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Anonymous at Mon, 25 Nov 2024 11:46:35 UTC No. 16492687
i decided to integrate chemistry into my cooking hobby. lately i have been using sodium bicarbonate and citric acid as the main way to adjust pH in my recipes, but things start to go wrong when i want to make a food like caramel. i need to bring it to a high pH in order to promote the maillard reaction, but then i want to neutralize it afterwards. this produces a bunch of sodium citrate which i wish wasn't there.
if i switch to using something powerful like sodium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid, can i make these same pH changes while producing less salt? i need a lot less of these bases and acids to do the same pH changes, so i would assume it to be the case.
Anonymous at Mon, 25 Nov 2024 12:17:11 UTC No. 16492709
Drink Drain Cleaner
Anonymous at Mon, 25 Nov 2024 14:04:45 UTC No. 16492804
>>16492709
>the extra step I took turns out to be a problem
You can make caramel with just water and sugar.
Anonymous at Mon, 25 Nov 2024 16:38:51 UTC No. 16492964
>>16492687
pro tip (this is how pros make caramel): ammonia gas bubbled directly through the sugar will basify it, then, once the caramel is beautifully cooked via the maillard reaction, carbon dioxide is bubbled in to acidify the ammonia and form ammonium carbonate which just magically turns back into a gas and floats away!
enjoy your delicious caramel anon!
Anonymous at Tue, 26 Nov 2024 01:24:43 UTC No. 16493566
bump
Anonymous at Tue, 26 Nov 2024 01:55:06 UTC No. 16493597
>>16492964
thanks Dr Thrax!
Anonymous at Tue, 26 Nov 2024 08:15:33 UTC No. 16493867
>>16492687
I recommend you try brominating your steak, it adds a unique flavor.
Anonymous at Wed, 27 Nov 2024 19:20:11 UTC No. 16495371
>>16492687
looking at your chart, you could consider using blood instead of baking soda, might result in less sodium citrate
Anonymous at Wed, 27 Nov 2024 19:50:39 UTC No. 16495389
>>16492687
>i decided to integrate chemistry into my cooking hobby
So, you decided to include cooking into your cooking hobby