• Scott's miscellanies by Scott Keir

    I think this is going to be a fairly varied collection of posts on stuff to do with art, science, culture, geekery and science communication. But we'll see, eh? And, just to be clear, what I type here is my own opinion, not my employers'.

    • My main disappointment with the RSC's Yorkshire Pudding recipe...

      Tuesday, 27 Jan 2009 - 23:23 UTC

      Is not the precision of the weights required but the lack of a scientific name for beef dripping.

      Flour is rerendered as polysaccharide powder, kitchen grade and milk becomes reduced-lipid bovine lactate but poor old beef dripping is just poor old beef dripping.

      Not to mention, eggs are eggs.

      Still, kind of John Emsley (“a scientist” as the First Post puts it – come on, at least label him a chemist!) to help out a correspondent whose Yorkshire pudding was not rising four inches. (Gee? Richard? Are you there?)

      And apparently, this is all part of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s 2009 theme of food which has also seen them serve up gruel and, err recommending how food can be sourced in the future sustainably.

      So here’s hoping to more molecular gastronomy as the year progresses. Not gruel though. I am having a bit of trouble with my pastry though. Hello, RSC?

      Last updated: Tuesday, 27 Jan 2009 - 23:23 UTC

      • Comments

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 08:19 UTC
          Richard Grant said:

          I hear you, Scott. I’m ignoring you.

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 09:08 UTC
          Scott Keir said:

          But you must be a Yorkshire Pudding master?

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 09:25 UTC
          Richard Grant said:

          Modesty forbids.

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 10:55 UTC
          Henry Gee said:

          Excuse me, Madam, but does this bus go to t’Station?

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 11:17 UTC
          Katherine Haxton said:

          Yorkshire puddings are usually a disaster in my house…and they are made by a Yorkshire man.

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 11:22 UTC
          Brian Derby said:

          Its not the precision that I worry about but the relativity.

          1 egg (use 2 eggs in areas of higher altitude)

          Does this mean use two eggs if I move ustairs or refer only to Yorkshire migrants to the Altiplano.

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 11:23 UTC
          Henry Gee said:

          Gee Minima loves Yorkshire puddings but, yes, making them can be a dicey business. Mrs Gee knoweth the arcane art of making them, but there’s a fine balance between time, temperature, and – there’s no easy way to say this – colloidal chemistry that’s harder to get right than inserting a pantomime quandary into a Large Hadron Collider.


          A Large Hadron Collider, yesterday.

          So usually we get our Yorkshire Puddings from Aunt Bessie.

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 12:42 UTC
          Katherine Haxton said:

          What would you suggest as a scientific name for beef dripping? Slowly titrated bovine lipid?

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 14:01 UTC
          Scott Keir said:

          Amd this on the day that happy Yorkshire policemen are axed

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 14:04 UTC
          Scott Keir said:

          What would you suggest as a scientific name for beef dripping? Slowly titrated bovine lipid?

          I think that is an excellent suggestion, Katherine. You win a prize!

        • Date:
          Wednesday, 28 Jan 2009 - 14:47 UTC
          Henry Gee said:

          Wouldn’t it be fractionated rather than titrated?

        • Date:
          Thursday, 29 Jan 2009 - 00:58 UTC
          Scott Keir said:

          Would fractionated cause it to drip? I think there was a pun there.

        • Date:
          Thursday, 29 Jan 2009 - 08:43 UTC
          Katherine Haxton said:

          A fractionating column may well drip…


Search blogs

web feed Want a blog?

Submit this post to

Advertisement