LittleClickers » Food

Eggs

buckleit — Wed, 03 Apr 2019 10:09:48 +0000

Ponder if you will, the genius of the simple chicken egg. Perhaps you had one for breakfast or you are planning on decorating one for an Easter egg hunt. Let’s test your knowledge of eggs.

Download this issue as a PDF littleclickers-apr19-eggs

1. How many chicken eggs does an ostrich egg equal? About 16 or so, and yes, it is possible to have one for breakfast. Here’s what it looks like to cook one, at https://youtu.be/pN7s_ZmYXG4

2. Where do most of the eggs we eat come from? Most likely, the egg you ate this morning came from a caged chicken. But not all egg farms are the same. Let’s have a look at a modern “free range” chicken farm, at http://bitly.com/2FKXZ5G

3. How many eggs does a chicken lay in it’s lifetime? The average hen will produce about 265 eggs a year and most hens have two productive egg laying years. That means about 530 eggs. http://bitly.com/2WIbklZ

4. What is the world’s most famous egg? According to CNBC a photograph of a single brown chicken egg has become the most liked post on Instagram. See what it looks like, at https://cnb.cx/2WEO5JB

5. What’s the difference between an egg white and a yolk? A happy, well fed chicken produces a healthy egg with a well-defined yellow part, or yolk. Here’s what is inside of a chicken egg. http://bitly.com/2FKwmtF

APPLICATION: COOL EGG TRICKS
How can you tell if an egg is hard boiled? If it spins like a top, the egg is hard boiled, because the inside is solid. Here’s some other fun egg tricks.

1. Onion Skin decoration. Easter is a time when many people decorate eggs. Did you know that you can use onion skills to make a beautiful brown shell? http://bitly.com/2FKh1Jr

2. Make the perfect hardboiled egg. Steam them… don’t boil them. Here’s how http://bitly.com/2UavTtN

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Apples

Megan Billitti — Mon, 26 Sep 2016 11:28:50 +0000

They say “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Is it true? Do you know how many varieties of apples are there, or how Apple computers got their name? Let’s find out!

Download this page as a PDF

1. How many varieties of apples are there? Which is the most popular? At http://bit.ly/1OdLQb8 you will learn that there are over 2000 types! To see the most popular 11 types, check out http://bit.ly/2dvMyTZ (the top three are the Cortland, Red Delicious and Golden Delicious)

2. T/F is it true that “and apple a day will keep the doctor away?” Apples actually can help your health. Apples are low in calories and free of fat, sodium and cholesterol. Eating apples has been associated with lower risk of a variety of cancers, stroke and diabetes. Learn more at http://bitly.com/2cMMLSv

3. Where did the first apple come from? Apple trees have been feeding humans for a long, long time. Visit the History Channel to learn more about how apples came to the United States. http://bitly.com/2dlxgSW.

4. What is the largest apple ever picked? We found an apple in Japan that grew to be the size of a small pumpkin, at just over 4 pounds. Here’s the source http://bit.ly/2cWsgAT.

5. Why did Steve Jobs pick an Apple to name his company? It happened when he was trying an all fruit diet, and had just come back from an apple farm. He thought the name “Apple Computer” sounded “fun, spirited and not intimidating.” http://bitly.com/2dqyjx8

Application

1. Do you like to cook? Here are some apple recipes. http://bit.ly/2d3mWLe.

2. Do you like to make crafts? Here are some ideas http://bit.ly/2d3oGUG

3. Have you ever bobbed for apples? It looks a lot easier than it is! http://bit.ly/2dlMRxd

New Years Tech Traditions

Megan Billitti — Mon, 28 Dec 2015 14:55:48 +0000

All around the world people love to celebrate the moment in time when the old year ends and the new one begins. It’s like a birthday party for everyone. New technologies can come into play, alongside some age-old traditions like baking a coin into a loaf of bread. Here’s a look some New Year’s traditions from around the world.

