The Cold-Water Test: How Candy Syrup Was Judged Before Thermometers
Before candy thermometers, cooks tested sugar syrup by hand. Here's what the cold-water test measures and why it decided whether candied fruit held its shine.
#Food Science
8 articles
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Cooking Techniques -
Cooking Techniques The Science of Removing Gamey Flavor from Lamb and Mutton
The chemistry behind lamb and mutton's gamey smell, and the acid-based techniques cooks have used for generations to tame it.
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Cooking Techniques Salt, Time, and Cabbage: How Lacto-Fermentation Works
Lacto-fermented cabbage needs no starter, no vinegar, no heat. Just salt at the right ratio, pressure, and time. Here is the science behind why it works.
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Cooking Techniques Mesophilic Fermentation: The Science Behind Kajmak and Soured Milk
How Central European home cooks used mesophilic fermentation to preserve dairy — the living science behind kajmak and traditionally soured milk.
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Ingredient Guides Agar-Agar: The Seaweed That Set the Table
From a Japanese innkeeper's accident to European kitchens and bacteriology labs — the long.
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Food History & Culture Why Bitter Needs Sweet: The Taste Science Behind Coffee and Pastry
Bitterness in coffee is not a flaw to be corrected — it is a signal the tongue is designed to respond to. Here is what happens when sweet meets bitter.
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Ingredient Guides Green, Yellow, or Flat: A Guide to Bean Varieties in the Kitchen
What is the actual difference between yellow wax beans and green beans? And what about those long, flat ones? A cook's guide to bean varieties.
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Ingredient Guides Why Fresh Peas Taste Different Every Time
Fresh peas convert sugar to starch within hours of harvest. Here is the science, what to look for at the market, and when frozen peas are the better choice.