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Posted

Vickie, thanks so much for doing this Q&A with us....

I know that NASA has run different experiments to prepare for long-term stays in space and to prepare for supporting colonies on other planets. What kind, if any, experiments with cooking have been performed and were there any interesting results? Thanks.

Most women don't seem to know how much flour to use so it gets so thick you have to chop it off the plate with a knife and it tastes like wallpaper paste....Just why cream sauce is bitched up so often is an all-time mytery to me, because it's so easy to make and can be used as the basis for such a variety of really delicious food.

- Victor Bergeron, Trader Vic's Book of Food & Drink, 1946

Posted

Although no experiments with food processing/preparation have been done in microgravity, there have been ground based studies. These studies have looked at what processing equipment and food preparation equipment would be needed for a crew on a Martian outpost. We have examined the list of crops that the NASA plant researchers tell us would be the most likely crops grown in such a habitat. We have looked at all the possible ingredients that could be made from those crops....such as soymilk, tofu, etc from soybeans...and started evaluating what equipment would be required to make these ingredients and then turn these ingredients into actually menu items. Currently, as part of our advanced food program, a study is being performed to evaluate whether growing crops and turning them into ingredients is the way to go or whether it is better to take bulk ingredients for the mission. There are currently no plans to actually "cook" food on the International Space Station or the Shuttle.

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