Nutrition labels, or nutrition facts panels, are included on nearly all food products. To find the nutrition label, pick up the product from a grocery store shelf and rotate it to the right. The only time the nutrition label is not on the right of the principle display panel is when there is no right… Continue reading How to Read a Nutrition Label
Egg whites are unique. At first glance they are a bit gross. Raw egg whites are clear and slimy. When cooked, they are white and rubbery. Neither raw or cooked egg whites have appetizing descriptors. Egg whites do not even have a great flavor to compensate for their lack of physical appeal. But egg whites… Continue reading How do egg whites make a foam?
With Easter this Sunday, I've been thinking about eggs. Eggs are common in Easter celebrations as a symbol of the resurrection. Christians believe that Christ rose from the tomb, and eggs are an appropriate symbol because new life emerges from them. Eggs are a staple in the kitchen. There are numerous ways to prepare eggs:… Continue reading Eggs: Fun Facts & Other Tidbits
Today I made my first batch of homemade baby food. We've been buying Gerber's Supported Sitter products for a little over a month with no mishaps so I thought I'd introduce my son to homemade food. Gerber baby food seems fairly simple. All of their Supported Sitter products have only two ingredients: the produce and water.… Continue reading Baby food: homemade or store bought?
Everybody knows what a chef is. It is right up there with astronaut and doctor on the list of jobs that kids learn about and want to be when they grow up. But no one knows what a food scientist is. The most common reaction I get when I say I'm a food scientist is:… Continue reading Food Science vs Culinary Arts
In a previous post, I talked about what gives water its flavor. But what do you do if you do not like the flavor of your water? Or what if you think metal is sloughing off old pipes into your water? I personally do not think it is worth it to buy bottled water. I… Continue reading Faucet water filters
As a kid, one of my least favorite things about road trips was the taste of the water. Every place we stopped at, the water flavor different. It was so frustrating! I reasoned that it is the same stuff so it shouldn't taste funny. Little did I know that there are many things in water… Continue reading What gives water its flavor?
Did you know that spices have a "best if used by" date? Some of them do. In my spice collection about half of them have a "best if used by" date. For example, the ground mustard I recently purchased is best if used by 2014. What does this "best if used by"date mean for spices?… Continue reading Do spices expire?
The holiday season is a wonderful time for family and food. One year, as cooking was in full swing my dad help up a bottle of Canola oil and asked what plant it came from. The story behind the canola oil name is one of my favorite random food facts. Canola oil actually comes from… Continue reading What is Canola oil?
A food scientist works in the food industry, typically in product development, quality control, sensory evaluation, or research.
A Dash of Science 