What Einstein Kept Under His Hat: Secrets of Science in the Kitchen Read Online Free PDF Page B

flavor of hops probably has a lot to do with the traditional belief that good medicine must taste bad.
    Do the long-reputed sedative properties of hops have anything to do with the sleepiness that overtakes one after drinking beer? No one really knows. A gallon of beer is made with one or two ounces of hops, but it may contain four or five times as much alcohol, a well-known sedative. We’ll never know the soporific role of the hops until someone carries out the appropriate experiments with alcoholic and non-alcoholic beers containing the same amount of hops. (Looking for a school science project?)
    Hops are an essential ingredient in beer, and not only for their aroma and bitterness. They clarify the beer by precipitating the proteins in the wort, and they have antibiotic properties that help preserve the beer. Among the more than 150 chemical compounds that have been identified in their essential oil are chemicals ( terpenes ) called isohumulones, which are light-sensitive. When struck by either visible or ultraviolet light, they break down into very active free radicals (see p. 175) that react with sulfur in the beer’s proteins to produce smelly compounds called skunky thiols, which the human senses of taste and smell are able to detect at levels of a few parts per trillion. They are chemically similar to the thiol compound in the glands of skunks that earns them their unsociable reputation.
    Beer that has been exposed to light for as little as 20 minutes reputedly can develop a “skunky” taste. That’s why beer is packaged either in cans or in light-proof brown bottles. To be safe, then, I recommend that you not leave your beer in the glass while “nursing” it. Drink it as fast as you can.
    THE FOODIE’S FICTIONARY: Hops—neither skips nor jumps
                            
Beer Batter Bread
                        

    S o you think beer is just for drinking? Think again. This beer bread makes excellent toast and wonderful toasted cheese sandwiches. The flavor varies, depending on the beer you use. I tested this recipe with Pittsburgh’s hearty local brew, Penn Pilsner Dark. The bread tastes best the day it is made.
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    3    cups self-rising flour
    3    tablespoons sugar
    1    can or bottle (12 ounces) of beer, preferably not light
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    1.     Place an oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
    2.     In a large bowl, mix the flour and sugar thoroughly. Gradually add the beer while stirring with a wooden spoon until no patches of dry flour are visible. (Do not overbeat or the bread will toughen.) The batter will be sticky. Transfer it to the loaf pan and spread it into the corners.
    3.     Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a skewer or cake tester plunged deep into the middle of the bread comes out clean. The top of the loaf will have a cobbled appearance.
    4.     Turn the bread out of the pan onto a wire rack and let it cool for at least an hour. Use a sharp, serrated knife to slice. The crust will be crunchy and the interior soft and moist.
    MAKES 1 LOAF
    THE FOODIE’S FICTIONARY: Sourdough—gambling losses
                               
SUL-FIGHTS?
                               
    Why do so many wine labels say “Contains sulfites”? My husband has been told he’s allergic to them, but when we asked at the liquor store we were told that all wine naturally contains sulfites. Then why the warning? They don’t label coffee “Contains caffeine.”
    ....
    S ulf ites— not to be confused with sulf ates —are a family of chemical salts derived from sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). They are formed during the fermentation of wine from sulfur compounds naturally present in the grapes, so a certain small amount is indeed natural and unavoidable.
    In addition, sulfites (or sulfur dioxide gas