Lasagna Batteries Are Real, And Could Accidentally Show Up At Your Thanksgiving

Written by Joshua Tyler | Published 1 hour ago

Netflix series Man inside It returns for a second season on the streaming service, including a special Thanksgiving episode. In that episode, a guest brings lasagna, which proves spoiled when the foil is removed from the top, and Charles Nieuwendyk, who plays Ted Danson, reveals that it has turned into lasagna. Lasagna battery.

The idea of ​​lasagna turning into a battery may seem like something made for comedic effect, but Nieuwendyk assures his guests that this is a real thing that can sometimes happen. He’s right, it can happen with your next lasagna too.

The “lasagna battery” is not a kitchen myth or an overcooked myth; It is a true electrochemical phenomenon where layered foods can produce a measurable electrical charge. The science behind it is surprisingly straightforward.

The science behind lasagna batteries

Electricity is just electrons moving from one substance to another. A battery, any battery, is made of three components: two different metals and something acidic or salty between them that allows the ions to move.

Standard Duracell does this using manganese and zinc dioxide. Lasagna does it with tomato sauce, meat, and an aluminum pan that I forgot to take out of it. Same principle, different atmosphere.

Tomato sauce is acidic, loaded with citric acid, making it an ideal electrolyte. Cheese and meat don’t conduct much electricity, but they make excellent separators, layers that separate minerals while allowing ions to drift through them.

Then you add the real powerhouses: metal utensils, foil, or an aluminum baking pan. If you put stainless steel in contact with aluminum with something acidic in between, you will have accidentally built a galvanic cell.

Lasagna batteries actually generate power

People often discover “lasagna battery” the hard way: You leave the leftovers in an aluminum tray, cover it with aluminum foil, stick a metal spoon or two in, and walk away. Hours later, the chips start to pit, the tray corrodes, or the fork develops weird black marks on it.

This is not kitchen corrosion, but electrochemistry. Metals melt slowly due to the flow of electrons between them. Your dinner generates energy while you sleep.

The electricity generated by the lasagna battery is not enough to power your phone. But it is He is Enough to cause corrosion, damage your pans, and in extreme cases, leave you with a tray that looks like someone attacked it with a blowtorch.

The more contact points you create, the more current you get. More classes? More surface area? More acid? Congratulations, Tony Stark, you’ve designed the world’s most delicious arc reactor.

Can you eat lasagna battery?

Lasagna batteries sound terrible, but they are not toxic. You can still eat that lasagna if you want, but I don’t recommend it.

Lasagna after the battery is completely discharged may taste metallic and not ideal for consumption. Some people scrape off the damaged layer and eat what’s left, which solves the taste issue if you’re unwilling to make a new lasagna from scratch.

Food batteries are not new

Food as a battery is nothing new. School children have been jamming electrodes into potatoes since the dawn of the science fair. But lasagna brings something special to the party: layers, moisture, and natural electrolytes built into it.

Cover acidic foods with aluminum foil inside aluminum pots, or let different metals come into contact inside something salty or acidic, and you’ve built a mini-power station, whether you mean to or not. This is the lasagna battery.