Everyday Chemical Reactions Happening in Your Kitchen

Baking bread uses fermentation—yeast turns sugar into carbon dioxide to make it rise.
Browning meat on a pan is the Maillard reaction between proteins and sugars.
Caramelization happens when sugar is heated, creating golden color and rich flavor.
Boiling an egg denatures proteins, changing clear whites into solid white.
Vinegar and baking soda fizz through an acid–base reaction releasing carbon dioxide.
Cutting onions releases sulfur compounds that react and make your eyes water.
Citrus juice “cooks” fish in ceviche by chemically denaturing proteins.
Apples turn brown through oxidation when exposed to air.
Oil and vinegar in salad dressing don’t mix without an emulsifier like mustard.
Brewing coffee extracts flavor compounds through heat-driven chemical processes.