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Chemistry in the Kitchen: Promoting Appreciation of Chemistry and Science
February 20, 2020 @ 2:00 am - 5:00 am PST
$20 – $35
Professor Richard Zare, Stanford Chemistry Department
Abstract: For the past three years, I have been offering a course to Stanford freshmen titled “Chemistry in the Kitchen.” Students are told the following before signing up for this course: This course examines the chemistry relevant to food and drink preparation, both in homes and in restaurants, which makes what we consume more pleasurable. Good cooking is more often considered an art rather than a science, but a small bit of understanding goes a long way to make the preparation and consumption of food and drink more enjoyable. The intention is to have demonstrations and tastings as a part of every class meeting. We will examine some rather familiar items in this course: eggs, dairy products, meats, breads, vegetables, pastries, and carbonated beverages. We shall playfully explore the chemistry that turns food into meals. A high-school chemistry background is assumed; bring to class a good appetite and a healthy curiosity.
My goal has not been to make Iron Chefs or chemistry majors from those who take this course but instead to have the students learn how the science behind cooking can greatly increase their enjoyment of food. This lecture gives me the opportunity to tell you how this course came about and what aspects about the course make it a very popular course here at Stanford in which students leave the course with a new sense of the importance of chemistry in their daily lives.
Bio: Richard N. Zare is the Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor of Natural Science. His website: www.stanford.edu/group/Zarelab contains more than you probably want to know about him and current research interests. He is particularly proud to have received the National Medal of Science in 1983 and the Presidential Award for Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring in 2012. He also received the Robert A. Welch Award in Chemistry in 1999, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry in 2005, the ACS Priestley Medal in 2010, the King Faisal International Prize in Science in 2011, and the Othmer Gold medal in 2017.