Archive | ScienceWire

It's fair and carnival season here in the US which means plenty of fried foods, including funnel cake - a round pile of crispy fried dough usually covered in powdered sugar. But where did funnel cakes actually come from? And, would you believe this deep fried dough is actually considered a 'lower calorie treat'?!

• • • The name 'funnel cake' comes from the way batter is poured through a funnel into hot oil.
    • These fried fritters date back to medieval times, but their modern U.S. origins are commonly associated with the Pennsylvania Dutch, who served funnel cakes to the masses at the Kutztown Folk Festival every year.

• • Similar delights (yep, we're fans!) can be found the world over including:
    • Spain - Churros
    • Canada - Beaver-tails
    • Brazil - Bolinho de chuvas
    • France - Bugnes
    • Portugal - Fartura
    • Germany - Strauben/Strieble
    • Lithuania - Skruzdėlynas

But low calorie?! No way!

Yes way! An average 6-inch funnel cake contains less than 300 calories! The steam produced by the high water content in the batter allows it to puff up, resulting in the light and airy texture. Pile on the toppings like powdered sugar, chocolate, or jelly and it's another story...

Want to make your own funnel cakes at home*, or need funnels for the laboratory?

Bel-Art - SP Scienceware has funnels of all shapes & sizes!

From large 36 inch Buchner funnels to 24mm micro funnels, and everything in between!

*Got your funnel? We've got a funnel cake for you to try!

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

3 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

3 eggs

1/4 cup white sugar

2 cups milk

1 quart vegetable oil for frying, or as needed

2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, or as needed

1.  Mix salt, baking powder, and half the flour in a bowl. Set aside.

2  Cream eggs, sugar, and milk in a large bowl. Add flour mixture and beat until smooth. Continue to add remaining flour, but use only enough to achieve desired consistency. Batter will be thin enough to run through a funnel.

3.  Heat the oil to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) in an 8-inch skillet.

4.  Put your finger over the bottom opening of the funnel, and fill the funnel with a generous 1/2 cup of the batter. Hold the funnel close to the surface of the oil, and release the batter into the oil while making a circular motion. Fry until golden brown. Use tongs and wide spatula to turn the cake over carefully. Fry the second side one minute.

5.  Drain on paper towels, and sprinkle with sifted confectioners' sugar and serve.

Recipe courtesy of AllRecipes.com.  The original recipe can be found here.

4 Dumb Thieves
(And 1 Smart One!)

Movies might portray criminals as masterminds with intricate plans but the reality is a little less glamorous. Just search 'Dumb Criminals' and see how many results you get! (FYI it's about 5,360,000). While being the victim of any crime is certainly scary, sometimes you can't help but laugh at how some thieves got caught. Here are 4 of our favorites that we hope give you a chuckle!

• A teenage girl in Nebraska, U.S. robbed a local bank and then stole a car. How did she get caught? She posted a public video bragging about her crime spree on YouTube.

• A burglar in China was caught (literally) by attempting to squeeze through a small fifth floor window of an apartment building.

• In Norfolk, England a man was arrested 15 minutes after posting a selfie with a knife on Facebook, boasting that he had just robbed the supermarket Tesco.

• A man in Texas, U.S. was arrested for forgery, unsurprisingly, after trying to cash a check for $360 billion. And it wasn't even made out to HIM.

Those thieves were not smart. Our Sample Thief, on the other hand, is a very smart way to steal liquid samples.

• Take liquid samples at specific depths

• Easy to use, one-handed operation

• 41.5" length has max capacity of 475ml

• Other sizes can be made to order

Did You Celebrate
Chocolate Chip Day?

That's right - chocolate chips have their own day. And it was May 15. Don't worry we won't judge you if you celebrate a few days late. If you're a choco-holic you might even (unknowingly) celebrate chocolate chip day more than just once per year. But if you're not a chocolate lover and only indulge occasionally, you might wonder if that bag of morsels in your pantry from who-knows-when is still good. Let's find out!

Chocolate usually has a 'best before' date and not an 'expiration' date so it can be used even if the date has passed if stored in a cool, dry place. How long past the printed date can they last?*

• Pantry: 2-4 months
• Refrigerator: 6-8 months
• Freezer: 2-3 years

Bonus fact!  After a while you may notice white dots on the chocolate. This is 'sugar bloom' and just means the sugar has come to the surface and then evaporated.This makes the chocolate chips less palatable when raw, but they're still safe to eat and bake with!

What if you need to keep samples or chemicals cool and dry in the lab?  The Secador^® Refrigerator Ready Desiccator provides moisture-free storage in cold spaces!

• Perfect for use inside refrigerators, -20°C freezers, or at room temperature

• Extra long depth and pull-out shelves allow full use of fridge shelf depth

• Top-down door opening allows easy access to contents