Neil deGrasse Tyson Explains Hot Potatoes

Kids! We’re having hot oblong spheroids for dinner!!! On this explainer, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Chuck Nice break down hot potatoes and specific heat. How do objects get hot, hot, HOT?!
We explore specific heat. How much energy does it take to heat an object up by one degree? Discover how objects gain heat and how long they will retain it. What’s the difference between potatoes and toast? Why do we say hot potato instead of hot toast? Can a potato keep your hands warm in the winter? You’ll learn some mealtime tips like how to prepare a meal so that everything is the same temperature at the same time. Find out about the thermodynamics of food on another StarTalk explainer!
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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!
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[@keithk7132]

Amazing how much knowledge he has learned and is able to educate the rest of us in simple English.

[@turkyandgravy]

Actually, I think it was too elaborate an explanation. It could be summed up as potatoes have a lot of heat inertia and toast doesn't really have any There, I saved you the time of watching

[@abduljabbarmohammed4188]

@@turkyandgravy hold your horses most of us are not as smart and learned as you are.The common man need some simple explanation.

[@turkyandgravy]

@@abduljabbarmohammed4188 what part are you confused by?

[@abduljabbarmohammed4188]

@@turkyandgravy potatoes have alot of heat inertia.Explain that please.

[@averyzaliasylvia4026]

@@turkyandgravy I am confident that Neil could explain it in the simplest way possible, But they got to make it under 10 minutes i guess.

[@rheylew]

Did Chuck really miss the "is that a potato in your pocket or are you happy to see me" joke?..Neil practically gave him the alley oop! 😆

[@earthlingjohn]

That part landed on the Disney©™® cutting room floor

[@boa9535]

They, I think this is geared to a family audience.

[@jasonondo8949]

Sometimes Chuck looks a little too high to catch every joke

[@Megatron9000]

@@jasonondo8949 Chuck's never seemed high to me, ever. He's always got his wits about him.

[@nickl2571]

"You don't want the food having power over you" True in so many ways

[@IRosamelia]

Neil knows what he's talking about; after all, he ain't the skinniest person out there 😉

[@Anti-HyperLink]

@@IRosamelia That's rude.

[@IRosamelia]

@@Anti-HyperLink no it's not! 😛

[@damianmlamb]

I eat what I want when I want, how much I want. I'm physically not able to gain a damn lb unless I workout and gain muscle mass. It's crazy weird, been that way 33 years now. I run about 135 with no working out but 150 working out. I eat the same either way.

[@AlerieHightower]

@@damianmlamb Then you've got about 7 more years left to enjoy that. I was the same, until I hit age 40.

[@thepickle5601]

I can confirm that people in cold places have used potatoes to stay warm. My Grandmother would speak a lot of "the Old Country" (Russia/USSR). One of my earliest memories of her, she talks about getting a hot potato(or a sweet potato if you're lucky) as a child for a treat. She said they would hold it in their hands to warm them up, and then you had a nice snack. Quite humbling to hear as a kid, say the least.

[@nathangraham5524]

This is why for people that start off talking about "back in the day", I always interrupt and say "let me guess you had to walk uphill to school both ways, and carry a hot potato in the morning to keep your hands warm and eat it cold for lunch" adding of course the hot potato part to the iconic old person school trip.

[@TheGiggleMasterP]

Always nice to see Chuck Nice and Neil talking about getting baked!

[@JuiceBoxScott]

I recently learned about Specific Heat in a meteorology class and it makes me think of differences in my coffee orders. An Americano stays hot for much longer than a Latte and I guess that has to do with specific heat.

[@FATillery]

Could it be that water and milk have different 'Specific Heat' levels? Maybe the level is higher in water than milk. Another unknown is the espresso and how it might change the level in either or combined. I dunno...

[@damianmlamb]

This was an "I'm busy need something quick and easy" lol but still it's very informative information. Always gotta love it

[@gsav1320]

I love how the titles to this channel can be like exploring the wonders of quantum mechanics or hot potato. 11/10

[@imkongwalling8654]

"That's a quickie..." mmm... hot potato 😂 Thanks Neil and Chuck

[@TuxedoMaskMusic]

7:21 today i learned "that is why you have to let your meat rest" and so, that is why i have decided i wont be playing with my meat for at least the rest of the evening. Ty for your continued Guidance Chuck Nice.

