The Gherkinator

Have you ever wondered what would happen if you passed mains electricity through a gherkin? It is an illuminating experience.

What you need

In theory this is a relatively simple experiment to do, but in that form it is really quite dangerous, so DO NOT try it at home! I spent a long time building a box with lots of interlocks and thinking about where electrified gherkin juice was likely to flow...

Anyway, a pickled gherkin (or pickle to some) is just a small type of cucumber which has been boiled and then pickled in a mixture that is mostly made up of salt and vinegar. The boiling breaks open all the cells so you effectively have a tube of salty water in a convenient package. Salty water conducts electricity quite well, so a large current flows and the gherkin starts to heat up, then something rather wonderful happens.