9 Nasty Truths About Your Favorite Foods
Famous Death Row Last Meals
Some of my friends look at me like I'm crazy when I talk about the texture of foods. They just don't seem to get it, maybe it's the language. When I say a food "tastes" slimy they understand, but when I say the texture is slick and viscous they just blink and stare at me. Finally I feel validated, the science of food texture is hitting the big time.The texture of what we eat is the number one thing we base our likes and dislikes on. Making sure that commercial food products feel right in our mouth is an enormous part in the development of any new food item. That's why you see the ingredients carrageenan, carob bean, food starch, and guar gum on many foods. They increase creaminess, amp up the thickness, and otherwise make foods feel better in your mouth. Commercial food production has known about textures for centuries, but now the focus is both changing, and increasing dramatically. Chefs and restaurants have known about the importance of textures for just as long but now they are playing with the concept in new ways.
