href="http://www.revolutionvegetale.com/non-classe/meringue-de-chaville/">discovered</a> this liquid’s ability to create a foam similar to egg whites, and started a vegan revolution of sorts.</p> Thu, 01 Nov 2018 16:41:13 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7425 at /oss /oss/article/nutrition/spice-life <p>Very few of us would argue against the notion that spices (and to a lesser extent, their leafy cousins, herbs) play an important role in our culinary preferences. These days it would be almost unthinkable to make a dish that is completely devoid of our standard ‘go-tos’ from the aptly named spice cabinet in the kitchen, such as a spaghetti sauce without oregano and thyme or a cauliflower soup without some cumin… or just about any prepared dish for that matter, without the omnipresence of pepper, garlic and onion.</p> Tue, 23 Oct 2018 18:01:09 +0000 Adam Oliver Brown PhD 7404 at /oss