Dissect Your Dinner

This is a complete curriculum about food chemistry for ages 10 to 16. The first half of the book (130 pages) is the student text which gives all the information needed. The text is lively and includes some cartoons and whimsical humor while still providing a high level of content that is suitable even for high school students. The text is organized around the theme of dissecting a meal down to its molecular components. We learn about all the standard topics of food chemistry as we look in depth at each food: water, salt, sugar, milk, butter, cheese, bread, meat, beans, potatoes, plant-based meat, eggs, gelatins, meringue, chocolate, sweeteners. There is also a short history of the discovery of vitamins, plus explanations of saturated and unsaturated fats, trans and cis fats, omega-3s, triglycerides, saccharides, enzymes, and more. The second half of the book is the teacher's section which provides suggestions for labs, experiments, cooking activities, crafts, and games.