Cooking with Chemistry @ Home

This term in the specialism ‘Cooking with Chemistry’, students have been completing a unit on acids and bases. Students have researched acidic and alkaline foods, learnt how to use indicators to test the pH of different household kitchen substances, and explored different types of acid reactions that occur both in everyday life and in cooking.

During Remote and Flexible Learning, students have had the opportunity to partake in a number of science practicals and cooking sessions at home. These have included:

• Creating a pH indicator from red cabbage and testing it on different household items
• Making tingly sherbet and fizzy lemonade to learn about acid-carbonate reactions
• Making pancakes and discussing how the pH of milk impacts how fluffy our pancakes are
• Competing in a cooking challenge to design a meal with the highest amount of acidic and alkaline foods

It has been wonderful to see the students get involved and partake in these practicals at home – what a terrific effort! 

Science Week Cooking Challenge

During National Science Week (14 - 22 August), students were invited to complete the following cooking challenge using their knowledge of raising agents. 

Pancake Findings!

The key to making these pancakes fluffy was beating the egg whites and adding them in separate to the egg yolks. The whipped egg whites along with baking powder makes the pancakes rise significantly. It was also important to cook them at a low temperature so that it cooked evenly and therefore rose to the height it was. The pancakes were 2.5 cm in height.

Baden Mooney

Baking soda reacts to liquid acids as soon as they come in contact with each other. The baking soda quickly breaks down into carbon dioxide which expands upon baking. This is why in most recipes for fluffy pancakes they have buttermilk in them; the buttermilk provides the needed acid to react with the baking soda and make the pancake fluffy.

Kiara Mooney

Ms Madeleine Hunter-Smith

BEST Teacher