Food Science
Sourdough is a colony you keep alive
A starter is wild yeast plus lactic acid bacteria living together. The bacteria make the sour tang; the yeast makes the lift. Fed regularly, one can last decades.
More in Food Science
Chocolate has six crystal forms — only one is good
Cocoa butter can set in six different crystal structures. Tempering coaxes it into Form V, the only one that snaps cleanly and shines instead of turning dull and grainy.
Latte art only works with microfoam
Good steaming makes bubbles so small the milk becomes a glossy paint. Big bubbles float on top and the pattern collapses before the cup reaches the table.
Bread rises on carbon dioxide bubbles
Yeast eats sugars in the dough and exhales CO2, which gets trapped by gluten. In the oven the trapped gas expands fast — that final surge is called oven spring.
3,000-year-old honey is still edible
Honey is so low in water and so acidic that bacteria cannot grow in it. Sealed pots found in Egyptian tombs were still unspoiled thousands of years later.
A tandoor runs at around 480°C
The clay walls store ferocious heat, so naan cooks in about 60 seconds. The dough sticks to the wall because it is slapped on wet and steams itself off when done.
Ramen noodles are springy because of alkaline water
Kansui — alkaline mineral water — changes how gluten links up, giving ramen its yellow tint and bouncy chew. Without it, you get pasta, not ramen.