Question 1

What is cooking science?

Accepted Answer

Cooking science is learning about how food changes when we cook it. It's like doing experiments in the kitchen to see how heat, cold, and mixing change the food into something delicious.

Question 2

Why do we cook food?

Accepted Answer

Cooking food makes it taste better and is easier to chew. It also kills germs that could make us sick, making food safer to eat.

Question 3

How does heat change food when cooking?

Accepted Answer

Heat can make food softer, change its color, and bring out its flavor. For example, baking cookies makes them golden and yummy by causing sugars to brown.

Question 4

What happens when water boils?

Accepted Answer

When water boils, it gets hot enough to change from a liquid to steam, which is a gas. This usually happens when bubbles start popping on the surface of the water.

Question 5

Why do we use baking soda in cooking?

Accepted Answer

Baking soda helps things rise, like when you bake a cake or cookies. It releases gas bubbles that make the dough or batter fluffy and light.

Question 6

Why does bread rise when you bake it?

Accepted Answer

Bread rises because of a tiny creature called yeast, which eats sugar and makes gas bubbles. These bubbles get trapped in the dough, making it swell and become soft.

Question 7

What is the Maillard reaction?

Accepted Answer

It's when food turns brown and yummy, like when you toast bread. This happens when heat makes the sugars and proteins in food react.

Question 8

Why does ice cream melt?

Accepted Answer

Ice cream melts because it's frozen and heat makes it turn back into a liquid. It's like when ice cubes turn into water when they're out of the freezer for too long.

Question 9

What makes popcorn pop?

Accepted Answer

Inside each popcorn kernel is a little water. When you heat it, the water turns to steam and causes the kernel to explode into a fluffy white treat.

Question 10

Why are some fruits sweet?

Accepted Answer

Fruits are sweet because they have sugar, which gives them a good taste. Plants make these sugars to attract animals, who help spread their seeds.

Question 11

Why does bread become stale?

Accepted Answer

Bread becomes stale because it loses moisture and the starch inside the bread gets harder. This makes it dry and tough after a while.

Question 12

How do flavors mix when cooking?

Accepted Answer

Flavors mix when the ingredients are heated and stirred together. This lets different ingredients share their tastes, creating a yummy dish.

Question 13

Why do chips become soggy?

Accepted Answer

Chips become soggy because they absorb moisture from the air, making them soft. Keeping them in a sealed bag helps keep them crispy.

Question 14

What makes meat brown when cooked?

Accepted Answer

When you cook meat, heat causes the proteins to change color and the Maillard reaction makes it brown. This also makes the meat taste better!

Question 15

How does salt change food?

Accepted Answer

Salt makes food taste better by bringing out flavors. It can also help preserve food, keeping it from spoiling quickly.

Question 16

What causes vegetables to change color when cooked?

Accepted Answer

Heat can change the color of vegetables by breaking down the pigments that give them color. For example, cooking green beans can make them look brighter.

Question 17

Why does fruit turn brown when cut?

Accepted Answer

Fruit turns brown when cut because air reacts with the inside of the fruit, causing a chemical change. This isn't bad, but you can slow it down by adding lemon juice.

Question 18

Why does bread get hard when left out?

Accepted Answer

Bread gets hard when it loses moisture to the air. Wrapping it tightly can help keep it soft for longer.

Question 19

What makes jelly set?

Accepted Answer

Jelly sets because of a sticky substance called gelatin or pectin that thickens when cooled. It turns liquid into a firm, wobbly treat.

Question 20

Why does sugar dissolve in water?

Accepted Answer

Sugar dissolves in water because the tiny sugar crystals break apart and spread out into the water. This makes the water sweet all the way through.

The Science of Cooking and Culinary Chemistry - 20 FAQs Explained Simply