My recipe card - ratatouille
Reflection questions and answers
Q.) How did your cooking process transform your food macroscopically and affect the food’s overall characteristics?
A.) For my experiment, I worked with zucchinis and an oven. From what I observed, The longer a zucchini cooks the darker and squishier it becomes. I also found that zucchini must cook for 40 minutes to reach an optimal internal temperature of 135º. As well as cooking time affecting the darkness of the slice of zucchini, I found that the thickness of a slice also affects the color as well. The thinner a slice is, the faster it will cook and brown, almost like a thin potato chip.
Q.) In what way(s) are cooking and doing science similar and in what way(s) are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar or different?
A.) My mother is an amazing chef that has been cooking for me since I was born. I’ve observed that when she creates a new recipe or tries a new way of cooking, she roughly follows the scientific method. First, she will hypothesize different outcomes and effects of variables, then she will create a plan on how to cook her food based on her evaluations. Then, she will go on with her plan, and record different results. Since she is an expert in the field, her hypothesis is usually right and her food is always delicious! This is very similar to what I would imagine a professional scientist would do to conduct an experiment. First hypothesize, then evaluate and make a plan, then test, and finally record. In science, however, I believe that you have less freedom to experiment with a variety of different substances because the outcome can either be null or dangerous– while the main challenge a chef has is the food not tasting great.
A.) For my experiment, I worked with zucchinis and an oven. From what I observed, The longer a zucchini cooks the darker and squishier it becomes. I also found that zucchini must cook for 40 minutes to reach an optimal internal temperature of 135º. As well as cooking time affecting the darkness of the slice of zucchini, I found that the thickness of a slice also affects the color as well. The thinner a slice is, the faster it will cook and brown, almost like a thin potato chip.
Q.) In what way(s) are cooking and doing science similar and in what way(s) are they different? How are a cook and a food scientist similar or different?
A.) My mother is an amazing chef that has been cooking for me since I was born. I’ve observed that when she creates a new recipe or tries a new way of cooking, she roughly follows the scientific method. First, she will hypothesize different outcomes and effects of variables, then she will create a plan on how to cook her food based on her evaluations. Then, she will go on with her plan, and record different results. Since she is an expert in the field, her hypothesis is usually right and her food is always delicious! This is very similar to what I would imagine a professional scientist would do to conduct an experiment. First hypothesize, then evaluate and make a plan, then test, and finally record. In science, however, I believe that you have less freedom to experiment with a variety of different substances because the outcome can either be null or dangerous– while the main challenge a chef has is the food not tasting great.