An essay by Professor Caldwell Mook, as told to Nick Morrish Art by Leigh Legler It is not often that I agree to become personally involved in one of the scientific experiments that I am investigating. Generally, I prefer to observe and deride from a safe distance. However, Doctor Felix Happensnapper’s research into sensory...
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Many fruits have a literal sweet spot–that point when they’re just the right amount of ripe to taste their most delicious. Eat them before then, or after then, and you might be disappointed. Ethylene is the naturally occurring chemical that causes fruit to ripen, and it can be accelerated by damaging the fruit or...
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When you hear the words “molecular gastronomy,” you probably think of something like the picture to the left, where it’s all about weird combinations and fancy plating. Molecular gastronomy is, in reality, the science of investigating the physical and chemical changes in ingredients when they are cooked. Or, in other words, the science behind...
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Why do food pairings like pork and vanilla or beef and chocolate work? The answer lies within flavor perception and biochemical networks. Food is made up of chemical compounds, and sometimes, two foods that you might think of as very different have similar compounds. If the two foods are cooked in a fashion that...
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Humans have long believed in all sorts of weird remedies and supplements for their continued health. But cannibalism? That might be taking it a bit too far. Nonetheless, Europeans in the 16th and 17th centuries had a wide array of curatives that were derived from human body parts, mummified or otherwise. According to author...
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We at Mad Scientist Journal have recently been undertaking some culinary experiments. Jeremy is learning to bake gluten-free breads, pies, and cookies, while Dawn is learning to make Ethiopian food. One of our recent experiments was an Ethiopian lentil stew, which involved some red onions. The pot of stew made more than enough for...
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We recently bought a bag of xanthan gum. We wanted to try and make gluten free pancakes from scratch, and this was one of the ingredients. Xanthan gum is one of those things that appears on different food ingredient labels, but we had no idea what it was. Things like guar gum and locust...
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Looking for a recipe that uses some science? Look no further than the color-changing unicorn noodles, which have been popping up all over Instagram recently! Though it may look like magic, it’s actually a pH reaction that causes clear or white noodles, after cooking in water that cabbage has been boiled in, to change...
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An essay by John Baker, as provided by Rich Knight Art by Justine McGreevy “I’ve created a monster!” … is what I wish I could say. But I can’t. Not with this sad, pathetic mess writhing on my kitchen table. The best I could say is, “I’ve created a mess,” and even that was being generous....
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