Burning Your Tongue: What's Really Going On?

[Pengwuino]

So what exactly is the scientific definition of "burning your tongue"? I hate this, i wish we could evolve to eat food 800 degrees F. But no really, what exactly is going on when you burn your tongue?

 

[Danger]

Are you talking about actual thermal burning, or spicy burning?

 

[DaveC426913]

Amongst other things:

You damage the cells in your tongue, causing some of them to burst. This releases enzymes that alert repair systems. Oneof the systems is the lymph system that floods the area and cells with fluid, causing the swelling. The swelling and engorged cells are much of the feeling that lasts from a burned tongue.

 

[Pengwuino]

The one dave is talking about. Thanks for the info

 

[DaveC426913]

As an aside, I am beginning to recognize Pengwuino's posts by subject alone. As soon as I read 'burning my tongue' I thought 'that sounds like a Pengwuino post'.


P.S. You should not put something in your mouth that is 800F.

P.P.S. Note that cooking substitutions can produce unpredictable results: 20min. @ 200F is not the same as 5min. @ 800F.

 

[Pengwuino]

Yah and things like "Why did i run into the wall?" sounds like pure fish babble!

 

[Moonbear]

As an aside, I am beginning to recognize Pengwuino's posts by subject alone. As soon as I read 'burning my tongue' I thought 'that sounds like a Pengwuino post'.

Molten cheese is the worst.

 

[George Jones]

Molten cheese is the worst.

This is because cheese has a fairly high heat capacity.

The amount of heat energy $Q$ added to substance of mass $m$ that undergoes is a temperature change $\Delta T$ is $Q = c m \Delta T$, where $c$ is the substance's (specific) heat capacity.

Cake has a lower heat capacity than cheese and grease (from the pepperoni), so if cake and pizza are both sampled fresh out of the same oven, the pizza does more damage, since it has the capacity to supply more energy to the tongue and mouth.

As we experience life, we continually "do the experiment" (as I will on Wednesday night while watching the hockey game), and we build up a storehouse of information about heat capacities (and other things) that becomes part of our intuition of how to eat.

 

[MemoryOfUs]

...As we experience life, we continually "do the experiment" (as I will on Wednesday night while watching the hockey game), and we build up a storehouse of information about heat capacities (and other things) that becomes part of our intuition of how to eat.

Such an expression always helps me find the funs for myself, which is why I am pretty much spending time around on board like this..:-)

 

[DaveC426913]

Once, in a restaurant I ate a "cheese dream" (tomato on cheese on toast). It was so scalding hot, I burned my lip and tongue, and in the process, dragged the tomato slice off the bread, landing on the back of my hand.

It burned me so badly, I had a tomato-slice-shaped red mark on the back of my hand for days.

 

[Moonbear]

This is because cheese has a fairly high heat capacity.

The amount of heat energy $Q$ added to substance of mass $m$ that undergoes is a temperature change $\Delta T$ is $Q = c m \Delta T$, where $c$ is the substance's (specific) heat capacity.

Cake has a lower heat capacity than cheese and grease (from the pepperoni), so if cake and pizza are both sampled fresh out of the same oven, the pizza does more damage, since it has the capacity to supply more energy to the tongue and mouth.

As we experience life, we continually "do the experiment" (as I will on Wednesday night while watching the hockey game), and we build up a storehouse of information about heat capacities (and other things) that becomes part of our intuition of how to eat.

Gotta love it when even eating pizza turns into a physics lesson around here.

 

[Ouabache]

So what sorts of foods should we be more careful eating when hot?
Foods with high fat content: (cheese, milk & cream, bacon, BBQ'd ribs)
I've also noticed foods with high starch content tend to have a higher heat capacity (potato, sweet corn, squash; hot porridge:hominy,oats,wheat). Even tomato holds heat quite a while. (I've scalded my mouth a few times on tomato soup)

 

[George Jones]

I've also noticed foods with high starch content tend to have a higher heat capacity

Khichuri often gets me.