CHEM 29N: Chemistry in the Kitchen
General Education Requirements
This seminar is expected to be in high demand. If you rank it as your first choice for priority enrollment, please be sure to apply for a second and third choice seminar for the quarter. You are also encouraged to write an additional statement for your lower ranked selection(s) so those faculty learn about your interest.
Please note: There are four offerings of CHEM 29N in Winter Quarter. Students are admitted to one seminar plus the weekly orientation to the class activity. Review the class schedule for each offering in Explore Courses, then sign up for your preferred seminar's day/time in the IntroSems' VCA.
Course Description
This IntroSem, which is only offered Winter Quarter, examines the chemistry relevant to food and drink preparation, both in homes and in restaurants, which makes what we consume more pleasurable. Good cooking is more often considered an art rather than a science, but a small bit of understanding goes a long way to make the preparation and consumption of food and drink more enjoyable. The intention is to have those who take this class cook and eat what they cook every class meeting. We will examine some rather familiar items in this course: eggs, dairy products, meats, breads, vegetables, pastries, and carbonated beverages. We shall playfully explore the chemistry that turns food into meals. A high-school chemistry background is assumed; bring to class a good appetite and a healthy curiosity.
This seminar is offered two times a week in two separate class sections: in one weekly cooking session on TWTh or F from 1:30pm-3:20pm, and in one weekly lecture on Tuesday mornings related to that week’s cooking activities which all enrolled students are required to attend. Students are asked to express a preference for the day of the cooking session when they apply. There are four cooking sessions in Winter 2026.
Meet the Instructor: Richard Zare
"Some of my earliest experiments were performed using my younger brother, Michael, when I was about seven and he was four. My mother liked to sleep-in and assigned me the task of making our breakfast. I loved experimenting on Mikey, preparing him scrambled eggs with maple syrup or tabasco sauce, and asking him, 'Well, how was that? Did you like it?' Cooking is one of the few activities in chemistry where you can taste as you go along! This got me thinking about chemical transformations from common foods like eggs and popcorn, and the nature of bubbles in beer and champagne. I want to share my love for cooking, food, and drink and the chemical understanding of what is happening, to heighten the enjoyment of the dining experience."
Professor Richard N. Zare pursues diverse theoretical and experimental interests in physical chemistry and nanoscale chemical analysis. The Zare lab has made a broad impact in analytic chemistry with development of laser-induced fluorescence to study reaction dynamics, and seminal contributions to understanding of molecular collision processes. He received his B.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University, and joined the Chemistry Department at Stanford in 1977. He has taught an introductory chemistry class nearly every year since, including developing a course introducing undergraduates to hands-on interdisciplinary research, combining physics and biology to explore how living systems use molecular interactions with light for vision, photosynthesis, and more. His dedication to research and teaching has been recognized in many awards, including the National Medal of Science, the Wolf Prize in Chemistry, and the Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring.