[@oswith972]

This is why I don't mind freezing bread, the loaves of bread at the store are usually too large to eat before going bad when living alone, so a good chunk just ends in the freezer but that's not a problem because you can directly toast it from frozen, or if you want "fresh" bread you can just microwave it for less than 10 seconds and it's already scalding hot

[@stevestumpy6873]

There is also cooking and dehydrating that takes place, when you heat up food.

[@christianolivera8019]

A very informative 10 minutes!! Thank you!

[@prazatkumai1012]

I now know that you have a habit of rounding thing up

[@caparicap]

Thank you for the video !

[@bdr420i]

Now I'm thinking about melting butter, please do an explainer about it 😍

[@matthewbrooks4638]

"You physics deficient homunculus." I had to go and look that up. All the stuff that Neil said was amazing. I'm more amazed that Chuck just threw that word out like it was nothing. 🤣🤣🤣

[@reijnoud]

This is so much fun! Great collaboration😅

[@6.183]

I remember being taught this in school and absolutely hating it because I just couldnt understand it, 4 years later all it took was a potato analogy and I love the topic.

[@luccilucci1288]

Awesome as always, but I was expecting an explainer at some point on why some foods take a such a long time to heat and others not. Like whats the reason behind that. But again fun as always

[@roobscoob47]

BTW.... I REALLY enjoy your work, NdGT... Thanks for all you have given us! 🙂

[@stevenreichertart]

Wish he explained WHY some things take longer to heat. Like, are the molecules more densely packed together?

[@martin11844]

it would be less densely packed together

[@njones420]

the specific heat capacity (the amount of energy to raise 1g by 1*c) of a solid element is inversely proportional to its atomic weight ... basically (doesn't work at sub-zero temps and quantum weirdness). It's all about how much energy it takes to get the atoms in the structure vibrating. So much like the way it takes less energy to pluck a thin guitar-string, than plucking a heavy bass-string... is my level of understanding ;) It's different in liquids and gasses though, with brownian motion and all that jazz.

[@turkyandgravy]

Yeah same. I'm guessing the ratio of surface area to volume is the main reason, and water content the second, since water has hydrogen bonds which makes it great for temperature regulation.

[@martin11844]

@@njones420 or moving a light stone versus a heavy stone xd or well jiggle it

[@mattevans-koch9353]

Neil and Chuck, you two need someone to make you twice baked potatoes if you've never had them. The best way to have your baked potato mashed. Thanks for the best thermodynamic discussion since my old Thermo prof gave us the three laws of thermodynamics. Have a great week.

[@firecrown81]

Great presentation as always. My question is: why does it have a high specific temperature?

[@ittaiklein8541]

Houston Flores - asked "why does it have a high specific temperature?" 1st: It's "Specific Heat" Not "specific temperature". 2nd: Water has one of the Highest *Specific Heat* values among common everyday substances you may encounter. A potato contains roughly between 79% to 82% water, therefore it has a "Specific Heat" close to that of water - which as mentioned before; is high. Consequently a potato is a pretty efficient heat reservoir. (The presentation is Not one of the best.)

[@TheStellardust]

Love these guys explaining how physics work

[@EartheeBailee]

Thank for your awesome videos! Neil and Chuck, I was wondering if you could do a video on careers and pathways for young scientists in geoscience (especially marine geologists!!). Also touch on what skills and certifications we may need and are useful to land jobs and become successful. Like certificates using drones, GIS and etc.. Also a video on diversity in geosciences over time would be cool! Please and thank you! Neil, you are inspiration to this geoscientist!

[@puNeetioli]

I can listen to Neil all day! Thank you for all the education you have given me, I am truly grateful!!!!!!

[@eftbro9963]

Nice :)

[@aidam.zamorac.4224]

Nice! Hey Dr., a book about phisics in the kit hen would be awesome!

[@artswri]

You guys ALWAYS melt my butter! Thank you!!

[@123Hacksaw]

All my life I've thought that we put "bread" in a toaster.

[@Anti-HyperLink]

I didn't even catch them say toast. 🤣

[@abramage]

Beans got power.

[@lemongavine]

@@Anti-HyperLink 2:59

[@insane_troll]

Neil: "After how much time is the toast done?" Chuck: "Zero seconds, because it is already toast."

[@freebobafett]

Bread goes in, toast comes out.

