April 7, 2008

More Kitchen Science

          A recent news column on the science of cooking generated several questions along the lines of – “why does it do that?’  Check your knowledge of kitchen chemistry with the following quiz.

1. 'Table sugar' is which type of sugar?
Fructose
Galactose
Glucose
Sucrose

2. Regular coffee, tea, and cola all contain which stimulant?
Caffeine
Sucrose
Theobromine
Theophylline

3. Sodium bicarbonate is commonly used in cooking as:
Alum
Baking Powder
Baking Soda
Cream of Tartar

4. A tomato gets its red color from:
Beta Carotene
Fructose
Lycopene
Limonene

5. Leafy vegetables get most of their green color from:
Carotene
Chlorophyll
Mitochondria
Xanthophyll

6. The bubbles in champagne and soda are:
Carbon Dioxide
Hydrogen
Nitrogen
Oxygen

7. Hot peppers get their heat from:
Acetic acid
Capsaicin
Lycopene
Sulfuric Acid

8. Table salt is:
Iodine
Potassium Chloride
Sodium Bicarbonate
Sodium Chloride

9. When you chop onions, your eyes can burn because a chemical reaction produces:
Acetic Acid
Hydrochloric Acid
Nitric Acid
Sulfuric AcidBottom of Form

Answers
1.  Sucrose          2. Caffeine              3. Baking soda     4. Lycopene

5. Chlorophyll     6. Carbon dioxide   7. Capsaicin         8. Sodium chloride

9. Sulfuric Acid