Chapter 1
Experimental Cuisine » Ice Capades

ake trick ice cubes by stirring a few extra neutrons into the glass. Want a surefire bet for your next cocktail party? First, tell your guests that aquatic life-at least in temperate climates-depends largely on the fact that ice floats. If it sank, lakes would freeze solid instead of forming an insulating layer of ice on top, killing all the fish. Now bet that you can magically make an ice cube sink. Grab one from a glass of special cubes you've strategically placed nearby, and drop it into a cup of ordinary water. Collect your guests' money.

The key to the trick is heavy ice. Many terms shouldn't be taken literally-a red quark isn't red, a peanut is neither a pea nor a nut-but heavy water is exactly what it sounds like: water that weighs more than normal.