The Big Why: Food Edition
The Tasty Science of Every Bite
Your kitchen is actually a high-tech laboratory! We’re putting on our chef hats to solve the mysteries of the meals we eat, uncovering the invisible chemistry, biology, and physics hiding in your fridge and pantry.
Topics
The Bread Breath: Why does dough have bubbles?
Meet the tiny yeast organisms that 'eat' sugar and breathe out the gas that makes your bread fluffy.
Onion Tears: Why does cutting an onion make us cry?
Discover the sulfur 'defense system' onions use to try and stop you from eating them.
The Pop Secret: Why does popcorn explode?
See the tiny drop of water inside a kernel that turns into a high-pressure steam engine when heated.
The Tongue Eater: Why does pineapple make your tongue tingle?
Discover the 'hidden' enzyme in pineapple that actually tries to digest you while you are eating it!
The Brown Magic: Why does toasted bread taste better?
Investigate the Maillard Reaction, the chemical 'tanning' process that makes food smell and taste delicious.
The Flavor Map: Why do we have taste buds?
Explore the tiny bumps on your tongue that act like chemical detectives to find sweet, salty, and sour foods.
Apple Rust: Why do sliced apples turn brown?
Learn about oxidation—the same process that makes nails rusty—happening right on your fruit.
The Cold Box: How does a refrigerator keep food fresh?
Discover how pulling heat out of a box slows down the tiny germs that want to eat your leftovers.
Fizzy Business: Why do sodas have bubbles?
See how scientists 'squash' Carbon Dioxide gas into liquids to give your tongue a tingly surprise.
Sugar Rush: Why does candy give us energy?
Follow a piece of sugar as it turns into the high-speed fuel that helps your muscles move and your brain think.
Fruit Ripening: Why do bananas turn yellow and sweet?
Meet Ethylene, the invisible 'gas signal' that tells fruits it is time to get soft and tasty.
Emulsion Mystery: Why don't oil and water mix?
Explore the battle between liquids and the 'bridge' molecules like egg yolks that force them to be friends.
The Sour Power: Why is yogurt made of bacteria?
Learn how 'good germs' turn plain milk into a thick, tangy treat that helps your tummy stay healthy.
Microwave Magic: How does it cook without a fire?
Watch as invisible waves make the water molecules in your food dance until they get steaming hot.
The Spicy Sting: Why do chili peppers burn?
Meet Capsaicin, the chemical trickster that convinces your brain your mouth is on fire even when it isn't.
The Non-Stick Trick: Why doesn't food stick to some pans?
Look at the microscopic 'slippery slide' coating that is so smooth even eggs can't grab onto it.
The Pickle Transformation: How do cucumbers become pickles?
See how salt and time change a watery vegetable into a crunchy, sour snack.
The Smell Connection: Why does food taste bland when you have a cold?
Discover why your nose does 80% of the 'tasting' every time you take a bite.
The Egg Scramble: Why do eggs turn solid when heated?
Watch as liquid proteins untangle and hook together like a microscopic net to turn a runny egg into breakfast.
The Chocolate Journey: How do beans turn into candy bars?
Follow the bean from the tropical tree through the fermenting, roasting, and grinding process to become chocolate.