Science & Kitchen

Have you ever thought who would have been the first Scientist even before Aristotle! Have you been able to discover the laboratory of your house yet?

In plants, leaf is a kitchen; in a house, kitchen is a science lab. Science and kitchen have an endless equation. The study of balance diet to know the true value of nutrients in food products like vegetables, fruits etc. is majorly reasoned in kitchen. Even making a cup of tea require concepts like friction, conduction, convection, radiation. When a match is stricken, due to friction it lights the gas stove. Usage of a copper based, stainless steel pan for boiling some water for the tea shows that copper is better conductor of heat. Plastic handle on the pan does not conduct heat as it is an insulator. Observe that the heating method is convection, as the water starts boiling water droplets can be seen due to vapourisation. Tulsi leaves, clove, ginger and cinnamon have medicinal values. But even after boiling it does not dissolves in water like sugar because solid particles do not mix completely. Due to heat, the fragrance diffuses in water helping us to make the perfect tea. Sugar’s molecules find spaces between the intermolecular spaces of water, hence dissolve adding a dash of flavour. Separation of solid residue from water is done by sewing method to remove the impurities.

Similarly, try chopping a gourd horizontally to get long bits. Now closely observe it, the horizontal bits clearly show phloem. At times of emergency a mother makes a solution of sugar, salt and lime juice that is popularly known as Oral Rehydration Solution, see how moms know all about first aid! If we sprinkle some washing powder on an unclean plate that has some turmeric residue on it then acidic powder changes basic turmeric to red colour.

 Well, most of the activities done in a kitchen have scientific reasons. One might not be surprised to find that a kitchen is a home's laboratory where a person can do many experiments not only with ingredients but with science!