1. How many LEDs are there in the Times Square ball? At the Times Square web site http://bit.ly/1QX1mrJ you can learn about the history and technology behind this famous ball. The first ball, made in 1927, only had 100 white bulbs. Today’s fourth edition has 32,256 LEDs (light emitting diodes) grouped in 672 triangles of 48 bulbs each. Each contains 12 red, 12 blue, 12 green, and 12 white LED bulbs that work together to make 16 million colors.

2. Denmark, Greece and Canada each have some unique low tech New Year’s traditions. Can you match the country with the tradition?
a) Who bakes a coin into a loaf of bread? __________________
b) Who throws porcelain plates into the street? _____________
c) Who jumps into a frozen lake? ________________
ANSWERS: At Travel Smarter http://bit.ly/1OU9CCB you learn that people in Greece wrap a coin in tin foil and drop it randomly into some bread dough before it is baked. Whoever gets the lucky piece will have good luck for the next year. In Canada and the USA, some people jump into a frozen lakes http://bit.ly/1N3TpKM. And in Denmark http://bit.ly/1OgYlA6 they toss fancy plates into the street to symbolize a fresh start to a new year.

3. What does “Auld Lang Syne” mean? The famous New Year’s song was popularized by big band leader Guy Lombardo. It comes from Scotland, and is about the joy of getting together with old friends. Here’s the complete story http://bitly.com/1R3NyM2.

Megan’s Videos About New Year’s Tech Traditions
Here’s a set of hand picked videos from YouTube:

Fun Fruit and Vegetable Facts

Megan Billitti — Thu, 18 Jun 2015 14:52:54 +0000

Teachers & Librarians — Download this column as a one page PDF. It makes a great low tech handout. Click here.

Did you know that every ear of corn has an even number of rows, and that cherry pits contain cyanide poison? Read on to learn some more fun and sometimes freaky facts about the fruits and vegetables we eat every day.

1. T/F There is one piece of corn silk for every kernal. True. At http://bitly.com/1GMOtpK we also learned that an average ear of corn has 800 kernels, arranged perfectly in 16 rows.

2. Is a mushroom a fruit or vegetable? Answer: Neither. At http://bit.ly/1Brhlb4 you’ll learn that there are more than 250 varieties of edible mushrooms, and that they are classified as a fungus.

3. Can eating too many carrots turn you orange? Yes. At http://bit.ly/1CfOZvm you can read all about a strange and harmless condition called “hypercarotenemia” caused by eating lots of carrots.

4. T/F If you plant a supermarket banana, it will grow. Answer: False. At http://bitly.com/1Ksw9JC you’ll learn that the yellow bananas we eat are Cavendish bananas that are sterile genetic clones. Wild bananas are full of seeds and will grow, but they are hard to eat.

5. T/F Cherry pits contain cyanide (poison). Yes it’s true, and so do apple seeds. At http://abt.cm/1es0Ykp you learn that you don’t have to worry because the amount is so small.

APPLICATION 1. Slice a banana before you peel it. http://bitly.com/1CJevcL

2. Learn how to turn your fruits and veggies into funny animals http://bit.ly/1utOwnG

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcBVHzUUEKwm4kTrcJp8-Ypp-iLUyM12i

Pizza

Megan Billitti — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 18:24:33 +0000

What’s gooey, cheesy, and one of the most popular food choices in the world? PIZZA! Let’s learn more.

1. Where did pizza come from?

Pizza has been around in some form or another since prehistoric times, according to wisegeek.com (http://bit.ly/1clBD9w). The first modern pizza, like the one pictured above from one of our local pizza shops, started appearing in Naples, Italy around 1890.

2. What is “rennet” and why should I care?

Rennet is an enzyme from cow stomachs (or it can be made from vegetable oil) and you need it to turn milk into Mozzarella cheese, according to the Pioneer Woman (http://bitly.com/MKVKkZ).

