The Kitchen Pantry Scientist

Liz Heinecke, the writer behind the Kitchen Pantry Scientist blog, has an interesting educational background, with a Masters in Bacteriology and an undergraduate degree in art.  After doing medical research for ten years, she is now a stay at home mom with three kids, culturing more germs than ever! Through the Kitchen Pantry Scientist blog, Liz shows that science can be as easy as cooking. With nearly every post, she helps readers open up their kitchen pantry and stir up some fun experiments with their children using basic ingredients that most people already have on hand. Liz, and fellow Minnesota blogger Jennifer Jeanne Patterson, has even recently been featured in an “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” commercial, singing about hydrogenated oils. Of course, she turned the event into a biochemistry lesson on the different kinds of fat humans consume. Looking for a learning activity to do with the kids? Feed those hungry minds with an experiment from the Kitchen Pantry Scientist!

What inspired you to start the Kitchen Pantry Scientist?

I want to get kids interested in science and show parents that it doesn’t have to be difficult or expensive to do experiments at home. Most of the projects on my blog can be done using ingredients people already have in their kitchens.

I also try to do very safe science, so kids as young as two or three can participate alongside their older siblings.  My four-year old, seven-year old and nine-year old will drop everything to do a science experiment.

Do you get a lot of feedback from people who have carried out the Kitchen Pantry experiments you suggest? Which experiment(s) have been the most popular so far?

I don’t get much feedback, but what I do get is positive.  Tie-dye milk and cornstarch goo are two very popular experiments.

With the time commitment of discovering new experiments, carrying them out, writing about them, and three kids to raise, what is the most challenging aspect of maintaining this blog? How do you address it?

I’m lucky that my kids get to be involved with my blog.   We end up spending more time together, at the kitchen table doing projects, than we would otherwise, and we all love it.  Sometimes, they help me choose experiments they think might be fun.  Finding time to write and network is the most challenging part of blogging for me.  I try to get up early, before the kids, but sometimes I’m posting or Tweeting while they eat breakfast.  I’m making an effort to stay away from the computer when they’re not at school.

What do you hope readers take away from their time spent at the Kitchen Pantry Scientist?

I want my readers to be inspired to open their kitchen cupboard and do an experiment with their kids.  People do crafts and bake with their kids all the time.  I hope my blog demonstrates that doing science can be as simple as mixing up chocolate chip cookies!

What other blogs do you enjoy reading and why? Who are your favorite local Twin Cities bloggers?

Sadly, I don’t have much time to read blogs, but the MomCulture blog  is one of my favorites. She does great interviews with artists and musicians and gives me my cultural fix when I can’t get out.  I also love the UnplannedCooking blog.

If you could narrow it down to one answer, what do you love the most about the Twin Cities / Minnesota? Why?

As a lover of arts and science, I love the museums and theaters here and how easy it is to see an exhibit, hear music, or go to a play.  I feel lucky to live in the Twin Cities and raise our kids here. It’s a great place to get inspired!

Related Posts: Unplanned Cooking