On Friday, Feb. 12, 2021, chemists participated in C&EN’s first Kitchen Chem webinar and got a taste of the chemistry behind cookie baking.
In celebration of Valentine’s Day, guest host Maria Gallardo-Williams, a baking enthusiast and director of the organic chemistry teaching labs at North Carolina State University, demonstrated how to make heart-shaped thumbprint cookies and answered questions ranging from the chemistry behind ingredient substitutes to the difference between baking soda and baking powder.
“Cooking is the oldest form of chemistry,” says Gallardo-Williams, “It is also for many people the most tangible. You mix things, change their properties, and it results in a new and delicious product. I think most people can relate to that.”
The entire episode can be found on C&EN website here.