3. How big was the largest pizza ever made?

At http://bit.ly/1dfKTtH you can read about a single pizza as big as a hockey rink.

4. How many types of pizza are there?

Thousands, but they fall into about 14 of the most common categories like deep dish and Sicilian. How many can you name? See the entire list at http://bit.ly/1hyb2FD .

5. What are the three most popular pizza chains in the world?

Pizza Hut, Domino’s Pizza and Papa John’s are the largest three chains, according to http://bitly.com/1fEMnKC.

6. What do pizza and Volkswagons have in common?

According to todayifoundout.com http://bit.ly/1kvz7A7 you can learn how 50% of the pizza shop that would become Dominos Pizza was once traded for a car. The company was later sold for $1 billion.

Applications

So… are you hungry yet? We dug up some recipes; for younger children and older children. Make sure you have help in the kitchen.

FOR BEGINNING COOKS

Nick Jr. has a set of themed pizzas that use pre-made dough and easy to find toppings, at http://at.nick.com/ML1o6K

FOR ADVANCED COOKS

This recipe tells you how to make pizza dough and all the toppings. http://bit.ly/MoCwCD

Megan’s Pizza Videos

Want to see the largest pizza in the world being made, or how to make “the best pizza in the world?” LittleClickers Editor Megan Billitti made this YouTube playlist

What’s gooey, and cheesy, and one of the most popular food choices in the world? It’s PIZZA! Read on to learn all about this delicious food.

1. When and where was pizza invented?

Pizza has been around in some form or another since prehistoric times, but the first modern pizza was invented in Naples in 1889. Click here to read how a flat piece of bread smothered in tomatoes and cheese became the delicacy it is today http://bit.ly/1clBD9w

2. How is mozzarella cheese made?

At http://bit.ly/1mP2e34 you can learn how this cheese is made using just two ingredients, milk & rennet.

3. How big was the largest pizza ever made?

At http://bit.ly/1dfKTtH you can read all about this giant, which weighed over 51,000 pounds, and took over 48 hours to bake.?

4. How many different types of pizza are there?

At http://bit.ly/1hyb2FD you can learn all about the different types of pizza offered. From New York, to Chicago to Sicilian, there is a type for everyone to enjoy.

5. What are the 5 most popular pizza chains in the world?

Check out this list to see where your favorite chain stacks up http://bit.ly/1gLfxu1.

6. What do pizza and Volkswagon Beetles have in common?

Read http://bit.ly/1hCUziZ to learn who traded a 50 percent stake in a national pizza chain for this famous car.

Application:

Click here to see how to make your own pizza at home http://bit.ly/MoCwCD

Cookies

Megan Billitti — Tue, 03 Dec 2013 22:08:26 +0000

Here’s a fact of life; Kids love cookies, and so do most grownups.

Can eating a cookie be good for you? Do you know where the cookies in the store come from?

Start up your browser, and let’s learn more about cookies (the kind you can eat).

Question 1. How big is the world’s biggest cookie? At bitly.com/1f2c6ig you can learn how the Immaculate Bakery made a single chocolate chip cookie that was 102 feet wide, nearly the width of a football field. It required crafting a special oven.

Question 2. In the USA, what kind of homemade cookie is the most popular?

A. Oatmeal

B. Peanut butter

C. Chocolate chip

D. Sugar

That turns out to be a tricky question. It depends what state you’re in, according to the Reader’s Digest bitly.com/1jEX4mb But most people tend to pick some variety of chocolate chip cookie. Here’s one of my (Megan’s) favorite recipes bitly.com/1dWEQN2

What about the cookies you buy in the store? Nabisco Oreos win, by a wide margin, according to foodprocessing.com http://bitly.com/IBqnbf

Question 3. Are Oreo Cookies addicting? Laboratory animals pick Oreos over rice cakes, and so do kids. Why? The combination of fat and sugar activate the “feel good” parts of the brain, just like a drug. Here’s the link to the Connecticut College study http://bit.ly/18BOmxr. You can learn more about the history of the Oreo cookie at the Bakery Network bitly.com/18PBQQw

Question 4. Can cookies be good for you? Yes, according to Simple Nourished Living bitly.com/18iPFGL You’re running late for school, and want to grab something to eat on the go for breakfast. Substitute honey for sugar, and put in nuts and raisins. The ingredients are key to making a healthy cookie.