[@prazatkumai1012]

Chuck got a new chair, congrats Chuck

[@L3giT_Hax]

Can this be top comment pls

[@spindash2023]

You can't convince me Neil isn't drunk here. "Hey you CHUCK! Yeah you! Didju, dedjoo, did you know why it's hot potATO? Cuz heat.... cooking something... for a long time... it stays hot a bunch. Cuz Science! Cuswin, cuz wen, cause when it's being heated -------- fir like anhour. --- it's hot! For a long time, and there it is." god I love this man.

[@turkyandgravy]

Next up on startalk: did you know that water is..... WET!?!

[@misterx168]

Early ago I asked myself where was the new StarTalk video of today and it appears it has arrived :)

[@timlemke7453]

I'm now going to try to work in "oblong spheroid" into everyday conversations.

[@chrisagler8472]

heat density can be measured similarly in thought to kw/hr or amp hours or watt hours and battery power density and stuff. eh? if we heated things of different properties with different wavelengths could we heat more efficiently by heating more specifically?

[@cal.creates]

Man Chuck makes me laugh and smile over the smallest things. Legend.

[@lwakilo101]

Chuck is the gift that keeps on giving

[@jaydawg7820]

At .5 speed .. This is Awesome camp fireside physics LOL ... that harkins me back to when i was kid listening to those wonderful fireside chats .. after a 12pack .

[@tommyjay9799]

I love this Dr. Neil DeGrasse teaching us for the love of understanding and Chuckle your the best!

[@goldmustang5818]

About putting a baked potato in your pocket to help stay warm; my grandmother told me that when she was a child (1920's) she would carry a baked potato while she walked to school in the winter to help stay warm. (at least her hands) Then, yes, she would eat it for lunch.

[@bheehive4497]

O please never stop you two! I look forward to hearing you both!! It doesn't matter how well-fetched it sounds, you both make sense and bring reality to society. Aww the humor involved. THANK YOU, MY FRIENDS!

[@GarethCroft]

My Mum (in UK) used to tell me how she used to take baked potatoes to school to keep them warm and have for their lunch.

[@patrickwalsh2361]

Chuck - try adding 505 green chili sauce ( available at Kroger, Safeway etc. ) With the butter, cheese and sour cream. It’s the perfect condiment - eggs too!

[@gml2utb]

Guys, love you and adore you, by the way, Did you know in Turkey, we make Kumpir which is a Huge Potato, baked, cut open butter added, mashed and also you can order other ingredients as toppings. Hey Chuck, it is not like a pocket of potato but a purse :))

[@CrazyKitty428]

I hope he does one on how pressure cookers change the time required.

[@tlamore]

Took me 10 tries to get past the first 40 sec. love you guys.. Nice!

[@69CamaroSS]

Cold camping trick: Place and leave several large rocks in a campfire long enough to get them hot. Use a stick (or a bent one like tongs) to place the rocks in a shallow rut you dug and cover them with a few inches of dirt. Place your sleeping bag on top of the dirt. Enjoy a heated sleeping bag for most of the night!

[@JamesOfEarth]

Japanese used hot sweet potatoes for warmth. You can still hear the eerie loudspeaker calls of “Yakimo…. Oisii yakimo…” from small trucks selling them during winter nights in much of the country.

[@Neotenyx]

Can anyone explain why after mixing( steering) stuff/liquid everyting becomes evenly distributed

[@Gladwebs]

Can Neil and chuck please talk about homunculus? I am dying to know more...again another great talk boy's, thank you 🙏

[@mayursatav7182]

oh wow.. i didn't pay this much attention to hot potatoes before... They are such an interesting thing

[@vankyu4251]

The Explainer no one asked for, but the Explainer everybody needed

[@rloc99]

Thanks!

[@janicepedroli7403]

Question I just saw someone talking about Highs mechanism. I don't think I misunderstood. I think he said. Atoms may or are affected by electromagnetism because of the charges around them not the protons neutron and electrons themselves. I all watch his other episode s. Thanks for the quick answer. It was a very possible dream but shocking.

[@Anti-HyperLink]

As soon as Chuck said "You've gotta let your meat rest," I died. I can't stop laughing. You've gotta let your meat rest because you don't want a dickache.

[@renatoh.santosdasilva3080]

Chuck put the nofap out there

[@AsobiMedio]

That sounds like amateur talk.

[@cyclebrat7176]

344

[@beastmaster415]

@@AsobiMedio novice😂

[@Anti-HyperLink]

@@AsobiMedio What, do you just fight through the pain?

