Food Archives - Page 6 of 8

21Aug 2016 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

Tender, Delicious Scalloped White Bush Pan Patty Squash

Food, Plants

[caption id="attachment_20657" align="alignright" width="440"] 8-1/2" Squash - Photo July 2018.[/caption] In the Southeast United States, yellow crookneck, yellow straight-neck, butternut, acorn, and zucchini are prominently grown squashes. Less frequently seen is one squash that surpasses all other squashes. At least that is so for some of us. What squash? The tender, delicious, and considerably different scalloped white bush pan patty squash. Special? Bush Pan Patty Squash? The bush pan patty squash truly is different. It’s surpassingly tender if picked at the optimal time; almost all of the squash is eaten—none of it gets wasted. The optimal size is generally about 4-1/2 inches diameter. Cooked at that time, even the skin and seeds can be eaten. In fact, they contribute to the texture of the squash. However, I have eaten them…

13Jul 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Cooked Blueberries Taste Different – Why?

Chemistry, Food

Moderate heating of most single chemical compounds simply raises their temperature. Perhaps there may be an accompanying change of state. Thus ice if heated forms liquid water. But with increased heat, compounds can be made to break down. For instance, sugar melts and caramelizes. Biological systems, such as fruits, may experience cell wall breakdown and a number of chemical changes. Consider one example: cooked blueberries taste different from raw blueberries. Why is that? Relevant Blueberry Chemistry Much of the blueberry chemistry relevant to our discussion stems from compounds containing the same skeletal structure, that of the molecule flavone. Flavone has two rings: one large, one small. The larger ring includes an ether linkage (–C–O–C–) and a ketone group (–C–(C=O)–C–). The compounds as a group are the flavonoids. [caption id="attachment_19735" align="alignleft"…

17Jun 2016 by Vincent Summers 6 Comments

Puffballs, Earthstars, Jelly, and Bracket Fungi

Food, Plants

[caption id="attachment_14895" align="alignright" width="480"] Puffballs-from-Belfasts-St.-Georges[/caption] A famous scientist’s father asked the man to describe a specific bird. The scientist used impressive language. The father then told the young man his description told him nothing about the bird. The words were mere man-made classification terms. The scientist took the lesson to heart. He became the famous nuclear physicist, Richard Feynman. In discussing puffballs and the other fungi, we will avoid scientific jargon or lingo. Instead, we will speak of what they are and why they are special. [caption id="attachment_14891" align="alignleft" width="320"] Puffball-Fungus-from-Eaglenest-Arunachal-by-Kalyanvarma-CC-by-SA3.0[/caption] As a child, you may have been running in a field and spotted what looked like an odd round or egg-shaped white to greenish-brown object. It may have been smooth, or it may have had small warts or spikes…

06May 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Carbs or Carbohydrates – What are They?

Chemistry, Food

[caption id="attachment_14302" align="alignright" width="440"] Yum! White Potatoes.[/caption] When people refer to limiting their “carb” intake, they mean they are holding back from eating food rich in carbohydrates. What are carbs, and what are some examples of foods high in carbohydrates that dieters may wish to limit their consuming? Derived from carbo- (carbon) and hydrate (water), these substances are compounds such as sugars, starches, and cellulose that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The ratio of hydrogen to oxygen atoms is 2 to 1, the same as that for water (H2O). In essence, all carbohydrates are some combination of carbon and water. What are Carbs – Sugars Mention sugar, and the average person thinks of ordinary table sugar or sucrose. Others may have also heard of glucose. This sugar is of special…

04May 2016 by Vincent Summers 4 Comments

Have Boxelder Maple Trees? Make Boxelder Syrup!

Food, Plants

[caption id="attachment_14989" align="alignright" width="480"] Tree Tapping[/caption] Do you really adore 100% real maple syrup and maple sugar? If so, maybe you would enjoy making your own maple syrup. But you say you don’t have sugar maple trees! There is good news, though. There are other trees whose sap can be used to produce sweet syrup for your morning pancakes or French toast. Have you ever heard of boxelder syrup? Confusing Boxelder Trees with Poison Ivy It is not rare for a person to identify a boxelder tree as poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). You can see why this is the case if you compare the images provided with this article. Because I am aware of the similarity between the two plants and the tendency of others to make a mistake, I…

11Apr 2016 by Vincent Summers 10 Comments

Vanilla and Vanillin: What’s the Difference?

