Create a creepy, gooey, rubbery ball from milk with a couple items from your kitchen cupboards.
My boys could not believe what their milk turned into after this experiment. Rubbery and gross – the perfect summer kitchen experiment!
Common sense warning: This experiment needs to be heated up. Always be cautious around hot liquids.
What you need:
Vinegar
Skim milk
Food coloring
Strainer or sieve
Pan or Bowl that can be microwaved
What you do:
Add 4 teaspoons of vinegar to 1 ½ cups of milk.
Drop in some food coloring and stir.
Warm the mixture in the microwave or on a stove.
Take off the heat and watch as solid lumps form.
Stir the milk slowly to help the solids form.
Strain off the liquid until only the lumps are left.
Mush around the solids. Fill a cookie cutter with them and let them set. Notice the rubbery feeling. If you are brave, you can even taste them!
Why it works:
Milk is actually a blend of solids and liquids – curds and whey. When milk is homogenized, the solid curds are broken down and mixed smoothly into the liquid whey. The vinegar causes a chemical reaction that separates the curds from the whey. Curds are the proteins in milk and vinegar causes them to tangle into solid masses.
