pH is our pHriend
Play Banger's introduction as to why pH is important in cooking .
Try the activities below for more about pH levels
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What is it? pH is a method of determining how acidic or basic something is. it is used to measure the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution. A pH of 7 is neutral, a pH above 7 is basic and a pH below 7 is acidic. Human blood should have a pH of ~7.4. Every food has a different pH level with proteins, cereals and sugars generally being acidic and vegetables being basic. What it does Altering the pH level of foods can change the product significantly during the preparation phase, some of the effects it may have are: Changing the flavour - acids are a flavour enhancer like salt or sugar Impact how enzymes work - each enzymes works best at specific pH levels Denature protiens - this forces food to release water and as such impacts the way fhe food is cooked. Keep vegetables greener - adding vinegar to boiling water will help keep the green Learning about what the ideal pH levels are for each food when cooking will help to make the food taste and cook better, as each reaction occurs best when foods are at their optimum pH |