Jessica Badalana

And they were curious to see if it was possible to design a zero gravity oven that would work on the International Space Station. And when I asked them about Why chocolate chip cookies? Although the answer to me is quite obvious.

And they were curious to see if it was possible to design a zero gravity oven that would work on the International Space Station. And when I asked them about Why chocolate chip cookies? Although the answer to me is quite obvious.

You know, they thought like if you were going to be away from home for a year, like what food item, what baked food item would bring more comfort and joy than a chocolate chip cookie, which I think is true. Totally. But until now, the technology hasn't existed to actually freshly bake something. So in 2019, the oven, along with frozen discs of chocolate chip cookie dough, were sent to space.

You know, they thought like if you were going to be away from home for a year, like what food item, what baked food item would bring more comfort and joy than a chocolate chip cookie, which I think is true. Totally. But until now, the technology hasn't existed to actually freshly bake something. So in 2019, the oven, along with frozen discs of chocolate chip cookie dough, were sent to space.

And the astronauts who are working on the International Space Station then take the frozen pucks of chocolate chip cookie dough. They put them in like a silicone pouch. And the silicone pouch prevents like flyaway crumbs, but also is vented to release steam. Mm-hmm. And they put them in the center of the oven and nobody knew what was going to happen.

And the astronauts who are working on the International Space Station then take the frozen pucks of chocolate chip cookie dough. They put them in like a silicone pouch. And the silicone pouch prevents like flyaway crumbs, but also is vented to release steam. Mm-hmm. And they put them in the center of the oven and nobody knew what was going to happen.

So they baked five cookies in all and they tried to figure out how long, really the experiment was like, how long does it take to bake a cookie in space in a special oven and what happens? So David, guess how long it took for the cookie to bake?

So they baked five cookies in all and they tried to figure out how long, really the experiment was like, how long does it take to bake a cookie in space in a special oven and what happens? So David, guess how long it took for the cookie to bake?

No, guess again.

No, guess again.

Oh, that would be amazing. 130 minutes. What? It took more than two hours to bake a single chocolate chip cookie.

Oh, that would be amazing. 130 minutes. What? It took more than two hours to bake a single chocolate chip cookie.

You've got time on your side. Where else are you going to go? Why did it take so long? I mean, that's a great question. The oven that Ian and Jordana created, it's not very large. It's sort of, you know, maybe the size of like a laptop, you know, 14 or 16 inches. It's a cylinder. And it is designed to hold and bake food in the microgravity environment. And it heats using electric heating elements.

You've got time on your side. Where else are you going to go? Why did it take so long? I mean, that's a great question. The oven that Ian and Jordana created, it's not very large. It's sort of, you know, maybe the size of like a laptop, you know, 14 or 16 inches. It's a cylinder. And it is designed to hold and bake food in the microgravity environment. And it heats using electric heating elements.

So it pulls wattage from the space station. And Jordana described it to me sort of like a toaster oven or like an easy bake oven. I don't know if you ever had an easy bake oven. I did. Where like the light bulb is cooking things over a very long period of time. So that sort of helped me understand like more or less what is happening.

So it pulls wattage from the space station. And Jordana described it to me sort of like a toaster oven or like an easy bake oven. I don't know if you ever had an easy bake oven. I did. Where like the light bulb is cooking things over a very long period of time. So that sort of helped me understand like more or less what is happening.

I think the first cookie that they baked, they baked for 25 minutes. That was not successful. It was like grossly underbaked. You know, the second cookie, it was like 75 minutes. And they said at the 75 minute mark, they could smell chocolate chip cookie. Finally, at 130 minutes with a 10 minute rest.

I think the first cookie that they baked, they baked for 25 minutes. That was not successful. It was like grossly underbaked. You know, the second cookie, it was like 75 minutes. And they said at the 75 minute mark, they could smell chocolate chip cookie. Finally, at 130 minutes with a 10 minute rest.

And they determined that that was the cookie that baked and seemed most like a cookie baked on planet Earth. And I say seemed because here's the worst part. They never got to taste the cookies. The astronauts didn't get to eat the cookies.

And they determined that that was the cookie that baked and seemed most like a cookie baked on planet Earth. And I say seemed because here's the worst part. They never got to taste the cookies. The astronauts didn't get to eat the cookies.