Chemistry, Food

[caption id="attachment_14041" align="alignright" width="440"] Drying vanilla beans.[/caption] Probably the average grocery shopper is unaware there are two sources of the flavor of vanilla. They are vanilla and vanillin. Are they the same? Are they different? If they are different, what is that difference? Vanilla and Vanillin Historically, our favorite ice cream flavor has been vanilla. To draw special attention to the use of natural rather than synthetic ingredients, some have added descriptors to their ice cream. They use phrases like natural vanilla or natural vanilla bean. The vanilla bean comes from an orchid, and is completely natural. The flavor extract made from it is called vanilla. Yes, the word that ends in an “a,” and not an “n.” We still have vanilla and vanillin. So what is vanillin? [caption id="attachment_17377"…

11Apr 2016 by Vincent Summers 3 Comments

Why Chocolate Truffle Centers Cool the Tongue

Chemistry, Food

[caption id="attachment_14026" align="alignright" width="480"] Yum! Chocolate Truffles.[/caption] A chocolate truffle may be a hollow sphere of hard chocolate filled with a special sort of chocolate filling. The filling inside melts in a unique way. When you put a truffle in your mouth, the inside chocolate cools your tongue. Is that really possible? Yes it is. It is not merely a psychological effect. Chocolate truffle centers really do cool the tongue. Chocolate Truffle Centers Cool the Tongue When the truffle is put into the mouth and the lips close around it, energy comes from the cheeks, the palate, and especially the tongue. The temperature of the tongue generally remains nearly constant and is higher than that of the truffle's center. The outer chocolate of the truffle dissolves away slowly. The center…

29Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 8 Comments

What is Canola Oil? Does It Pose a Health Risk?

Food

What is canola, the source of canola oil? Have you ever seen this little green plant with a brownish tubular shoot rising above the…? No. Wait a minute. Don’t leave. Not yet anyway. I’m not going to lie to you. There’s no such thing as a canola. What is Canola? What is Canola Oil? What is canola? The word stands for Canadian Oil, Low Acid. So the oil comes from Canada. And, whether naturally or artificially, it is low in acid. But what is a canola? What kind of plant is that? From the rapeseed plant. Sound appetizing? Let’s not judge a book by its cover. A Matter of Breeding? J.Am.Coll.Nutr. (1989), in an article by J. Dupont, et al reports, canola oil is “expressed from a cultivar of rapeseed…

12Feb 2016 by Vincent Summers 9 Comments

Instant Pudding Thickening Chemistry

Chemistry, Food

Ordinary “cook” pudding, such as Royal Pudding or Jello Pudding, has been around for decades. It is a starch product that, combined with milk, sets into semi-solid form through heating. However, “instant” pudding utilizes a different thickening mechanism. In fact, two thickening mechanisms. What are the mechanisms for instant pudding thickening? A Concrete Thickening Model It’s like making concrete from Portland cement! Really, like that? Think of what the Portland cement contains. It is largely a mixture of silicates. Among these are dicalcium silicate (CaO2)2•(SiO2) and tricalcium silicate (CaO2)3•(SiO₂2). Mixing the cement powder with water yields an inorganic polymer matrix. We will introduce a model for the thickening process of instant pudding in just a moment. First, though, you may enjoy looking at this very early Jell-o Instant Pudding commercial…

15Jan 2016 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Chocolate Alkaloid Theobromine

Chemistry, Food

Chocolate is everyone’s favorite. It is a hard core sweet. There is chocolate candy, pudding, cake, and pie. And don't forget chocolate fudge, brownies, and doughnuts. Yet it must be asked, has the average person even heard of the chocolate alkaloid theobromine? Coffee Chocolate is not our only "favorite" food. We have bacon. We have beer. We have coffee. We have pizza. Just as coffee contains an alkaloid caffeine, there is a chocolate alkaloid theobromine. Structure of Theobromine? An alkaloid is a natural occurring, nitrogen containing base. Alkaloids produce physiological effects. These are sometimes good, sometimes bad. Theobromine is a xanthine alkaloid. Caffeine is a xanthine alkaloid. There is little difference between the two. In fact, there is only one methyl group difference (‒CH3)! Compare the images. Theobromine has the…