Reactions

How a Chemist Makes the Softest Bread You'll Ever Eat

Want to make the fluffiest bread possible? Then you need starch gelatinization. Based on Chinese tangzhong and Japanese yudane methods to break down starch’s symmetry, pushing water between amylose and amylopectin molecules, and using high temperature to gelatinize the starch before making it into dough. But don’t just take our word for it, we made 3 loaves of bread to put the science to the test.

How a Chemist Makes the Softest Bread You'll Ever Eat

15m 58s

  • Is There a Quick Fix for Ocean Acidification?: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Is There a Quick Fix for Ocean Acidification?

    S10 E5 - 13m 12s

    The ocean is getting more and more acidic. Can we solve it by emptying a giant bottle of antacid into the ocean? No… but the idea of lowering the ocean’s acidity in order to decrease global carbon dioxide levels isn’t all bad. Let’s dive into the science behind ocean alkalinization, and how it could be one part of a larger solution to our global climate crisis.

  • I Reinvented a 300-Year Old Drink: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    I Reinvented a 300-Year Old Drink

    S10 E4 - 16m 56s

    Adding milk to an alcoholic drink and then curdling that milk is a 300-year-old preservation technique that was used by none other than Ben Franklin. Join George as he discovers the chemistry that makes this technique so useful, and learn how to make the best espresso martini you’ll ever taste.

  • We Are Made of Star Stuff: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    We Are Made of Star Stuff

    S10 E3 - 10m 13s

    For years, scientists thought some complex molecules could only be formed on Earth. But what if we found these kinds of molecules out in space after all? In this episode of Reactions, we explore new findings that show complex carbon ring structures can be formed in space, and what that might mean for biology, chemistry and our own chemical history!

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