The Chef’s Water Dictionary By Suhas Rao and Johnny Guemple

Polarity  Noun – (Po-lare-ih-tee)  Definition – The characteristic of having oppositely charged poles  Use in Cooking – Opposite poles are attracted to each other, which is why water bonds easily. Because of water’s polarity, large amounts of water molecules are able to stick together to form a cohesive whole, which allows water to be used as an ingredient in various foods. Also, it allows water to bond with other polar substances well.

Hydrogen Bond  Noun – (hi-druh-jin bond)  Definition – The bond that forms between water molecules as a result of their oppositely charged poles being attracted to each other  Use in Cooking – Because of water molecules’ ability to combine with others of their kind, they are able to form a cohesive whole. This makes it easier for water to be used as an ingredient in food.

Significance of Water’s Density  Noun (Density) – (den-sih-tee)  Definition (Density) – A measure of how tightly packed something is; represented by [unit(s) of mass per unit(s) of volume]  Water has a density of 1 g/ml  Use in Cooking: When you are cooking with water, you need to know the density of water and the density of the food. If the food is less dense than water, it will float above the surface. If it is more dense than water, it will sink and you can boil it.

Surface Tension  Noun – (sur-fiss ten-shen)  Definition – A property of liquids that makes them form thin layers of “elastic wrap” on the surface that resist substances from entering  Use in Cooking – When adding seasonings to water, they will sometimes sit on top of the surface. This is because of water’s surface tension, which the seasonings cannot penetrate unless we stir them in. One example of this is cooking Ramen Noodles. When the spices and green leaves are first poured in, they sit on top of the water. However, we know that this is not because of their density being lower than that of water’s, since they sink when you stir them in.

Adhesion  Noun – (ad-he-zhen)  Definition – The property of water that allows it to stick to other polar substances  This is the reason for why water forms a meniscus. The water molecules stick to the sides of the container.  Use in Cooking – Because of adhesion, water sticks to the interior of a container rather than forming a bubble like it does when poured on a flat surface. This makes sure that your food is fully covered and cooked properly.

Cohesion  Noun – (co-he-zhen)  Definition – The property of water that allows it to stick to other water molecules  Use in Cooking – Cohesion makes it so that water falls in droplets rather than individual little molecules, which saves you quite a bit of time while cooking. Can you imagine having to add molecule by molecule of water?

Capillary Action  Definition – The property of water that makes it rise in narrow tubes and be drawn into small openings; it is an extension of adhesion.  Use in Cooking – When you are cooking, capillary action causes water to enter into the tiny openings in food and cook it thoroughly

Universal Solvent  Noun – (yoo-nih-vur-sull sawl-vent)  Definition – Water is known as the universal solvent because it is able to dissolve more solutes than any other substance  Use in Cooking – Because of water’s versatility as a solvent, it can be used to create various drinks, soups, and other liquid foods by dissolving different solutes.

Significance of Water’s Specific Heat  Noun (Specific Heat) – (spuh-siff-ick heet)  Definition (Specific Heat) – The amount of heat required to raise the temperature of one unit of a particular substance by one degree Celsius  Water’s specific heat is joules/gram °C  Use in Cooking – It is essential to know the specific heat of water in cooking to determine how high you need to turn the heat in order for water to boil

Water Cycle  Noun – (wha-tur sigh-kull)  Also known as the hydrologic cycle  Definition – The regular, continuous path that water follows as it travels through the environment. In a basic form, it is as follows - -The sun heats up water, making it evaporate into the atmosphere -Plants transpire out water that they bring upwards from their roots -This water vapor condenses with dust particles suspended in the atmosphere to form clouds -Eventually, the condensed droplets become too heavy to remain in the atmosphere and fall. This is known as precipitation. The water can come down in the form of sleet, hail, snow, rain. -Water collects in oceans, rivers, streams, and lakes, as well as pools known as surface run-off -The cycle repeats itself infinitely  Use in Cooking – Two of the main phases of the water cycle, evaporation and condensation, take place during cooking. When you bring water to the heat where it starts to boil, some of it is turning into vapor and evaporating. If you cook rice, the lid starts to condense with water droplets because of the water inside the cooker that’s evaporating.

FUN FACTS  The specific heat of water (4.186 joules/gram °C) is known as the calorie, a widely used unit of heat  Water consumption can decrease risk of certain cancers  Only about.3% of all the water on earth can be used by humans  The U.S. by itself uses 346 billion gallons of fresh water per day  The average U.S. citizen uses between gallons of water per day – most of this comes from flushing the toilet  Water makes up approximately 70% of a human’s body  The weight you lose after exercise is from water  Water’s pH level is 7  The vast majority of foods/drinks contain some amount of water  You should consume about 8 cups of water per day  Drinking too much water can cause water intoxication, which negatively affects brain functions  An average person can drink a maximum of 3 gallons of water per day – that’s 6 times as much as recommended