Writing about the use of salted butter versus unsalted butter, and noticing certain notions people have about the two, made me realize that many cooks, and especially foodies, hold a central misconception about the use of salt in food. This is witnessed in the idea that if you buy the finest butter available, you won’t … Read more
There are certain things that are obvious to seasoned cooks when reading a recipe. If you are a beginner to cooking, however, things that seem so self-apparent to the experienced can be confusing. One of the most confusing things about cooking, especially if you prefer precise instructions, is when exact amounts of ingredients are not … Read more
Did you know you can make little bolts of lightning in your mouth? Just chew on some wintergreen Lifesavers candy. It’s been observed since the 1980s that this particular flavor of Lifesavers has the curious habit of emitting sparks inside your mouth when you chew them. The sparks are electricity. This is caused by a … Read more
While ice cream does not actually contain seaweed, many mass-produced food products, ice cream often contains a gum ingredient. One of these, carrageenan, comes from seaweed. Food gums are naturally occurring non-digestible carbohydrates that are used as stabilizers, thickeners, and binders. Guar gum is a common example of such an ingredient that is often found … Read more
The question posed in the title of this article is easy to answer if you’ve already read about the Pepsi taste tests of the 1980s. You see, as part of it’s “Project Kansas” the Coca-Cola company did their own taste tests, comparing its sweeter New Coke formula to the classic Coca-Cola formula. They found, much … Read more
In 1990, before General Foods had officially become Kraft Foods, Maxwell House was the subject of one of the biggest branding mistakes ever. Okay, maybe not ever, but it was a pretty big booboo. The company launched Maxwell House “Brewed Ready-to-Drink” coffee which was merchandized in the refrigerated section of grocery stores. According to the label, … Read more