A More Flavorful Holiday Meal through Chemistry
Brining1 can give you a tastier chicken or turkey. All you need to do is place the poultry into salt water for several hours. Osmosis allows the poultry to absorb more liquid. The results are worth it!
Giving Non-Perishable Food to Food Banks
Are you donating canned food during the holidays? It’s good to know epoxy resin linings on the cans help protect the food from contamination.
Preservatives are often added to food to help keep it fresh. Preservatives fight spoilage caused by bacteria, mold, fungus and yeast.
Gingerbread through Chemistry
Baking soda combined with wet ingredients causes carbon dioxide bubbles to form. When these bubbles expand in a hot oven, they cause gingerbread to rise.
Candy and Chemistry
Did you know the way confectioners cool melted sugar decides the type of candy?
Stirring melted sugar as it cools makes crystalline candy. This candy is smooth and easy to chew like fudge and marshmallows. Cooling melted sugar for several days makes non-crystalline candies. These candies have large sugar crystals. Peppermint candy canes and caramels are non-crystalline candies.
Helium Makes Balloons on Parade Float
Did you know the giant holiday parade balloons hold enough helium to fill a small apartment? Polyurethane balloons can keep about 12,000 cubic feet of helium safely inside.
For more information about chemistry’s role in the holidays, visit these pages:
A Safer Holiday
The CDC offers guidance to help you protect your health while celebrating the holidays.
Relevant Articles
The Chemistry of a Healthy Thanksgiving
On Thanksgiving, we express gratitude and share a traditional meal with family and friends. And whether you’re cooking a feast for two or 20, you can be thankful for the role that chemistry plays when preparing the turkey, side dishes, and pies.
Cooking with Silicones
Known for their superior flexibility, heat resistance, non-stick properties and safety for human health, silicones are a reliable and convenient partner in the kitchen.
Preservatives
The term “preservatives” refers to the functional name for a variety of natural or synthetic compounds that help slow or prevent bacterial growth in a wide range of products, including foods, medicines and personal care products.
Plastics
From bike helmets to food packaging to airbags in automobiles, versatile plastics can be used in a range of applications that can enhance our daily life.
