PinnedThe Real Tastemakers Behind Artificial FlavorsAnd why strawberry flavoring doesn’t really taste like strawberries — When I get a chance to take my time grocery shopping, I sometimes like to peruse the aisles and read through the ingredient lists of my favorite food brands. At the beginning of the list are the usual suspects—water, sugar, flour, oils, etc. However, every so often, I’ll find an…Food6 min read
PinnedInstant RamenZen and the Search for Flavor A monk started to prepare his simple lunch of rice, vegetables, and broth. After meditating for hours, he grew hungry and wanted a delicious meal. He looked inside a wooden vat of fermenting miso made from soy beans and wheat that he had prepared…Food8 min read
Published in Heated·PinnedThere’s Nothing ‘Vanilla’ About VanillaIt may seem a bland, standard flavor, but its history is deliciously rich — According to legends of the indigenous Totonac people of Mexico, in a time before vanilla was cultivated, there once lived the beautiful princess Tzacopontziza of the Totonocopan kingdom. A young prince named Zkatan-Oxga saw her picking flowers for a temple offering one day. Overcome with passion, he whisked her away…Science6 min read
Dec 18, 2020Food Science Question #151 — VinegarsForeword: I was thinking the other day that it might be fun to start a conversation about food science in the format of my first book, 150 Food Science Questions Answered. I’m going to start off with one of the questions and answers that didn’t make the final cut into…Food3 min read
May 31, 2020What I Learned through My Three-Year Journey from Beginner to Published AuthorI never expected to be a published author at this age. My goal list had me slated to achieve ‘Write a Book’ in five to ten years. I didn’t think I’d be ready to write a book at this time. That had a lot to do with all the projects…Writing8 min read
Apr 6, 2020How to Make a Virus-Killing Copper Spray Using PenniesYou’ve probably been hearing lately that copper has the power to stop viruses. In the wake of COVID-19, articles and news reports published in the last few weeks by VICE, Fast Company, Insider, BBC, and Arirang News have all touted copper’s near-magical ability to destroy viruses on contact. …Coronavirus4 min read
Jan 9, 2020Recycling Food for the FutureThe environmental impact of food waste is staggering. 1.4 billion hectares of land, or 34% of the world’s total agricultural land, is used to grow food that’ll eventually end up in a landfill. Most of the food waste that’s disposed in a landfill decomposes anaerobically and generates the powerful greenhouse…Food11 min read
Nov 17, 2018Food, Fire, and the Human BrainYou are what you eat, or so the old adage goes. But unlike other primates and animals, humans are the only animals who cook their food, which may have more to do with how we became humans in the first place. Richard Wrangham, Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology at…Health9 min read
Nov 12, 2018On the Human Right to Healthy FoodThe Origins of Modern Food Technology The overreaching aims of the modern food industry can be generalized as extending the shelf-life of foods using preservation techniques, enhancing the palatability of foods, providing adequate nutrients, and generating profits for both the company and shareholders. In order to reach these aims and…Food8 min read
Nov 5, 2018Mustard — From Monasteries to Mad MoneyI regularly drive down to one of adjacent towns near the west side of Madison whenever my wife and I are craving Chinese food. …Food8 min read
