hokey pokey (thing)

Hokey Pokey is a New Zealand confectionery, very crunchy and brittle, a bit like edible golden pumice.

How to make hokey pokey:

We used to do this in science class all the time, to teach us about bicarbonate + acid reactions.

NaHCO₃ + H⁺ ⇒ Na⁺ + CO₂ + H₂O

That was the reaction we were to learn about. It was basically a thing we'd do last period on Friday when the teacher's in a good mood and too lazy to organise anything else.

Some recipes contain vinegar, but this one doesn't. It's taken straight out of my Year 9 science book. From past experience, I recommend checking the pans for left over oddments from past experiments before using them. Year 9 students are not usually adept at cleaning science equipment.

Keep in mind that the OSH department of New Zealand bans the consumption of food in science classrooms, in case harmful chemicals enter the body too.

Never stopped Mr Schuster, I can tell you that.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons sugar (C₆H₁₂O₆)

2 tablespoons Chelsea Golden Syrup (more C₆H₁₂O₆, in liquid form; and H⁺)

1 teaspoon Bicarbonate of soda (NaHCO₃)

Bring the sugar and golden syrup to boil in a pot over a bunsen burner, constantly stirring.

Boil for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat and add the baking soda.

Stir in quickly until it froths, and pour at once onto tin foil.

Break up and eat when cold.

It should change colour and puff up quite dramatically when you add the baking soda. If it doesn't, you end up with a yellow, toffee residue, perfectly edible, but not good for much except throwing at people.

You will be suprised by how much it puffs up. We've made and consumed vast quantities of this stuff in the past, not realising just how much this recipe makes. And eating that much sugar makes your tongue hurt, I can tell you that for sure.