Chemistry Life Hacks
- James Semper
- Jan 9, 2017
- 6 min read
Baking powder - All out of baking powder? Mix baking soda and cream of tartar in a 1:2 ratio. One teaspoon baking soda and two teaspoons of cream of tartar will work like 4 teaspoons of baking powder. Baking soda and baking powder are both leavening agents. They release carbon dioxide to expand breads. Baking soda is basic and reacts readily with acids. Baking powder is a more acidic blend so it can release carbon dioxide in more basic environments. The baking soda and cream of tartar blend do a good job of this.
Bitter coffee - Hotter temperatures lead to a deeper extraction and that includes the bitter molecules. Lowering the temperature (if possible) can reduce this. If that isn't an option, add a pinch of salt to your coffee to block the bitter molecules from interacting with your tongue.
Brighter green veggies - Plants contain chlorophyll. This is what gives them their bright green color. When you cook foods, acids come into contact with chlorophyll. The acids will replace the magnesium in chlorophyll with hydrogen. This new compound has a very dull color and can make food look less appetizing. To fix this, limit your cook time. The longer it is cooked, the duller it will be. Note: better taste might come from being cooked longer so you''ll need to find the ideal cooking method if you want it to both taste and look great.
Catch fruit flies - Place a mixture of vinegar (apple cider recommended) and a few drops of soap in a bowl (any container will do). Place plastic wrap over the top with small holes in it. The scent of vinegar attracts the flies since vinegar is produced by bacteria that are typically associated with their food source. The flies will enter the holes and be trapped in the container. Since soap breaks surface tension, they cannot land on the liquid and will fall in.
Quickly ripen fruit - Fruit are ripened by a plant hormone called ethylene. Since ethylene is a gas, it can be captured in bags. Place unripened fruit in a paper bag and they will ripen faster. If you place ripe fruit, especially tomatoes, in the bag with the unripened fruit, they will ripen even faster still. Added note: Ethylene is also responsible for death and decay of plants which is why florists keep food out of their cooler. The "plant food" packets also include an ethylene inhibitor to slow down the death of the flowers.
Disinfect kitchen sponge - The bacteria that live on kitchen sponges enjoy the wet environment.To reduce the bacteria, have two sponges and alternate between them to allow them to fully dry. Additionally, you can wet and soap a sponge and microwave it for a minute to kill most of the bacteria present. Caution: sponge might feel warm upon removal from microwave but the water in the middle is incredibly hot and may cause severe burns.
Nonstick cast iron pans - If you have a pan that isn't close to being stick free, pour salt in the pan and rub with a paper towel to remove any dust, rust, or any other impurities. Rinse in the sink and place the pan in the oven with the heat on to boil away all the water (a paper towel or air drying will not remove water that binds to the surface). Heat oven to about 450F and place the pan back inside after coating it with an oil high in unsaturated fat. Remove after 30 minutes. Once cool, repeat this oil, heat, cool process a few more times. When these oils are heated, they form a polymer on the surface that coats tiny grooves in the metal. This coating makes the surface smooth and keeps food from sticking. To maintain your pan, dry it after cleaning and place a thin layer of oil on the surface.
Quick cold drinks - If you forgot to chill your drinks and only have 10-30 minutes, you can fill a bucket (or ice chest) with salt water and ice. This will allow the temperature of the water to drop below the normal freezing temperature of water. This allows for a much faster chill. Note: the drinks might taste bitter if you don't wipe the tops before drinking.
Removing rust (works on cast iron) - Grab a bottle of coke and pour it on the metal. Coke contains phosphoric acid which works well as a rust remover.
Rotten egg? - When eggs rot, bacteria inside release hydrogen sulfide gas. This gas is less dense than water so rotten eggs should float in water.
Reduce tears from onions - When the cells in onions rupture, they release gases that produce sulfenic acid in your eyes. This isn't very pleasant and begins the waterworks. Gases are more soluble and less volatile at lower temperatures. Chill the onions in the fridge before cutting into them. You might still tear up but it will be significantly reduced.
Scarify seeds - Some seeds have hard seed coats that need to be broken before they will grow. A file can work well to make holes in seeds. However, if you have dozens-thousands of seeds or if they are too small, this will prove to be nearly impossible. Freezing and thawing might be a viable option as well. Water expands when it freezes so alternating between the two might be enough to crack a seed coat. My personal favorite is using sulfuric acid. Place the seeds in sulfuric acid for about 10-15 minutes and stir (must use glass. metal will react with acid). Rinse seeds afterwards.
Skunk spray removal - Skunk spray contains water insoluble thiols. To remove these thiols, mix a quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide with a quarter cup of baking soda and a few teaspoons of soap. The baking soda works as a catalyst to speed up the oxidation of the thiols by the hydrogen peroxide. The soap helps dissolve the left over mess in water to remove it and will leave a better smell behind. Leave the mixture sitting on the skin/fur for a few minutes before rinsing.
Soften hardened cookies - Over time the water in cookies will evaporate out. This leaves them hard and unappetizing. Since cookies contain more sugar than bread, they are more hygroscopic. This means they have a stronger pull for water from the air. If you place cookies in a bag with a slice of bread, they will pull water from the bread and will soften up.
Stinky fridge - This is one we've all heard before. Place a box of baking soda in the fridge to remove odors. Baking soda is amphiprotic (or amphoteric) meaning that it can react as an acid or a base. This allows baking soda to react with both acidic and basic aroma compounds in the air. This will leave a mixture of different salts on the surface of the baking soda. This shouldn't be harmful, especially in the small amounts present, but it might be good to keep a separate box or bag of baking soda elsewhere for cooking purposes.
Sweet tea - As mentioned before, higher temperatures can lead to a more bitter extraction so making tea at lower temperatures can lead to it being less bitter. Additionally, sugar dissolves best at higher temperatures. Add the sugar while the mixture is still warm and it will dissolve much quicker. Sugar substitutes dissolve well even at cold temperatures so this is also an option to sweeten your beverage.
Threading needles - Threading needles can be really difficult, especially when you're running late and under stress. If you run the thread through candle wax or clear coat nail polish, everything will line up and that should get you on your way. Nail polish typically contains nitrocellulose dissolved in volatile solvents. When the solvents evaporate, it leaves a thin coat of nitrocellulose on the surface. By dissolving dried nail polish in a solvent, you can remove it. This is why acetone works well to remove nail polish.
Use less detergent (with hard water) - If you have hard water, there is a lot of calcium ions present in your water. This leads not only to build up in sinks, toilets, water heaters, etc. but also causes soap to be less effective. To counter this, some people buy a water softener. If you do not have one and you would like to use less detergent in your washer, add sodium carbonate to your load of laundry. This softens the water in the washer allowing the soap to work more efficiently.
Inspiration for many of these comes from the American Chemical Society's Youtube page "Reactions." See the link below for their channel.
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