ideas for "eating your experiments" kitchen science

[umami_mommy]

i'd like to do some hands on stuff for 5,6,7,8 yo in the kitchen... bread and some other stuff. but i'm getting stuck on actual food they can eat. i know lots of things to do in the kitchen... but my brain needs some jump starting around edible experiments....

[Mymble]

well, all cooking -- and baking especially -- is pretty much science, so it might be easier to just find some recipes and figure out what's teachable about them?

And, they're not written for kids but if you got the books Cookwise or Bakewise you could probably use those as resources, iirc there's science for practically every recipe in Cookwise, and Bakewise is supposed to be the same.

DD gets a magazine that has "science" experiments that usually involve food (I think it's the Nat'l Geo little kids mag) and she asks to do them, but she's just 4 so I'm not sure she's absorbing any of the science involved. She has fun though. freezing and melting fruit juice, making ice cream in plastic bags (tiring but fun), that sort of thing.

I'm subbing to see what else is out there!!

[3momkmb]

You could make Dutch Babies. Pretty much a really easy souffle, it puffs like crazy when you bake it which my kids can never get enough of. You don't really need a cast iron skillet, I use either one of my Pampered chef stone casseroles or a pie plate.

Dutch Babies

Amounts depend on cast iron skillet size.

3 C. Pan: 1 1/2 Tbsp butter, 1 egg, 1/4 c milk, 1/4 c flour
4 C. Pan: 3 Tbsp butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 c milk, 1/2 c flour
2-3 qt pan: 1/4 c butter, 3 eggs, 3/4 c milk, 3/4 c flour
3-4 qt pan: 1/3 c butter, 4 eggs, 1 c milk, 1 c flour
4-41/2 qt pan: 1/2 c butter, 5 eggs, 1 1/4 c milk, 1 1/4 c flour

Put butter in pan in pre-heated 425 oven. Mix eggs in blender, with blender going pour in milk, slowly add flour (I don't use a blender, just whisk the bejeeses out of it).

Remove pan from oven, pour batter in melted butter. Bake at 425 for 15-25 minutes, depending on pan size, until golden brown. Humps and bumps are normal. Serve directly from pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar, if desired. Top with fresh fruit, berries, jam, syrup, etc. 1-6 generous servings.


Or for a simpler (although not as tasty) version of the leavening power of eggs you could make these mini cakes. While cooking the cakes rises so high that you think it will either fall over or hit the top of the microwave but it shrinks back down when you turn off the micorwave. You also get different results depending on the size and shape of your mug. This doesn't taste all that great, although my kids love it, but it's fun anyway and doesn't use a lot of ingredients or make a lot of dishes.

Single Serving, Microwave, Chocolate Cake

Mix together in a mug:

4 T flour
4 T sugar
2 T cocoa powder

Add:

3 T milk
3 T oil
1 large egg

and mix until well blended.

Place mug in microwave and cook on high for about 3 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Also, check out Good Eats with Alton Brown (if you haven't already) , he has really good visual aids

[LilyGrace]

We have the books Math Chef and Science Chef. Easy, edible experiments and hands on math. They're great when you need that little bit extra imagination starter.

[ocelotmom]

We did a simple intro to acids and bases by tasting lemon juice and apple cider vinegar to recognize the sour taste of acids, tasting baking soda to recogize bitter, and then stirring a spoonful baking soda into each of the acids, observing the reactions, and tasting the results (it no longer tastes sour or bitter, but does taste salty).

Not exactly yummy, but it gets the idea across, and isn't going to poison you You could go on to make some sort of quick bread that involves an acid/base reaction for rising. Or how you can use less sugar in recipes involving sour fruit (berry pies, that sort of thing) by mixing in some baking soda to neutralize the acid in the fruit.

[TEAK's Mom]

We've also had great fun with Vikki Cobb's Science Experiments You Can Eat.

[Miss Information]

Originally Posted by TEAK's Mom

We've also had great fun with Vikki Cobb's Science Experiments You Can Eat.

Hey... we have that book. We haven't used it yet, but we should.

We also have another one called Simple Kitchen Experiments - Learning Science with Everyday Foods by Muriel Mandell.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by LilyGrace

We have the books Math Chef and Science Chef. Easy, edible experiments and hands on math. They're great when you need that little bit extra imagination starter.

:

We got these from the library and they are great!

[joy_seeker]

Originally Posted by TEAK's Mom

We've also had great fun with Vikki Cobb's Science Experiments You Can Eat.

Originally Posted by Miss Information

Hey... we have that book. We haven't used it yet, but we should.

We also have another one called Simple Kitchen Experiments - Learning Science with Everyday Foods by Muriel Mandell.

I just ordered both of these on Amazon for $10 total. : Thanks for the recommendations- my aspiring chef will love these.

[Mymble]

Originally Posted by TEAK's Mom

We've also had great fun with Vikki Cobb's Science Experiments You Can Eat.

Originally Posted by Miss Information

We also have another one called Simple Kitchen Experiments - Learning Science with Everyday Foods by Muriel Mandell.

Another thanks on these recommendations -- I've requested them from the library, they look great!

[Momma Aimee]

On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee (Author)

[Momma Aimee]

The Science Chef: 100 Fun Food Experiments and Recipes for Kids
by Joan D'Amico (Author), Karen Eich Drummond (Author)