Life Off-Label

One of my fondest memories as a child was baking with my grandma. Her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies were a favorite with… well anyone with taste buds who’s tried them, and her cookie jar was never empty. Even though she had one of those Cuisinart mixers, she didn’t typically use it. She didn’t need to. She had several little helper grandkids and forearms of steel. I still remember, after we took turns adding the ingredients to the bowl (and sometimes the table and floor), she’d have us stir it all together. After a little while, it got to a point where we couldn’t stir it anymore, and we’d hand the bowl over to her. We sat there in awe as she whipped the spoon around the bowl like there was pudding in it. I really thought she was the Superwoman of baking.

When we were in lab triturating emulsions, I was reminded of that experience. We had to essentially stir a sticky goop around the mortar for several minutes, and after a while it got a little tiring. I wished I could just pass it off to grandma and have her to finish it.

One of my favorite quotes by one of my professors is, “I love cooking. It’s just compounding in the kitchen!” It’s true. I find it neat how much compounding so far has paralleled cooking and baking. You measure the ingredients, follow the directions on the recipe, and you get your product! Last week, several people struggled with the Wet Gum Method for making emulsions, but I got it on the first try. I’m pretty sure I can thank grandma for that!