Things Which I Did Not Know Until Just Now, #54329

[kyra_ojosverdes]

If, in an attempt to have ginger soda which actually contains noticeable amounts of ginger, one opens a two-liter bottle of ginger ale and drops in a bit of candied ginger, the ginger ale will foam in a most impressive manner, more than if one had vigorously shaken the bottle. If one happens to not have the bottle of ginger ale over a sink, this will make a rather large mess.

How about that! New knowledge! Whee!

*changes clothing*

ETA: if, on the other hand, one makes sure there's enough room in the bottle (or glass) to allow significant fizzing, this works just fine and tastes very good. Assuming one likes ginger, anyway.

Comments

[roguespirit.livejournal.com]

Would that be fresh ginger, ground ginger, pickled ginger (egad, I hope not), or candied ginger? Just curious, not planning to try it. I do love ginger ale, though.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Candied.

[talldalry.livejournal.com]

Although it seems like an odd ingrediant, I wonder if the candied ginger had Gum Arabic in it. The stuff drastically drops the surface tension of the soda, making it release all of the carbonation at once. You should see what happens when you put a handfull of mentos in a bottle of soda.

The best way I have found to add that real ginger flavor is to get fresh roots, dice them up, and make a strong tea or extract. That, and having a fairly good quality ginger ale to begin with.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Ginger, sugar, citric acid. The citric acid, maybe?

This is good stuff... let the candied ginger soak a while, drink the soda, then eat the candied ginger. Yum.

[docwebster.livejournal.com]

See, that's why I like reading your stuff. I'm always learning new things, Dr. Dork.. I mean, Dr. Science. ;)

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

I'm all about the accidental science!

[gryphonwing.livejournal.com]

There's citric acid in a lot of sodas anyway... anything supposedly citrus, I think. It makes things a bit tart and is also... a preservative? I think.

I'm really tempted to take my candied ginger (I always have some around, and it's just ginger and cane sugar) and get all empirical about this. There's Coke in the house all the time, and the husband could sacrifice some in the name of science... no other soda, though.

Can you get Reed's Ginger Brew in Montana? If not I might have to send you some.

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

I can and I love the stuff. Safeway didn't have any. That's what I was looking for. Today's shopping trip was "stock up because we're all about to get really sick" day.

[ex-flexible.livejournal.com]

Powdered sugar on the ginger? That would set off hella bubbles...

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

Granulated.

[ex-flexible.livejournal.com]

Yep.

Sugar crystals form nucleii for the CO2 bubbles. You get fizz!

[sir-cat.livejournal.com]

Ice cream soda does the same thing. (7-Up and vanilla or black cherry vanilla ice cream.)

Now I want an ice cream soda. But have neither ice cream, nor soda.

ah think

[andreas_schaefer]

this is where physics and chemistry meet. CO₂ doews not dissolve well in water ( or watery solitions like beer) so adding something that dissolutes well 'drives' ot the CO₂.
Sugar in carbonated sodas, salt in beer that has gone flat( to bring up a head again - yuck!).
Rem: unlike other substances that dissolve better in water when one heats it CO₂ dissolves less well (IIRC actually with rising heat the chance of the H₂CO₃ breaking up into H₂O and CO₂ increases so that most carbonic acid is driven out. )

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now I must go and find a user-icon appropriate for this kind of comment.

Re: ah think

[kyra-ojosverdes.livejournal.com]

*stares at Evil Chemistry Code Stuff, shakes head to clear cobwebs which instantly appear at the sight of Evil Chemistry Code Stuff*

Re: ah think

[andreas_schaefer]

not very complicated and this is really a mix of physics and chemistry. So it is only half evil. ;-)