Mrs. Shimp's

"The Chemistry Behind Cooking"

WebQuest

Introduction

The talented chef Emeril Lagasse has asked you and a few of your friends to appear on his cooking show to present the background behind "The Chemistry of Cooking". Emeril will be specializing in desserts for the cooking show. In order to provide an interesting and informative show, you must research how solutions, thermochemistry, chemical reactions and the gas laws are involved in cooking.

The Task

You will use information on solutions (concentrations, saturation, phase changes), thermochemistry, chemical reactions and the gas laws to inform your audience of the "Chemistry Behind Cooking". In order to do this you will:

Define and describe each of the following "chemistry" terms for your audience during your explanation: solutions, thermochemistry, chemical reactions, and the gas laws.
Be prepared to talk about the chemistry behind the making of an ice cream sundae with pressurized whipped cream and TWO of the following desserts: candy apples, lollipops, homemade fudge, Bananas Foster, Creme-Brulee, an apple pie, a chocolate cake, or something you choose that is approved by Emeril and your teacher.
Put together a tri-fold pamphlet to distribute to your audience. The pamphlet must have a title page with pictures, an introduction behind the chemistry of cooking, and one page each on the chemistry behind making 1) an ice cream sundae with pressurized whipped cream, 2) dessert choice #1, and 3) dessert choice #2.

Resources

Sites to help with Gas Laws:

http://dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/GasLaw/KMT-Gas-Laws.html Chem Team Web page
http://www.chemtutor.com/gases.htm Chem Tutor Web page
http://www.chemfiesta.com/ Look for Gas Laws on Mr. Guch's Cavalcade of Chemistry
Your notes from class on the gas laws

Sites to help with Solutions info:

http://www.sugar.org/kitchen/candy.html

Sites to help with Thermochemistry of Ice Cream:

http://www.polsci.wvu.edu/Henry/Icecream/Icecream.html

Sites to help with Chemical Reactions:

The Process

Working in a group of 2 - 3 people, take a look at the provided web sites to get some basic information on how the following aspects of chemistry (chemical reactions, thermochemistry, solutions, and the gas laws) are related to cooking. Also, look at the web pages and your notes to make the connections with the terms.
Start putting your pamphlet together. Remember that you need the following pages:
- title with pictures
- an introduction to the Cooking Behind Chemistry page
- one page each for the chemistry behind making 1) an ice cream sundae with pressurized whipped cream, 2) dessert choice #1, and 3) dessert choice #2.
- one page that is up to you (this is your chance to be creative or give extra information)
Make sure that you give credit to any web page or book author whose information you used in your pamphlet. You may also use pictures from the web, but once again, you must give credit.
Turn in your pamphlet ON TIME!

Learning Advice

Get your background information first before you start putting your pamphlet together.
Make a timeline for your group and stick to it.
Keep your data organized.
Work together so that all group members know ALL of the information, not just small chunks. (translate --> Don't break up the work, "You do this, I'll do that")
Do not miss class during this project!

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have finished your pamphlet! Turn it in by the deadline and it will be graded by the following rubric:

Grade:	Requirements:
A	Neatly typed, organized. All five required pages are present, 6th page shows creativity and/or extra interesting information. Information on the thermochemistry of ice-cream, how gas laws are related to the pressurization of whipped cream, and how solutions are involved in cooking is accurate, appropriate, and complete.
B	Neatly typed, organized. All five required pages are present, 6th page shows only some creativity and/or extra interesting information. Information on the thermochemistry of ice-cream, how gas laws are related to the pressurization of whipped cream, and how solutions are involved in cooking is accurate, appropriate, and complete.
C	Neatly typed, organized. At least five of the 6 pages are present. Information on the thermochemistry of ice-cream, how gas laws are related to the pressurization of whipped cream, and how solutions are involved in cooking is accurate, appropriate, and complete.
D	Neatly typed or handwritten, somewhat organized. At least four of the 6 pages are present. Information on the thermochemistry of ice-cream, how gas laws are related to the pressurization of whipped cream, and how solutions are involved in cooking is mostly accurate, appropriate, and complete.
F	Typed or handwritten, lack of organization. Only three of the 6 pages are present, Information on the thermochemistry of ice-cream, how gas laws are related to the pressurization of whipped cream, and how solutions are involved in cooking is lacking in accuracy, appropriateness, and completeness.

Pictures courtesy of Google Images.

This page written by Mrs. K. Shimp
Last updated: March 3, 2003

This page was adapted from WebQuest_Template1.html by Tom March