On Food and Cooking

hydrogen ions, which are the basic units of
positive charge (protons), can have drastic
effects on other molecules in solution. A
structure that is stable with a few protons
around may be unstable when many protons
are in the vicinity. So significant is the proton
concentration that humans have a specialized
taste sensation to estimate it: sourness. Our
term for the class of chemicalcompounds that
release protons into solutions, acids, derives
from the Latin acere, meaning to taste sour.
We call the complementary chemical group
that accepts protons and neutralizes them,
bases or alkalis.
The properties of acids and bases affect us
continually in our daily life. Practically every
food we eat, from steak to coffee to oranges,
is at least slightly acidic. And the degree of
acidity of the cooking medium can have great
influence on such characteristics as the color
of fruits and vegetables and the texture of
meat and egg proteins. Some measure of