Science has been a passion of mine ever science High School.  It is a passion that has served me well in another of my interests—cooking. There are very strong links between cooking and science; both involve measuring, testing, and experimentation.  The art of cooking is the management of physical and chemical reactions with a healthy dose of experimentation thrown in.  We have all found ourselves in the situation where we are missing that one ingredient needed to complete a recipe and have then decided to make a substitution, creating our own mini-experiment in the process.

Television Chief Alton Brown leveraged this kitchen science connection when he presented recipes in a new way on his extremely education television show.  Recently, I discovered that the science of cooking has been taken to a whole new level when I read a book called “What Einstein Told His Cook,” by Robert Wolke.  As both a professor of chemistry and a keen cook, Robert dives into the science of the kitchen with gusto.  From whether you should add salt or oil to boiling pasta water to the latest scientific research on juicing limes, he blends the science of cooking with funny anecdotes and explains concepts in easy-to-understand terms.  A lot of what we do in the kitchen is learned through experience, but as Robert shows it is all founded in really interesting science.

I often recommend cooking as an educational activity when parents ask me how to engage their children in science at home.  Getting the children involved in the process of cooking is a perfect way to encourage their natural curiosity while also helping them develop experimental technique.  Food after all, is very motivational.  From measuring a cup of sugar to melting chocolate, kitchen chemistry is a great way to introduce children to and promote the process of experimentation.  Do not underestimate the educational power of allowing a young child to dissolve sugar and salt in separate glasses of water and then having them taste it.  Careful measuring, watching batter turn into cake, or adding lemon juice to avocadoes to stop them from browning, this is all great science opportunities that can be a springboard to further learning.  Best of all, this is science that you can eat.

Andy Allan “The Science Wiz”