Kitchen9 min read
Kombu and Beans: The Old Trick That Tenderises Legumes
Why a strip of kombu softens stubborn bean skins, speeds cooking and rescues old legumes — the chemistry of tenderising, tested against plain water and soda.
Sofia Andersson ·
#food-science
5 articles
Science10 min read
Phycocolloids Explained: The Gels Hidden in Seaweed Walls
Alginate, agar and carrageenan: the gelling polysaccharides inside seaweed cell walls, why each species gives a different gel, and how extraction works.
Dr. Theo Nakamura ·
Kitchen9 min read
The Science of Seaweed Umami: Why Kelp Makes Everything Taste More
Kombu led chemists to discover umami in 1908. How glutamate, ribonucleotides and salt work together — and how to use seaweed umami in everyday cooking.
Sofia Andersson ·
Kitchen7 min read
Seaweed and Gut Health: What the Fibre Research Actually Shows
Seaweed fibres — alginate, laminarin, fucoidan — reach your gut intact and feed its microbes. What the research actually supports, and how to eat for it.
Sofia Andersson ·
Kitchen9 min read
Kombu and Umami: The Glutamate Science of Tasty Water
Kombu is the original umami. How glutamate works on the tongue, why temperature decides your dashi's flavour, and how to season with the sea.
Sofia Andersson ·