[@Anti-HyperLink]

"You take a piece of toast, put it in the toaster..." 🤣 um, Neil, what was that?

[@silvershadow013]

That would be Cajun blackened toast

[@gercawdell883]

Or the poor person's recipe for biscotti.

[@steveDC51]

Twice baked bread

[@du42bz]

In german we actually say that we put toast into a toaster and get toasted toast out

[@steveDC51]

@@du42bz well, that is something else that I have learned on this channel. Thank you.

[@MichaelOKC]

How long does it take to make toast? .. Depends on what setting you set your toaster at.... But, if your toaster is working correctly, the number correlates to the number of minutes! I like mine a little closer to dark, o 7 or 8.

[@babayega_]

If it is faster to heat toast making it quote "less calories" versus the potato that took "more calories".... Does the same theory work in the food we eat? Meaning of we eat the toast versus the potato then it will metabolize in our body faster instead of the potato? In that, if you're trying to "watch your weight", (control your mass), then you will eat foods that require less heat/time to raise their temperature while outside your body since the same change will happen inside your body?

[@pituxomarley]

Could you please (please!) have captions in Portuguese? I'm from Brazil and huge fan!

[@engineeringaspirantunoffic2856]

Neil and Chuck are the best duo for knowledge and humour 😎😎

[@Colapsistas]

Amazing talks for your first date.

[@stevdor6146]

"and that's why you can power lightbulbs with a potato" - future comment to Neil's next startalk episode

[@boa9535]

Stev Dor, That’s reference to both a scene from “Anne With an E” which has been on Netflix where a teacher gets her students to power lightbulbs with potatoes and a common school trick in classrooms.

[@booqueefious2230]

I think what NDT is looking for is "twice baked potatoes" You bake the potatos, cut them in half, scoop out the potatoes, leaving the skin intact, then mash the potatoes and put them back in, then bake some more It's pretty good

[@gambart2002]

If Neil was my teacher in high school I think I would've became a scientist. All my teachers were flavorless shmocks.

[@matoneritismaniakos4116]

Good evening I would like to tell you I watched your documentary and I generally deal with what has to do with space as they have a lot of power your documentary I am from Greece I was a mediocre student not so good at math in physics but space is life me and my love and thank you very much for this feeling you gave me I do not know if you will ever see thank you Sorry for the mistakes I do not know English due to dyslexia and various situations So Sorry for the difficulty

[@Elephant_Juice74]

Thanksgiving dinner at the Tyson's must be amazing! Got room for one more?

[@yashveersingh1795]

Yay this is soooo good

[@ponderosacal1218]

Chuck is the best!

[@steve-o6413]

Yes Sir, it's all in the timing for a gourmet meal...

[@eej9273]

I was amazed the first time I read the back of a burrito wrapper, thought it was a typo, a minute in the microwave or 45 minutes in the oven. Hmm that’s a tough one 🤔

[@mohamedhamde6611]

Thermodynamics of your food ,I took this class before as a mechanical engineer and nobody believed me

[@THSonGoogle]

im just wondering about those people in the arctic with the potaotes...

[@xx4fingasxx385]

My only point of contention, you dont put toast in a toaster. You put bread in a toaster, lol. Love all the content, keep it up!

[@jambay4785]

Baking potatoe... Poke with fork, microwave for 5-10 minutes (depends on size), wrap in foil (with a dab of butter), bake or grill for another 10-15 minutes. Serve hot, let cool a bit before eating. ;)

[@popaandrei4422]

You mentioned microwave... A.k.a chef Mike.. so please... Big NO 😂😂 Also.. olive oil, garlic, and rosemary added. Do not cover with foil if you want crispy on the outside, they will become soggy with time under the foil

[@gustavometz]

Please, Chuck. Elaborate your explanation of meat temperature

[@marsomatic639]

doesn't the amount of time to heat up or cool something down depend on the thermal conductivity and not thermal capacity?

[@altosack]

Toast gets heated by radiation, and there’s holes all through it allowing convection, so conduction is probably not that relevant. For the potato, yes, it’s all about conduction. Considering that, they really should have picked two things comparable in all other ways than heat capacity to make their comparison better. However, Neil was all about “hot potato” and couldn’t be bothered to get the science as right and relevant as he usually does.

