Wonders of extraction: Coffee (part 1)
I only became a regular coffee drinker after I finished my PhD in chemistry and got a real job. The reason was that I had a 1 hour commute and I needed the caffeine to stay awake and focused. Prior…
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Wonders of extraction: Brewing beer
Talking to a friend last year who is an avid home brewer made me realize how little I knew about beer and brewing. Inspired by what I learnt from the conversation I started reading Palmer’s How to brew which is…
Wonders of extraction: Pressure
Cream chargers containing 8 g of nitrous oxide each (N2O) to be used with an iSi whipper for whipping cream, making foams/espumas or pressurized infusions. A little more than a week ago Dave Arnold posted a great, new technique: “Infusion…
Wonders of extraction: Espresso (part I)
I have recently come to know Miss Silvia. She’s from Italy, weighs a good 14 kg and even my wife welcomed her in our kitchen! As home brew espresso afficionados will know by know, I’ve become the proud owner of…
Wonders of extraction: Oil
Brazilian chiles in oil (very nice with Moqueca!) Oils and fats are long molecules which are mainly non-polar and hence the opposite of water which is a polar molecule. Ethanol which has both a polar and a non-polar end falls…
Wonders of extraction: Ethanol
Extraction of cherries with ~45% ethanol in water Ethanol is a molecule with both a polar and a non-polar end, so it’s properties are somewhat in between those of water and oil (which will be the topic of the next…
Wonders of extraction: Water
Extraction of peppermint leaves with hot water Water is a polar molecule, meaning that one end has a small negative charge and the other a small positive charge. Because of this water is a very good solvent for other polar…
Pour over coffee: Problems and solutions (part 3)
In the previous blog post of this series I looked at the chemical compounds present in a cup of coffee and how the concentrations span 9 orders of magnitude. Each of the compounds present in coffee will have a specific…
Books for your Christmas wish list
A couple of books have caught my eye during the year and have naturally made their way into my Christmas wish list (and some I’ve already ordered myself). Please let me know if there are books you belive should be…