It is claimed that imitation vanilla flavor contains petroleum, wood pulp from paper mill waste, or even cow poop. If there is one good reason not to use imitation vanilla flavoring, it is because it is an imitation, a pale ghost of the real thing. But are there other, more serious reasons not to use […]
Food Science
Why Does Morton Salt Use the Slogan When It Rains it Pours?
Morton Salt Company has been using the slogan when it rains it pours, together with the familiar Morton Salt Girl carrying her umbrella, since 1911. I’ve always found this a curious choice since the idiom alludes to trouble which comes in multiples. Morton, however, was referring to its salt ability to pour even when it rains. This logo […]
All Popcorn Is Whole Grain!
Today, many new food companies attempt to compete in the very competitive world of snack foods not by coming up with a unique product, but by attempting to create a unique and inspiring story behind their company. Visit a website for one of these young and hip companies, and you’ll have to read pages of positive feel-good […]
Skin Turns Orange or Yellow From Too Many Carrots?
It is true that eating too many carrots, drinking a lot of carrot juice, or taking excessive amounts of beta-carotene supplements can actually turn your skin a yellow to orange color. This condition is known as carotenemia. It occurs because the carotene is fat-soluble and when you consume large amounts of it, it builds up in […]
What Is Freezer Burn?
Before I begin to explain about freezer burn, I want to give you a tip that has to do with freezer burn. If you buy frozen berries at the grocery store, feel the bag to see if the berries seem to be frozen separately. If they are one solid block, they may already be freezer-burned! […]
Why Does Boiling Temperature Decrease at Higher Altitudes?
As I pointed out in my article about adding salt to water to make pasta cook faster, the boiling temperature of water decreases 1° F for every 500 feet climb in altitude. This means, incredibly, that if you boil water on top of Mt. Everest, which is around 29,000 feet, water would boil at around 154° […]