Dessert

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Bubble Gum History

Daniel Kohler ·

Bubble gum is practically a national treasure by now, it is so closely associated with American culture that we cannot think of high school without images of bubble-popping teens flanking the hallways. But, as with many treats, chewing gum has international roots. Check out the lesson!

Dessert, Dinner Party Theater, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Read, Snack

Bubble Gum Breakdown

Daniel Kohler ·

Is there any other food so closely associated with teenage rebelliousness? Imagine a hallway full of gum-smacking adolescents, three or four walking toward you unaware of your presence. You quake in your oxford loafers while they pass. But while gum may be culturally connoted with the under-18 crowd, it has a long history of supplying adults with something sweet to keep their mouths occupied during long work days.

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Maple Syrup

Daniel Kohler ·

As the weather takes a turn into cooler temperatures I find myself longing for maple syrup. I want to imbue its flavor into everything I bake, be it savory or sweet. Well, if you're wondering where that sweet sap comes from and how we get it, look no further!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Snack

Maple Butter

Daniel Kohler ·

Looking for a new treat to spread on your morning toast? Want a wicked spoonful to stir into your cup of coffee? What if I told you there was a way to make maple syrup so thick that it wouldn't run off your waffles and pancakes? Well friends, the wait is over. With little more than some basic chemistry knowledge you'll be able to work magic in the kitchen with a bottle of maple syrup. Get ready, because this is your new addiction.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Spring, Summer, Video

Home & Family: Dry Ice Soft Serve

Daniel Kohler ·

Though you may think of soft serve as something purely to be purchased at a carnival or ballpark, think again! Using dry ice in the kitchen really pays off here, a little science goes a long way when it comes to ice cream.

Dessert, Dairy Free, Home & Family, Fall, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Rock Candy

Daniel Kohler ·

Looking for a fun experiment in the kitchen for your family this weekend? Learn how to make rock candy, an exciting exploration of geometry, crystallization, and super-saturation!

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Spring, Summer

Chocolate Coconut Soft Serve

Daniel Kohler ·

Want the secret to a killer party trick? Buy a pound of dry ice and make your guests instant soft serve ice cream after dinner, then toss your hair over your shoulder and say, "Oh, this? It's nothing." Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide and reaches dangerously low temperatures (-109 degrees!), which is perfect for making icy desserts. 

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Winter

Rock Candy

Daniel Kohler ·

I'm a sucker for candy, particularly candy of the sucking variety. Though to be honest, when I'm presented with a stick of rock candy I am much more likely to crunch its crystals to smithereens than delicately decay them with saliva. There is something so terribly pleasing about the obliteration of sugar between teeth. 

Home & Family, Read, Dessert, Dairy Free, Gluten Free

Rock candy Crystallization

Daniel Kohler ·

Rock candy, so popularly associated with garishly colored sticks and strings, makes its first appearance in world culinography in 9th century Iran. It seems even at such an early time in human history we had already learned to grow sugar crystals. And why would we be growing sugar crystals? Keep reading!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Drink, Gluten Free, Fall, Home & Family, Spring, Summer, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Fermented Coffee

Daniel Kohler ·

Microbes are the oldest life form on this planet. They can be found in the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we eat, and indeed inside our own bodies. Check out how food-hackers are changing the flavor of coffee with these tiny organisms!

Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Summer, Video

Home & Family: Strawberry Shrub

Daniel Kohler ·

Trust me on this one, drinking vinegar is great for you. A shrub is a vinegary preserved, fruit syrup that will keep you satisfied all Summer long. Stir some into soda water or shake it with a cocktail!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Dinner Party Theater, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Snack, Side, Summer, Video

Home & Family: Mealy Fruit

Daniel Kohler ·

The secret to avoiding mealy fruit this summer lies in temperature control. Learn the science behind those unfortunate peaches and get some tips on storing your favorites while the weather is still warm!

Breakfast, Dairy Free, Dessert, Dinner, Dinner Party Theater, Drink, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Meat, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Veggies, Video, Winter

Home & Family: Nomiku Sous Vide

Daniel Kohler ·

What was once a tool fit only for commercial kitchens has been adapted for your home! The Nomiku is an immersion circulator for the modern cook. Control temperature within a fraction of a degree for perfect cooking.

Dairy Free, Dessert, Home & Family, Video, Winter, Summer

Home & Family: Candied Fruit

Daniel Kohler ·

Preserving fruit with sugar is a centuries-old tradition that seems to rear its head every Christmas. As we celebrate Christmas in July with Hallmark, take to heart some candying tips. Get started on this now and you'll have gifts aplenty on your shelf to dole out come December! 

Dairy Free, Dessert, Fall, Gluten Free, Home & Family, Side, Snack, Spring, Summer, Winter

Candied Lemon Peel

Daniel Kohler ·

This is not a new trick, it is simply good, old, cooking at its best. When we slowly replace water content in food with sugar we act to reduce the amount of H2O necessary to support the growth of bacteria and microbes. Which is to say, we preserve the food. Sugar is a most excellent prison for your lemons. Keep them alive far past their due date with this solution.

Breakfast, Dessert, Home & Family, Read

Weight vs. Volume

Daniel Kohler ·

Any scientist worth her salt will tell you that the two most important factors in any experiment are consistency and reproducibility. Considering that every time we bake we are essentially conducting a science experiment, why wouldn’t we hold the same standards in the kitchen?