One Course Summer Institute - Chemistry and the Kitchen: Should We Be Wearing Goggles??? (Commuter)

Do you know that everything is a chemical? Do you know the difference between baking soda and washing soda? Why do onions make your eyes water? Why are things spicy? Why do things change color when they are cooked? Why are certain cabbages purple not green? Why does bread rise? In this class you will spend some time in the chemistry lab to synthesize your own alum, a common leavening agent, and design your own experiment to test its usefulness in the kitchen, or the dye pot, or in water purification–it's kind of a jack-of-all-trades chemical. You will also get to spend some time in a real kitchen where you will be able to eat your experiments. Why are cookies crunchy or chewy? Will baked goods raise better with ‘chemical’ or ‘biological’ leavening agents?