[@dallinsprogis4363]

I know this video is about the “the hot potato”. However this kitchen talk inspired me to think large scale, as in climate change. And the planet is the potato and humans are the heat. And if we are not careful enough the planet will become a hot potato. Small scale thought experiment to large scale thought experiment. Reality is relative! Does everyone see the possibilities/connections? Thank you Chuck and Neil, great video!

[@stevenkarmazenuk2540]

What you want to do is bake the potato, scoop out the inside, add cheese, fried onions and garlic and bacon to the insides, mix, refill the potato skins, broil until brown, then serve with chives or green onions, with sour cream.

[@chivskigaming]

I watched your talk about the different dimensions there are in our world and i understand we are living in a visible 3D world.. Do you ever wonder if there are 4D and higher dimensions on our world and there are actually entities / aliens living on those dimensions which we cannot see because of dimensional barrier..?? If thats the case, Earth might possibly be the only possible living place in all the universe, and all the possible living creatures in the universe are actually on Earth, but being seperated by multiple dimensional barriers.. Your thoughts on this would be fantastic..

[@ManaBDew]

Molecules & energy potatoes 🥔 to go with it 😋👍 ty for sharing friends brother 👻 Boo!

[@alexandregendron4705]

Ice needs a change of state to go water, so that's a bit different than the hot potatoe. Latent heat plays a big role that the hot potatoe does not encounter

[@chbsilva]

Is it really about heat capacity, or thermal conductivity?

[@nobodyknows3180]

I'm so rusty on my Thermo and Heat Transfer, I was going to venture a guess but decided not to. My gut feel is that it's both, and both depend on the physical and thermodynamic properties of the substance.

[@nathanvalley7995]

As a Chef I completely understand this. Can’t forget to get those Bakers in the oven before dinner starts.

[@stradivarius2012]

Thank you Neil 🤩🤩🤩🤩

[@Fiction_Beast]

i was hoping he would explain some "cool" physical law as to why potatoes take longer to heat and cool, like why apples float in water and pears sink.

[@michaelholdeman4317]

Um what video did you watch? Because he did explain.

[@Fiction_Beast]

@@michaelholdeman4317 i thought he explained that they do without explaining the actual essential property that makes them behave that way. apple float becuase they're less dense then water. why potatoes take longer than toast? has it got to do with water content?

[@titsbeerbong4203]

WOW

[@21cabbage36]

Chuck carries this channel

[@workingguy6666]

Dated a gal who grew up in Maine. She told me that her parents used to hard-boil eggs each morning, then take those hot eggs out of the water with tongs, and put them into each frontal pocket of their pants (perhaps this was their jackets? She showed me the pants pockets when explaining it). At the bus stop waiting for school it kept them warmer, and gave them breakfast during the bus-ride into school

[@georgeemeny6123]

I'd like to see a show about the healthiest way to heat food. Conventional oven (electric, gas, wood) vs. microwave. What is a free radical anyway?!!

[@ManaBDew]

A fuller bladder in the event of a heat advisory Can keep ya cooler in case you have to wait till Part 2 of an extreme event. If you go 1 too soon Dehydration & heat exhaustion kicks in This is like Radiators for vehicles. Anyway you know what I mean Brother Boo!

[@snaggledog0079]

Dang it, my toast takes a minute, 45 seconds. But than I have the aroma of nuts and seeds filling up the room. Makes me think sometimes I’m in a bakery.

[@jeffboley9058]

What do you put in the toaster? Neil last time I checked it was bread when you put it in 🤣🤣🤣🤣 @2:54

[@Philo68]

Heat AND lunch. We never stop learning!

[@scottakam]

That was a trick question Chuck. If you put toast in the toaster, it takes 0 min to turn in to toast!

[@MaxBenn]

What kind of Toaster do they have? 45sec?

[@kevindunk8796]

There is a problem with Niels's analogy! What if I bake the potato from the top, the bottom, and from both sides? does it still take that long?

[@garrettsteffen1163]

They do have potatoes that can be microwaved in 5 minutes and you have a fully baked potato. As a college student finishing his undergrad in Nuclear Medicine, these are god sent. I am curious as to how these differ from standard spuds.

[@silvershadow013]

They're the same potatoes..they just take longer in the oven because the method of heating them is different at the molecular level

[@Kilgorio]

wow

[@Dontbustthecrust]

Can we have in person conversations with Chuck please?

[@jeremykemp3782]

Chuck Nice, you are a kind and loving person man. It's written all over you