Welcome to the McNicholas Rocket family!
Culinary chemistry offers a tasty new take on science
Rockets made delicious discoveries when they combined fundamentals of science and cooking in the inaugural semester of the Culinary Chemistry class.
The goal of the class is to give students a different perspective on science and an appreciation for chemistry in our everyday lives. Trading beakers for mixing bowls and Bunsen burners for convection ovens, students participated in hands-on cooking labs where they used principles of chemistry to assist them in creating a variety of tasty treats.
“This class gives students a different way to interact and connect with science. Labs seem different because we can eat the end result, but in actuality we are still mixing chemicals, watching chemical reactions, making observations, and drawing conclusions just like we do in every other science class,” chemistry teacher Mrs. Jessica Boese ’11 said.
In Culinary Chemistry, ingredients aren’t just parts of a recipe that make something taste good; they are chemical compounds reacting together on a molecular level. Kitchen tools are now laboratory tools, and learning the elemental makeup of metals and alloys helps students understand what they are using and why.
As part of the salsa lab students not only learned about the ionic compounds that make up salt, they also learned how to handle knives correctly to chop and combine their ingredients for maximum flavor. “The most useful thing I’ve learned in this class is how to hold a knife correctly and more importantly how to use it safely,” senior Lily Crooker said.
From studying chemical compounds in fat and sugar to testing chemical reactions in pies and cookies, students are finishing their first semester on a sweet note and feeling more confident in their abilities in the classroom and in the kitchen.
“I took the class because I wanted to learn how to be in the kitchen without stress before I go to college. Being able to practice with my classmates and Mrs. Boese has definitely made me confident that I can apply these skills outside the classroom,” senior Kelly Carville said.
We can’t wait to see what the Culinary Chemistry class is cooking up next semester!
Baking pie crusts was one of the students favorite labs and the Mrs. Boese's favorite unit to teach!
"Pie crust is one of those things where the whole time it doesn't look right until the absolute last second when the crust actually forms. The students were so excited when they finally saw it come together after doubting for so long!" Mrs. Boese said.
Students also learned from experts in the food chemistry field during a presentation with Savor Seasonings, a local company specializing in food seasonings.
Fun Fact: Did you know smoke is more than just a warning sign that your tasty treats might be overcooked? It's actually the result of a chemical reaction caused by heat breaking apart the bonds of chemical compounds.(Thankfully these cookies came out gold brown and delicious!)
Congratulations to the athletes who participated in our Winter Signing Day on Feb. 5, 2025 to celebrate their intent to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level.
McNicholas students celebrated Catholic Schools Week with a school-wide day of service. This Day of Christian Charity is just one example of the McNicholas commitment to enthusiastic giving and serving our neighbors in the spirit of the Sisters of St. Joseph
Congratulations to seniors Tyler Munzel and Katherine Noble who have been named Captain and Maid of Honor of the 73rd annual Mardi Gras Ball. This announcement officially kicks off the Mardi Gras season at McNicholas which culminates in the annual Mardi Gras Pageant on Sunday, Feb. 16.