Culinary Chemistry has finally entered Quartz Hill High School and is currently being offered as a class for the 2016-2017 school year. It gives students a more intriguing and entertaining way to learn a physical science. Students now have the option to take this class as replacement for regular chemistry. This year, Mr. Harris is the one in charge of not only two periods of culinary chemistry but also the regular and honor’s chemistry classes.

   Fortunately for Mr. Harris, his classroom has been moved into the old teacher’s lounge, giving him and his students more space in which to work. His classroom consists of a well sized kitchen built in on the left side of the entrance door. This is suitable for labs and hands-on teaching.

   One rarely thinks about the science behind the food being eaten on a day-to-day basis. Therefore, learning Culinary Chemistry can give a person a deeper and better understanding of the food they eat regularly. The concept of combining food with chemistry has been around for quite some time. According to Mr. Harris, Culinary Chemistry is “infusing food and the finding the chemistry behind food science into all the labs.”

   On Friday, September 15th, the students held their first lab. “This will be our first lab of the year and we will be figuring out the chemistry behind pancakes,” said Mr. Harris. A majority of the students seemed to have enjoyed the lab immensely and gained plenty of information. This was a great and informative way to really give them a true mastery on what occurs when food is being made. It makes one look at a different perspective.  Similar to any other lab held in another science class, it puts all the material one has learned and condenses it into a real-world situation.  

   Quartz Hill High School is one of the few high schools to offer this class. This specialized chemistry course utilizes a very hands-on approach to learning chemistry, especially for those interested in learning the science behind the culinary art form.