Mad Kitchen Science

[bloodyrosemccoy]

DAD: Hooray, it's movie time! I'm going to make some popcorn and a rum and Coke.
ME: I'm afraid I have bad news for you. This Mexicana Cola I'm currently drinking is the only cola in the house.
DAD: There's no Coke?
ME: Nope.
DAD: HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN?
ME: Well, I've got a Fentiman's Rose Lemonade or a Sioux City Prickly Pear if you want--
DAD: YOU CAN'T ADD RUM TO THOSE
ME: True.
MOM: Well, I think I might have some SodaStream cola mix ...
ME: Ooh! I also have some cola extract in my soda supplies!
DAD: Can we use bottled water in the SodaStream?
MOM: Of course!

So I got out my cola stuff and Mom showed Dad how to use the SodaStream to charge his bottled water.

MOM: How much of that stuff do we put in here?
ME: Well, it makes four gallons ...
MOM: We've got a quart here.
ME: What's 1/16th of two ounces?
DAD: This is getting REALLY complicated.
MOM: All right! We've got the fizzy water!
ME: Let's add the extract!

We added the extract and it looked pretty cool and all chemistry-like. Except ...

MOM: By the way, is there any sugar in this extract?
ME: ... Um.
MOM: Hang on and I'll whip up some simple syrup.
ME: Well, I'm curious. Let's try this out!

We all took a sip of the unsweetened cola.

ME: Interesting. I've never thought about what it tastes like without sugar.
DAD: Me, either. HURRY WITH THAT SYRUP!"

We added syrup, but the process mostly de-fizzed the drink. It didn't taste too terrible, but then Dad tried mixing the rum in.

DAD: This tastes like it will make me throw up.
ME: I advise against drinking any more of it, then.
MOM: It's pretty good without the rum.
DAD: But I wanted a rum and Coke!
*pause*
MOM: Store?
DAD: I guess ...
MOM: Think of it like back when we had to go rent videos. We can pick up some popcorn, too!
DAD: Wait, there's no popcorn?
MOM: Nope.
DAD: TO THE STORE!

So even though it was a failure this time around, we had some fun messing with it. And I think it might not be a bad idea to tweak the values and see if I can't get a decent cola out of it the SodaStream way. Or even the old-fashioned microbial way. But for tonight, Dad got his popcorn and his rum and Coke anyway, and I got entertained, so everything worked out pretty well!

Comments

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

My mom and I have those adventures all the time, it's fun :p.

No brown sugar? White sugar!
Wait, it doesn't taste right. Add molasses!
Oh no, we're out of butter. Use applesauce!
Well now the dough isn't acting right. Moar salt to replace what we didn't put in with the missing butter!
We don't have any mayo? No eggs to make it with? Let's just throw things in and see what happens!
Okay, what were we trying to make again? I dunno but I guess it's pretty good?

Or my favorite:
Let's throw random spices on this chicken! OMG AMAZING
Okay what spices did I use? Let's taste the chicken again and see if it jogs my memory!
Wait, the cat just ran off with the last piece and ate it all? Well. Nevermind.

[anagramofbrat.livejournal.com]

'round these parts we call that sort of kitchen experiment "I MADE A FOOD."

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

Okay, I have never heard of applesauce being used as a substitute for butter before. I'm trying to wrap my head around it. Just about the only property they have in common is being edible.

[dinogrrl.livejournal.com]

It depends what you're using the butter for. For most baking purposes, the butter is there to add moisture and richness; applesauce definitely adds the moisture, and the end result may come out a bit more dense than if you had used butter (and with a hint of apple :p), but it's close enough that you can use it in a pinch. Or if you're like me and start major baking adventures and you don't have all the butter you need.

Now, if you're using butter in a topping, or to make something crispy, or apple flavor won't work in the particular recipe, then you're better off using oil instead of applesauce as a substitute.

[daiq.livejournal.com]

I just wanted to say i love your good things series!

[padparadscha.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[fadethecat.livejournal.com]

To be fair, I would totally put rum in prickly pear soda.

[gwalla.livejournal.com]

You can put rum in pretty much anything sweet and it'll work.