In Search of the Perfect French Fry Additional Information

By Science News Explores

Suggested Web sites:

Where do french fries come from?

http://csmweb2.emcweb.com/durable/2000/05/02/p18s1.htm

Christian Science Monitor

The secret history of french fries: http://www.stim.com/Stim-x/9.2/fries/fries-09.2.html Stim magazine

Books recommended by SearchIt!Science:

[book] Potatoes — Jillian Powell

Published by Raintree Steck-Vaughn, 1997.

Potatoes are an essential food for people on almost every continent in the world. Why is everyone so fond of potatoes? In this book, you can read how potatoes first came to be used, why they are healthy, and how they are produced.
[book] Fats — Rhoda Nottridge

Published by Carolrhoda Books/Lerner Publishing, 1993.

Perhaps you’ve heard that fat is bad for you. Actually, we need some fat every day to make our bodies work right. What is a fat? Are all kinds of fat healthy for us? How do our bodies convert fat to energy? Color photographs, diagrams, and cartoon drawings illustrate the explanations to these questions.

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Power Words

CALORIES: A unit of heat equal to the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1,000 grams of water by 1 Celsius degree. This unit is used as a measure of the amount of heat energy released by food as it’s digested by the body.CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE: Disease relating to the heart and blood vessels.

CHOLESTEROL: A fatty substance found in animals and plants that is a main component of cell membranes and is important in metabolism and hormone production. In vertebrate animals, cholesterol is a major component of the blood. Higher-than-normal amounts of cholesterol in the blood, which can occur from eating too many fatty acids, may lead to diseases of the arteries such as atherosclerosis.

DIABETES: A disease marked by abnormal concentrations of sugar in the blood, caused by the body’s inability to produce or use insulin properly. If untreated, it can cause circulatory problems and nerve damage.

HEAT: A form of energy produced by the motion of molecules.

INFRARED: Relating to the invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum with wavelengths longer than those of visible light but shorter than those of microwaves, often associated with heat energy.

POLYUNSATURATED FAT: A compound in which more than one pair of carbon atoms are joined by double or triple bonds. Fats derived from plants are often unsaturated fats. Eating foods high in unsaturated fats can reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

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