英语听力文摘 English Digest 666 科学制作出完美松饼

 　　Use Science To Make The Perfect Muffin

　　Blueberry, corn, lemon poppy seed! Muffins come in several scrumptious varieties and are simple to make, but there are pitfalls¹ to avoid.

　　What makes the difference between a lofty, delicate muffin and a flat, rubbery lump?

　　The Not So Secret Secret

　　The secret to muffin making is not to stir the batter² too much. Why?

　　Once flour is mixed with wet ingredients, strands³ of gluten protein in the flour stretch out and link up with other protein molecules⁴. The more you mix, the stronger this gluten matrix becomes. For a dense⁵, chewy bagel, a strong matrix is just right. But with muffins, the texture⁶ should be more delicate.

　　Gluten

　　Muffin recipes are designed to create a delicate gluten matrix by minimizing stirring time. The first step is to mix the dry ingredients in one bowl, and the wet in another.

　　This two-bowl procedure isn’t intended to turn your kitchen upside down, but to decrease stirring time after you combine wet and dry. Muffin recipes also say to stir the batter just until combined, leaving some lumps.

　　Overmixing

　　Want to see what happens with gluten in overmixed muffin batter? Next time you make muffins, sacrifice one to science! Fill all but one section of the muffin tin, then stir the last bit of batter several minutes more. Strands of gluten will stretch out and link up, making the batter look stringy.

　　During baking, the rubbery, experimental muffin won’t rise like the others. Air bubbles have to fight through that tough gluten matrix, leaving long tunnels instead of little holes. Now you know the muffin maker’s secret–be gentle with gluten!

1 pitfalls   

（捕猎野兽用的）陷阱( pitfall的名词复数 )； 意想不到的困难，易犯的错误

参考例句：

• the potential pitfalls of buying a house 购买房屋可能遇到的圈套
• Several pitfalls remain in the way of an agreement. 在达成协议的进程中还有几个隐藏的困难。

2 batter   

v.接连重击；磨损；n.牛奶面糊；击球员

参考例句：

• The batter skied to the center fielder.击球手打出一个高飞球到中外野手。
• Put a small quantity of sugar into the batter.在面糊里放少量的糖。

3 strands   

n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Twist a length of rope from strands of hemp. 用几股麻搓成了一段绳子。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She laced strands into a braid. 她把几股线编织成一根穗带。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 molecules   

分子( molecule的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The structure of molecules can be seen under an electron microscope. 分子的结构可在电子显微镜下观察到。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules. 在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

5 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

6 texture   

n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理

参考例句：

• We could feel the smooth texture of silk.我们能感觉出丝绸的光滑质地。
• Her skin has a fine texture.她的皮肤细腻。