Back to topics

How can one Calorie equal a thousand calories?

A food Calorie and a small calorie can describe the same energy using numbers a thousand times apart. The capital-C convention usually means a kilocalorie, so the apparent contradiction starts with the unit name rather than anything mysterious happening to the food.

3–7 min

Questions you could explore

  • How do food labels use Calories, kilocalories, and kilojoules for the same energy?

Start reading

Ready to try your ideas aloud?

Your topic carries over. Record up to 2½ minutes, depending on your plan.

Food

Why bread dough rises

The holes in a slice of bread are a record of what happened inside the dough. In ordinary yeast-raised wheat bread, making gas is only part of the story: the dough also has to hold it.

3–5 min
Food

How does milk become yogurt?

Yogurt begins with milk, but its tang and texture develop as starter bacteria change the mixture. Their use of milk sugar and the resulting acidity connect the microbial activity with what ends up on the spoon.

3–5 min
Food

How does mayonnaise keep oil and water together?

Oil and water separate readily, yet mayonnaise can hold them in a thick mixture. The oil remains in tiny droplets rather than dissolving, and emulsifying components help those droplets stay dispersed.

3–5 min
How can one Calorie equal a thousand calories? | Speech Topic | speaking.app