• Question: why do things go solid when you cook them?

    Asked by izzyb98 to Mike, Pip, Tianfu, Tim, Tom on 25 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Tom Lister

      Tom Lister answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      I believe eggs go solid because the proteins in the egg contract and bind together when you heat them. If you evaporate the water from a soup, I guess it will end up being a solid too (rather than a suspension).

    • Photo: Philippa Bird

      Philippa Bird answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      Yeah, it’s all about changing the chemical properties of things, and basically making a reaction. Then the reaction doesn’t undo itself when cooled again.

    • Photo: Tim Stephens

      Tim Stephens answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      Yes, the heat causes a change in the properties of the molecules in the food and makes them bind together or have stronger bonds between them.

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