Hello there!

Thank you for visiting my page!

My name is Alysha, and this is my simple WordPress site for sharing my kitchen experiments. You can also check out my Instagram page here.

“The Kitchenologist©” was born from combining my background as a biologist and my love for crafting new things in the kitchen. I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Susquehanna University in 2014, during which time I spent hours upon hours experimenting in the laboratories for research projects and classes. However, I quickly abandoned the laboratory the month after I graduated when I started working my dream job in medical writing for a nonprofit called ECRI Institute. Soon, my “lab skills” became somewhat irrelevant (at least, I thought they had).

I had a lot more “free time” after graduating from college, especially with no more nights and every weekend packed with homework, studying, projects and activities, among other things. I started cooking and baking – a lot. It was interesting, and I always love trying new things. I fell in love with it, and I realized that my fascination and obsession with cooking and baking was not just a phase or moment in time, but is a defining part of my life and one of my deepest passions.

Over time, I realized that cooking and baking had a lot to do with science and the scientific method. I am sure you are all somewhat familiar with the scientific method (even if it’s something you learned about briefly in a high school science class), but here is my version (integrated with the kitchen).

The Scientific Method (Applied to the Kitchen)

1. Ask a Question: “What am I hungry for?” “I wonder if I could create this?” “What would be a fun thing for me to bring for this dinner party?”
2. Do Background Research: Google. Food Websites. Pinterest. Instagram. Recipe Books. Recipe Card Boxes. Chatting with your family and friends. You name it.
3. Construct a Hypothesis: “I bet combining components of this recipe with this recipe would work.” “I bet adding these ingredients to this would make it tasty.” I bet swapping this ingredient with this one would result in the best creation.”
4. Test Your Hypothesis by Doing an Experiment: Get in the kitchen and cook and bake and create! See what you can come up with based on your ideas.
5. Analyze Your Data and Draw a Conclusion: Taste your creation, and answer the simple question: “Does this taste good?” “Would I eat this again?” “Would I feed this to family and friends?” And (if you are feeding this to family and friends when first creating it), don’t be afraid to ask them what they think as well!
6. Report Your Results: Was your creation a hit? Did you love it? Did everyone else love it? If so, write it down or keep it in mind to cook it again! Or, if it wasn’t successful, maybe you should consider doing the process all over again and making some tweaks with the new information you’ve learned!

I may also add that other skills I sharpened in the lab (including taking detailed notes, measuring things correctly using the proper instruments, patience when something wouldn’t turn out the way I expected, long hours and dedication, cleaning a tremendous amount of dishware, and the commitment and perseverance during the experimentation process), all directly translated to the kitchen environment.

So, “when you give a biologist a kitchen..”, I have found that some pretty great (and interesting!) things can happen. I look forward to sharing my discoveries and creations with you all! 🙂

Cheers,

Alysha