Sponge Foods and Frying

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What do you call a substance that absorbs water in chemistry? '''A desiccant (or a hygroscopic substance)''' Desiccant is the most common practical term for a substance deliberately used to absorb water/moisture (e.g., silica gel, calcium chloride, or molecular sieves). Hygroscopic describes the property of readily absorbing water vapor from the air (many desiccants are hygroscopic; some materials like table salt or certain polymers also show this behavior). Related but distinct terms: * Hydrophilic means “water-loving” (attracted to water), but does not necessarily imply bulk absorption. * Absorbent is a broader everyday word for materials that soak up liquid water (e.g., a sponge or paper towel). '''Some foods are desiccants or have absorbent properties.''' Such as pasta, rice, breads, cereals, sponge cakes . . . When preparing foods that are desiccants, the cook must allow the food to reach full liquid saturation and serve in a state of full liquid saturation. Further on, served in a sauce that puts the hydration in excess. Otherwise, water comes out of the human body and that is not the point of food. '''Foods that require water or liquid treatment''', infer from composition and structure. For scale, silica gel can adsorb up to about 40% of its weight in water. Wheat flour holds roughly 8–12% moisture at 50% relative humidity, and parboiled rice reaches about 14% (dry basis) at 52% RH. Tier 1: fine, dry starch and protein powders 1. Potato starch / cornstarch. Potato starch holds about 10 g of water per 100 g of solids even at 30% RH. The fine particles make it fast, but it clumps. 2. Egg-white, gelatin, and other protein powders (D/I). Foods whose dry solids are rich in protein, starch, or other large polymers take up the most water at low humidity. 3. Instant mashed potato flakes. These are precooked, dried starch in thin flakes. 4. Wheat flour / fine semolina. Roughly 8–12% at 50% RH and about 13–14% at 60%. Tier 2: precooked grains and amorphous powders 5. Instant or flaked rice. Instant rice beat conventional rice in Gazelle's 24-hour test. In a separate university test, flaked rice ranked at the top of the rice types. 6. Instant oatmeal. It also beat plain rice. 7. Couscous. It did as well. 8. Rolled oats. Same result, though denser flakes are probably slower. 9. Amorphous sugar powders, such as maltodextrin and drink mixes. Amorphous sugars absorb more than crystalline ones. They turn sticky, so they're poor for a container. 10. Skim milk powder. By my calculation from the fitted curve in one study, it holds only about 7–8% by weight at 50–60% RH at 20 °C. That's below flour. Its amorphous lactose can also crystallize and release absorbed water. Tier 3: denser, fattier, or slower 11. Dry breadcrumbs, rusks, and stale bread. 12. Cornflakes and puffed cereals. They are airy but often sugar- or fat-coated. 13. Dry sponge cake. Its equilibrium moisture didn't depend on porosity, but fell as fat content rose. Airiness affects speed, not capacity. 14. Crackers and biscuits. Fat lowers capacity, as the sponge cake data suggest. 15. Dry pasta. Dense and slow. 16. Dried beans, lentils, and peas. Hard seed coats slow uptake. 17. Parboiled rice. Its capacity is decent, but the dense grains are slow. Tier 4: weakest 18. Uncooked white rice. It was the worst of the seven materials in Gazelle's test. 19. Brown rice. It came last among the rice varieties, behind basmati, long grain, pudding, and paella rice. 20. Table salt and sugar. Crystalline salts and sugars absorb negligible water at low or moderate humidity. Sucrose doesn't start dissolving until about 86% RH, and salt needs roughly 75%. Above those levels they'd outperform everything here, but by turning into a puddle. Food-grade calcium chloride (sold for brewing and pickling) is a genuine desiccant, though it's an additive rather than a pantry food. At 20 °C it starts dissolving into absorbed water at about 33% RH. '''Frying these foods does not re-hydrate the foodstuff, they become water absorbers in the stomach and the gut. That water is drawn out of the body.''' For instance, sponge cake, make a sauce, sub-merge the sponge cake in the sauce, let it fully saturate. Make a berry sauce, pour the berry sauce over the sponge cake, add a few berries and serve. The desiccant quality of the sponge cake is neutralized in the submerged sauce. The berry sauce puts hydration in excess. A dry and salty dish, unconsciously prompts a drink. Oh, I need a drink. Not good. Coffee is a diuretic, pair it with a glass of spring mineral water. If it's a hot day, chill it.
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