You boil pasta, noodles, and gnocchi. You bake breads. But, as is typical for food, definitions aren’t that straightforward. Some breads are boiled, not just baked. That chewy, slightly tougher structure...
Welcome to FoodCrumbles.com!
Here we love to dig just a little deeper into food and science. We explain how food is made, how it's preserved & packaged and what the role of the ingredients in your food are. We also analyze recipes, so you understand why a recipe is the way it is! Last but not least, we give you tools to develop a basic understanding of food science! Have fun browsing around and don't forget to ask a question if you can't find the answer here!
Latest articles
Food Science Basics
Just getting started in the world of food science and want to get your fundamentals straightened out? No problem, we've got a good selection of articles for you.
How baking powder & baking soda work – Chemistry of leavening agents
Ever forgot to add the baking powder or baking soda to your recipe? Or used baking soda and baking powder in your cake, only to discover it resulted in a flat cake? Baking powder & baking soda have a crucial...
The science of distilling liquors
We know how to make spirits (we discussed that here), and we know that to make spirits (or liquors) you need to distill fermented grains. Distillation isn’t just used in spirits production though. It is one of any...
Lactic acid fermentation in food
Yogurt, sauerkraut, pickles, none of these products would exist without lactic acid fermentation. This is a series of chemical reactions that transforms your ingredients into something pretty different (and delicious)...
Cake Science
Baking cake without eggs – Finding the best alternative
Have you noticed how most cake recipes call for eggs? But what if you don’t have eggs on hand, or can’t eat eggs? What if you’re trying to change the texture & flavour and you’re wondering...
Victoria sandwich – History & science of a cake
The Victoria sandwich is one of those bakes with a very rich history to it. It is believed to have been (one of) Queen Victoria’s favorite cake(s). It is a round cake of two layers with jam in the middle. As is...
Bread Science
The benefits of using Maltogenic Amylase when baking bread
This is a guest post by Morgan Walker Clarke. Morgan is from Dallas, Texas, works in the hospitality industry and has an interest for food and science that he loves to share with us! Using enzymes in baking is not a new...
Vegetable Science
Ice Cream Science
Philadelphia style ice cream – An eggless chocolate ice cream
Before reading the book ‘Hello, my name is ice cream‘, I had never heard of Philadelphia style ice cream. Most of the ice creams I made myself were either by making a custard which I then churn in the ice...
How ice cream is made in a factory
Whether you make one bowl of ice cream at home, or 1000 liter in a factory, the science of ice cream stays the same. You’d still want small ice crystals, to make a super smooth ice cream and you’d like to...
Meat Science
Fruit Science
Orange and lemon zest extract – Alcohol extraction
When making a dessert (hot cross waffles!) the other I needed the zest of about 1/5 of an orange and of a lemon. I don’t like using half products though. So I wanted to use all the zest in some useful way and...
Candied cherries – Science of preserving cherries
You can find these bright red, slightly translucent fruits on top of cocktails, or topping off your refreshing sundae. The British also like to put them on top of their cakes. I’m talking about glacé or candied...
Cheese Science
Pie Science
Creamy berry crumble – On using frozen fruits in a dessert
While making a delicious strawberry/raspberry pie the other day, I made far too much of the pie crust. It was about twice the amount I needed for making my pie. So I had to get creative and come up with something else...
How to make super thin doughs (strudel, filo, etc.) – Apple strudel science
So many cuisines have dishes that are made with super thin pastry. The very thin dough can be used for making anything from Middle Eastern baklava, Greek spanokopita, German strudel to Indian samosas. They’re all...
Cookie Science
Making Trini Kurma – Short crust + Ginger sugar science
No matter where you look, there’s a good chance you’ll find some surprising science hidden in a seemingly not at all sciency food dish. Same for these Trini kurma, a cookie covered in ginger sugar syrup...
Almond tuile science – Flexible when hot, crispy when cold
If you’re a fan of cooking/baking shows you will have probably seen them come by: almond tuiles. Pretty, delicate and tasty cookies, but, the special bit is that they’re very flexible when they come out of...
