Science you can eat!.
In the Kitchen Theater, you'll learn about the science of food and cooking in a fun 1950s atmosphere. Live demonstrations—part cooking class, part science lab—take you through the biology, chemistry, and physics that combine to make your favorite foods. From emulsified sauces to fiery fruit, the Kitchen Theater delivers edible science in 30 minutes or less!
Programs made possible with support from the Society for Analytical Chemists of Pittsburgh and the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh.
Click for other Kitchen Theater recipes you can try at home
Kitchen Theater Shows
Dr. Payne’s Hideous Brain
Discover the composition of the human brain in this deliciously gross live demonstration! Learn the names and functions of the cerebrum, cerebellum, medulla, and corpus collusum. Explore the building blocks of brain matter. At the end of the show we give you a piece of our mind—that is, a taste of our yummy gelatin brain model!
Grades 4-6
Capacity: 75
Food Factor
How can an ordinary kitchen become a battlefield for germs? Learn how good and bad bacteria can affect our health, the conditions bacteria need to reproduce, and the science of pasteurization. This interactive game show explores food sanitation and safety. Edible prizes included.
Grades 4-6
Capacity: 75
Fruit Flambé
Enjoy edible solutions as we flame various fruits and explore the chemistry of fire. Learn the three components of fire and the nature of its chemical reaction, then delve into mixture vs. solution chemistry. The fiery finish has some lip-smacking results!
Grades 4-8
Capacity: 75
Jurassic Pie
Dig into an edible dino dirt treat! Was your backyard once an ocean floor? Did dinosaurs once prowl in your neighborhood? Come on stage, help “excavate” clues, and learn how plants, animals, and landforms all change over time. Earth history never tasted so good!
Grades 1-4
Capacity: 75
Make Jurassic Pie at home! (.pdf)
Meringue Madness
Egg-splore the wonders of protein chemistry! We coagulate globular proteins (egg whites) into a light and fluffy meringue treat. Learn how temperature, acidity, and agitation all play a role in whipping up a delicious dessert.
Grades 4-8
Capacity: 75
Plant Pop!
Can our pop-can lid withstand the pressure of our fizzy soda? We’ll prove that carbon dioxide takes up more room as a gas than as a solid. Learn about the process of sublimation and the difference between density and volume, with a serving of botany on the side.
Grades 3–5
Capacity: 75
Sponsored by:
What Animals Eat
Available by reservation only
Do you eat in the Carnivore Café or the Herbivore Eatery? This interactive demonstration introduces early learners to different levels of the food chain and focuses on specific animals they can visit at Carnegie Science Center.
Grades Pre-K–1
Capacity: 40
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