how to make tasty edible batteries
April 27, 2013 1:12 PM   Subscribe

I remember testing 9 volt batteries with my tongue as a kid to see if they contained charge, and having a truffle or cordial that behaved like that would be neat. and perhaps it could be hooked up to a grape or jelly that would glow when current is applied. Is this possible? people decorate foods with metal, so maybe there is edible grade metal that could work as the leads.
posted by bleary to Food & Drink (11 answers total) 6 users marked this as a favorite
 
So to clarify: You don't just want a potato clock or something like that — you actually want a food that will generate electricity or release a stored electrical charge in your mouth, while you eat it?
posted by Now there are two. There are two _______. at 1:23 PM on April 27, 2013


Best answer: Those edible silver-coated balls will behave somewhat like this for anyone who has amalgam fillings (which is a reasonable percentage of people). The two different metals plus saliva create a crude battery, giving a slight battery-on-the-tongue effect, although much reduced. Not sure if food-grade gold leaf would have the same effect - quite possibly.

The problem with applying an electrical current to food is that electrolysis (which is what will occur within the food) will often produce very unpleasant chemical products. For example, applying a current to salt water (or a heavily salted soup) will give off chlorine gas, which is a lung irritant and tastes and smells like bleach.

It's a cute idea, but I think that your practical options (within the bounds of food safety and palatability (sp?)) are limited.
posted by pipeski at 1:31 PM on April 27, 2013


I'm not sure if this is what you're asking, but in case your main goal is to get that taste, I think Chinese peppercorns taste like licking batteries. That may just be me, though. Also, they kind of numb your mouth.
posted by Slater Sheldahl at 2:05 PM on April 27, 2013 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Sechuan button is marketed as tasting like licking a 9-volt battery.
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 2:14 PM on April 27, 2013 [6 favorites]


Response by poster: Now there are two. There are two _______.: "So to clarify: You don't just want a potato clock or something like that — you actually want a food that will generate electricity or release a stored electrical charge in your mouth, while you eat it"

Yes. It intrigues me.
posted by bleary at 2:27 PM on April 27, 2013


Response by poster: If I come up with anything at all plausible and manage to carry it off, I'll follow up if the comment thread is open.
posted by bleary at 2:35 PM on April 27, 2013


"edible grade metal" -- the only one I've ever heard of is gold leaf. Everything else either is poisonous or it tastes awful (or both).
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 2:38 PM on April 27, 2013 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: I love kaju katli and they are often served with silver.
posted by bleary at 2:42 PM on April 27, 2013


Silver is not innocuous. It's a cumulative poison, like lead or mercury, though with different effects.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:10 PM on April 27, 2013 [2 favorites]


Best answer: You could use Wint-O-Green Lifesavers to produce a tiny electrical field, but I don't have an answer for an edible conductor or jelly indicator. The Wint-O-Green Lifesavers would produce light by triboluminescence though, and that could satisfy you that you were generating electricity with your food.
posted by Rob Rockets at 5:19 PM on April 27, 2013


Best answer: Put a 9v battery in the bottom of an ice cream cone. Get two pieces of gold leaf. Carefully attach each piece to each battery terminal. Cover the battery with food grade silicone sealant. After it dries pack ice cream around the two pieces of gold leaf, running the gold leaf from the bottom to the top. Keep them separate and be careful not to tear.

Enjoy the tingle as you lick!

Disclaimer: I'm an engineer, not a cook...
posted by cosmac at 6:38 PM on April 27, 2013 [2 favorites]


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