The Science of Cotton Candy

A Little Physics and Chemistry Never Tasted So Good

A Thai street vendor does her own spin on cotton candy, a treat loved around the world. (Photo: Wikimedia)

Oh, the strange and sublime glory that is cotton candy! While spun sugar has been around for centuries, mirthful culinary historians love to point out that the machine that transformed what had, until then, been a trick of clever pastry chefs working for nobles into such a sweet and ethereal snack for the masses was invented by, yes, a dentist back in the 1890s. I would like to think that this was just a moment of whimsy and inspired invention for him, and not some cold and calculating, bottom-line scheme he came up with to drum up more business for himself and dentists everywhere.

This week, I explore a little more about this peculiar and delightful substance—and show you and your kids how to make your own spun-sugar springtime nests of treats. And, in my singular Homeschool Culinary Arts approach to things, I manage, of course, to sneak in a little mouth-watering science along the way.