Question 5.What kind of cookie does the Cookie Monster eat? Wikipedia says http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cookie_Monster that Cookie monster is allergic to peanut butter cookies, and likes chocolate chip the best. Where did Cookie Monster come from? In Jim Henson’s 1966 test commercial for General Mills, he introduced a character that looks a lot like the Cookie Monster. Check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QngRWeEJGo#t=52

Go GET BUSY!

Let’s make some cookies without using an oven! Here are some recipes bitly.com/1iQBgpX

What kind of cookie are you? Here’s a quiz to find out: bitly.com/1gkjzx0

Ice Cream

Megan Billitti — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:39:07 +0000

July is National Ice Cream month. Do you know what ice cream is made out of? Why do you get a headache when you eat it too fast?

Download this column as a one page PDF

1. What’s the most popular ice cream flavor? At the Food Channel http://bit.ly/19KiXxW you find the results of two surveys. The top flavor is 3 times more popular than the others! Can you say what it is? We’ve hidden the answer somewhere on this page.

2. What does ice cream have in common with liquid nitrogen? Go to http://bit.ly/11SVOEs to find out how Dipping Dots are made. You have to use liquid nitrogen, which is -40 degrees Celsius. Go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ3f03WamRA to see a guy make his own, but know that it is very dangerous to be around liquid nitrogen.

3. What’s it look like inside an ice cream factory? At http://bit.ly/158oMRs/ you follow one of Pardha Pothana’s Pinterest boards that has photos inside ten ice cream factories that offer public tours. See if there’s one close to you. Most tours include samples.

4. Why does ice cream give me brain freeze? Is it dangerous? According to Kids Health http://bit.ly/18oGMKt, the roof of your mouth, called the palate, is full of nerves. When these nerves sense something really cold, they send a rush of blood to your brain, causing your head to hurt. Don’t worry, it goes away as soon as your mouth warms up. To avoid it, take smaller licks.

5. T/F Is it possible to make ice cream and play soccer at the same time? True! There is an ice cream maker that is designed to be kicked like a soccer ball. After you fill up the center with your egg/sugar/cream mixture, you fill the outside with salt and ice, seal it up, and roll it around. You can buy one at Walmart for $25 at http://bit.ly/qyPYZ7.

6. What’s the tallest ice cream cone ever made? 71 scoops, according to the Guinness World Records site http://bit.ly/1b0zQT9. The record was achieved by Dimitri Panciera (Italy), in Forno di Zoldo, Italy, on 22 July 2012.

7. What country holds the record for the biggest tub of ice cream? Iran. The Al Arabiya Network http://bit.ly/14Ho8bf reports that Choopan Dairy made a five ton tub of chocolate ice-cream. The biggest ice cream cone, made of real ice cream, was created in the UK. Read more at http://www.thebraiser.com/heston-blumenthal-ice-cream/

APPLICATION:

Want to make some ice cream?

Here’s a recipe from http://bit.ly/I7HiW for vanilla ice cream.

Make sure to ask your parents; and remember you need an ice cream freezer. Watch along, at http://youtu.be/zOlx9QclMns Makes 1 ½ pints.

• 2 eggs

• 1 ½ cups whole or 2% milk

• ¾ cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 2 cups of whipping cream

Wisk, and then freeze

ANSWER TO NUMBER 1:

1. Vanilla, 29%

2. Chocolate, 8.9%

3. Butter pecan, 5.3%

4. Strawberry, 5.3%

Still want more?