Making a meal of science

It’s a cookbook, but not as we know it. No iced cupcakes – instead, noodles that change colour in front of your eyes, edible earthworms, a banana candle with an almond as its burning flame.

Inspired by a mother attending one of her Nanogirl Live Science shows who brought along a cake and said she wished she was “good at science”, engineer and science communicator Michelle Dickinson crowdfunded a collection of 50 scientific experiments and packaged them as recipes. The result is a book that will wow kids, teachers and caregivers alike. Home economics was never this exciting.

The joy of baking something edible is supported by science. Chocolate slime, honeycomb (aka hokey pokey) and candy crystals demonstrate viscosity, reactions and saturation. Everything needed is commonly found in home kitchens – milk, eggs, gelatine, sugar, cornflour, vinegar and baking soda are essential ingredients in proving scientific principles.

Whereas some experiments result in delectable products, others are more for effect – apparently magic transformations such as marbled milk, density discs that create a rainbow of layers in a drinking glass, and a fireproof balloon. Modern technology is exploited for all it’s worth – cheese made in the microwave, instant ice-cream and a solar cookie oven will grab readers.

Stunning photography captures kids coming alive to the wonder of it all. The safety briefings are thorough, the layout clear and the table of contents a work of art. Each experiment includes “the science behind” and “explore further” panels as well as the standard equipment, ingredient lists and instructions.