STEM: Cooking

Making connections to everyday activities is a great part of learning. Who doesn’t eat? We all do! Kids love lessons about food. Including classroom lessons about food can be tricky, because of safety concerns. If you can’t do a live lesson, why not make a video to show your class? Here are some great links to keep the science in your lesson, whether you are live or on camera!

There is an amazing presentation of the chemistry of cooking in this site by the folks at appliances.com.au. Melting butter, boiling water, making cooking and the chemistry in it all are presented in a fun and clear way. It’s hard to do anything in the kitchen without using one of the science facts explained here: https://www.appliancesonline.com.au/academy/ovens-cooking/scientific-baking-your-guide-to-chemical-reactions-in-cooking/

From your toast to your coffee beans, there is one chemical reaction going on that makes good things happen: do you know what it is? Visit this great site by Discover Magazine and find out why food really does taste awesome! (hint: it’s called the Maillard reaction, and it’s the reason your toast is brown, and things taste yummy!) Find out here: https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/the-chemical-reactions-that-make-food-taste-awesome

Easy as pie? No! Easy as cake! Why does cake taste so good? Where do all of the little holes come from? Why is the outside brown, and so tasty? Why doesn’t the cake turn into a ball of goop, like playdough or slime? Why can’t I jump up and down in the kitchen when the cake is cooking? Time for Sciencing, the site that will tell us about the structure of baking a cake, right here: https://sciencing.com/chemical-reactions-involved-baking-cake-7173041.html

Of course, a STEM lesson is more than a science lesson, but good science is a great beginning. What theme can you bring to the cooking concept? Root beer floats combine many science concepts together. What design process might we engage in? What are the ideal proportions? Container sizes and shapes? I will help with the testing! How about baking container sizes and their impact on results. (This should be approached reasonably!) Does the recommended square pan bake differently from the recommended rectangular pan? How so? Why are each of the directions important?

And remember, safety first!