The Hungry Scientist Handbook

by Buckley, Patrick

• ISBN13: 9780061238680
• ISBN10: 0061238686
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-11-13
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

The Hungry Scientist Handbook brings DIY technology into the kitchen and onto the plate. It compiles the most mouthwatering projects created by mechanical engineer Patrick Buckley and his band of intrepid techie friends, whose collaboration on contraptions started at a memorable 2005 Bay Area dinner party and resulted in the formation of the Hungry Scientist Society-a loose confederation of creative minds dedicated to the pursuit of projects possessing varying degrees of whimsy and utility.

Table of Contents

A Safety Note	p. ix
Introduction: Serving Hungry Science	p. xi
Edible Undies: Lace-up caramel lingerie	p. 1
Delectable Diodes: Brighten lollipops with LEDs	p. 7
Pumpkin Pin-Up: Make a pinhole camera out of (almost) anything in the kitchen	p. 15
Party Like It's 2099: Light up a birthday cake with LED candles	p. 23
Dip 'n' Dots: Assemble a computer chip trivet	p. 31
Bar None: Concoct super-chilled martinis, fizzy lemonade, and uber-bubbly root beer	p. 39
I Scream for Cryogenic Ice Cream: Freeze a far-out treat	p. 55
Warm Bud: Take a beer-can stove on the road	p. 61
Tupperware Party: Put together a portable iPod boom box	p. 71
Intergalactose Scream: Make a milk-bottle megaphone	p. 75
Hot Box: Build an outdoor roasting contraption	p. 85
Edible Origami: Fold and fry crane-shaped croutons	p. 93
Gravy Train: Construct a colossal meat-juice fountain	p. 101
Mallow Ammo: Whip up launchable marshmallows	p. 111
Living Loaf: Catch wild yeast and bake a boule	p. 121
Basement Bacchanalia: Ferment pomegranate wine	p. 129
Cupboard Keg: Brew beer from scratch	p. 139
Pie in the Sky: Build a modular pecan pie	p. 145
Flying Coasters: Rig solar-powered-heat-sensitive smart coasters	p. 155
Our Hungry Scientist Contributors	p. 183
Illustration Credits	p. 189
Appendix and Notes: Hungry Scientist Kitchen Survival	p. 191
Index	p. 199
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

The Hungry Scientist Handbook
Electric Birthday Cakes, Edible Origami, and Other DIY Projects for Techies, Tinkerers, and Foodies

Chapter One

Edible Undies

* Lace-Up caramel lingerie

We had purely scientific intentions when we went into development for an edible lingerie prototype. Seriously—haven't you ever wondered how a chocolate thong works? We asked our fashionista-inventor friend Jenna Phillips if she knew how to go about designing undergarments suitable for salivation and mastication. Needless to say, we were very pleased by her invention.

Caramel candy is formed by caramelizing sugar, or heating it until the sucrose molecules break down into different compounds, which become darker in color and toastier in flavor the longer they're cooked. The more you heat, let cool, and reheat the caramel, the stronger it will become—though you probably shouldn't count on this lace holding up all night. Then again, it's not really meant to last.

Equipment

10-inch plastic-coated icing bag
A variety of small-opening decorating tips for icing
Wax paper or silicone mats
Lingerie, to use as template
Felt-tip pen

Ingredients

1 stick butter
11⁄8 cups light brown sugar
½ cup dark Karo syrup
½ cup condensed milk
¾ tsp vanilla extract

1. To create a template, stretch a piece of lingerie out over a sheet of wax paper and trace its outline with the felt-tip pen. Fold the paper in half to check that its shape is symmetrical. Attach the smallest tip to the nonstick icing bag and set aside.

2. To concoct the caramel, combine the butter and sugar in a double boiler or a heavy-bottomed pan. Add the Karo syrup and evaporated milk. Stirring constantly, cook over low heat until the mixture starts to thicken. Test the thickness by spooning threads of it onto a piece of wax paper. After it cools for 5 minutes, the caramel should be pliable, but not too liquid; runny enough to pass through the small tip of the icing bag but thick enough to hold its shape.

3. Holding the icing bag in a dish towel to prevent it from burning your hands, spoon about 1⁄2 cup of hot caramel into the bag. Fold down the top of the bag to close it, and, squeezing from the top down, drizzle the caramel in a lacy pattern within your template.

4. The caramel will quickly start to cool in the bag. When it becomes too viscous to pass through the tip, scrape it back out with a spoon into the pot on the stove, and reheat it until it's runny again. You will need to reheat the caramel several times. This may seem like a pain, but the reheating becomes important later in the process of creating the lingerie.

5. To attach the different pieces of lacework once the templates have been sufficiently filled out, you will need stronger pieces of caramel to act as connectors. Scrape the caramel that has been reheated several times into the icing bag. Attach a larger decorating tip and squeeze out three long ropes of caramel. Lay them next to one another on the wax paper and braid them.

6. As the braids cool and stiffen, attach them to the top of the lace with dabs of hot caramel. Keep a few longer strips to go around the back. (You will attach these pieces to one another when putting the lingerie on a person.)

7. Now that the lingerie is close to completion, set it in your freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to let it cool and harden. When you remove it from the freezer, it should not feel sticky, and will easily peel off the wax paper.

8. Place the entire piece of lingerie on a mannequin or willing human subject. With small dabs of hot caramel, attach the final connectors. As the lingerie warms to body temperature, it will become pliable, and very sticky. If sticky isn't your style, cook the caramel longer at the beginning. The more it has been cooked, the harder it is, and the slower it melts. Either way, the result is delicious.See the Appendix for a source for more information on candy making and supplies.

See the Appendix for a source for more information on candy making and supplies.

* No lingerie models ­were harmed during the undertaking of this experiment.

The Hungry Scientist Handbook
Electric Birthday Cakes, Edible Origami, and Other DIY Projects for Techies, Tinkerers, and Foodies. Copyright © by Patrick Buckley. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

---

Excerpted from The Hungry Scientist Handbook: Electric Birthday Cakes, Edible Undies, and Other DIY Projects for Techies, Tinkerers, and Foodies by Patrick Buckley, Lily Binns
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.