Oobleck Recipe | How to Make Oobleck (2024)

FAQs

Oobleck Recipe | How to Make Oobleck? ›

To make Oobleck, mix 2 parts cornstarch and 1 part water in a bowl. Add in a few drops of food coloring if you want. Continue to mix the Oobleck until you are able to form a ball by rolling the mixture quickly in your hands. If the Oobleck is too runny to form a ball, add in more cornstarch a little at a time.

Making Oobleck is really easy– simply mix cornstarch and water in a bowl. Be sure to measure a 2:1 ratio of ingredients. For example, 2 cups of cornstarch and 1 cup of water.

Easy oobleck recipe

Tip the cornflour into a bowl and slowly stir in the water. If the mixture seems too dry, add a few drops more water. If it's too liquid, add some more cornflour. The oobleck is ready when the mixture is thick and fluid, but starts to tear if stirred fast.

If you're cooking hot liquids like sauces, stock or broth, 1 tablespoon of corn starch per cup of liquid will give you a thin to medium consistency that's appropriate for soups or very thin sauces. 2 tablespoons per cup will give you a thicker, more gravy-like consistency.

For each cup of liquid, you want to thicken, start with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in a small bowl. Add an equal amount of cold liquid and stir until smooth paste forms. This is your slurry. Whisk the slurry into the hot, simmering liquid that you want to thicken.

Although many people call oobleck slime, oobleck is actually different from slime. Slime is made up of borax or sodium borate, which is a mineral and a salt of boric acid. You can find borate in liquid starch or contact solution. When mixed with glue, it creates a stretchy-like substance.

When cornstarch mixes with water, the starch does not dissolve, but remains in suspension. Move the mixture slowly, and the particles slide past each other. Move it quickly, and the particles tangle with each other so that the mixture hardens.

When it comes to oobleck, you can use them in the exact same way as cornstarch without any modifications. You can try baby powder, but it must have cornstarch in it. Read the ingredient label to make sure. You can also try potato starch, but don't use baking soda or flour.

Oobleck gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck where a gooey green substance, Oobleck, fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom. Here the Oobleck will be made in a bowl and will likely make a mess, but only because you can get carried away playing with it!

What are some fun facts about oobleck? ›

Oobleck isn't like most solids or liquids—it is a non-Newtonian fluid. Cornstarch is made up of very small particles (try looking at it with a magnifying glass). When you press it quickly, it acts more like solid. But if you press it more slowly or even pour it, it acts like a liquid.

Cornstarch doesn't lose potency over time, so if your cornstarch looks and smells okay, it's perfectly fine to use well beyond any best by date the manufacturer has posted on the box.

Non-Newtonian fluids like Oobleck (a cornstarch and water suspension) have some interesting and useful applications: Dampening forces and shock absorption. Their viscoelastic properties can help dampen impacts and vibrations. This is useful for things like crowbar grips, gloves, etc.

Oobleck is an example of a fluid whose viscosity is not constant; it's viscosity changes depending on the stress or forces applied to it. If you poke it with your finger and apply a large force, it becomes very viscous and stays in place. If you gently pour it, applying little force, it will flow like water.

Oobleck is a non-Newtonian fluid; it has properties of both liquids and solids. You can slowly dip your hand into it like a liquid, but if you squeeze the oobleck or punch it, it will feel solid.

To make a slurry, start with 1 to 2 ratio of cornstarch to water. For example, prepare 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Then whisk together really well. When you add more water, it just takes more time to thicken the sauce or soup.

There are no exact formulas regarding how much water to add, but it will end up being about 1/2 cup (120 ml) of water per cup (235 ml) of cornstarch. The secret is to add the water slowly and mix as you add it. Don't be shy here – dig in with your hands and really mix it up.

This is because cornstarch at that temperature isn't all that soluble in water; mixing it into liquid will create a suspension, where the particles of starch are dispersed in the liquid but not dissolved.