https://youtube.com/channel/UCA0g3liRXdpqyhxiQiE55tA MinuteFood serves up the science of what we cook, eat, and drink - all with the goal of unlocking ultimate deliciousness. Join us on Patreon: patreon.com/minutefood Got a question you think we should dig into? Let us know at hello@minutefood.info! MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida & Arcadi Garcia, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC TV & Film Podsync generator (support us at https://github.com/mxpv/podsync) en-us Fri, 17 Jul 2026 04:33:01 +0000 Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:37:13 +0000 https://yt3.ggpht.com/x8_UiguuxO1yMUqbl6ovw0ZOycvuVj6BuA1Du-OPxzs8azYl7aTHm9wGrv9liWkki9TwGnR-DQ=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj https://youtube.com/channel/UCA0g3liRXdpqyhxiQiE55tA MinuteFood MinuteFood no zkCzsm5gWKw https://youtube.com/watch?v=zkCzsm5gWKw Prime Day is here! Use code MINUTEFOODPD for a limited-time offer on the Typhur Sync Oven (https://bit.ly/4ngUsQZ), or head to Amazon (https://amzn.to/4uQdRel) for a Prime Day discount. #typhur #typhursyncoven As always, thanks so much to our delicious Smart Cookie patrons! Join our Patreon community at https://patreon.com/minutefood. 🍪 James A. McCormick *The scientific nitty gritty* -BeMiller, James N., and Roy L. Whistler, eds. Starch: Chemistry and Technology. Academic Press, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1016/C2009-0-02983-3 -Bowler, P., Williams, M. R., & Angold, R. E. (1980). A hypothesis for the morphological changes which occur on heating lenticular wheat starch in water. Starch‐Stärke, 32(6), 186-189. https://doi.org/10.1002/star.19800320603 -Cunin, C., Handschin, S., Walther, P., & Escher, F. (1995). Structural changes of starch during cooking of durum wheat pasta. LWT-Food Science and Technology, 28(3), 323-328. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0023-6438(95)94552-0 -Naber, E. C., & Touchburn, S. P. (1969). Effect of hydration, gelatinization and ball milling of starch on growth and energy utilization by the chick. Poultry Science, 48(5), 1583-1589. https://doi.org/10.3382/ps.0481583 -Ogawa, T., Kobayashi, T., & Adachi, S. (2011). Water sorption kinetics of spaghetti at different temperatures. Food and Bioproducts Processing, 89(2), 135-141. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fbp.2010.04.004 -Oostergetel, G. T., & van Bruggen, E. F. (1993). The crystalline domains in potato starch granules are arranged in a helical fashion. Carbohydrate Polymers, 21(1), 7-12. https://doi.org/10.1016/0144-8617(93)90110-P *Good (accessible) references:* -https://ideasinfood.com/2009/08/15/one-minute-pasta/ -https://www.seriouseats.com/ask-the-food-lab-can-i-start-pasta-in-cold-water -https://www.seriouseats.com/how-to-cook-pasta-salt-water-boiling-tips-the-food-lab -https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/7181-start-pasta-in-cold-water -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasta_processing MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Leonardo Souza, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC. Youtube | https://youtube.com/minutefood TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minutefood_ Twitter | https://twitter.com/minutefood Instagram | https://instagram.com/minutefood_ Facebook | https://facebook.com/minutefood Shop | https://store.dftba.com/collections/minutefood Tue, 23 Jun 2026 17:57:16 +0000 MinuteFood Pasta in ONE minute?! 8:36 no 1 uiPTLXfp-3g https://youtube.com/watch?v=uiPTLXfp-3g If you want to make your move for animals, go to https://animalcharityevaluators.org/minutefood And as always, thanks so much to 🍪Our delicious Smart Cookie patrons: - James A. McCormick *The scientific nitty gritty:* - Munker, H. (1970). _Farbige Gitter: Abbildung auf der Netzhaut und übertragungstheoretische Beschreibung der Farbwahrnehmung._ University of Munich. https://www.tib.eu/de/suchen/id/TIBKAT%3A236476009/Farbige-Gitter-Abbildung-auf-der-Netzhaut-und-%C3%BCbertragungstheoretische/ - Gegenfurtner K. R. (2024). Perceptual ripening of oranges. _i-Perception_, 15(4), 20416695241258748. https://doi.org/10.1177/20416695241258748 - Bezold, W. von. (1874). _Die Farbenlehre im hinblick auf Kunst und Kustgewerbe._ https://archive.org/details/diefarbenlehreim00bezo/page/n326/mode/1up - Novick, D., & Kitaoka, A. (2021). The Confetti illusion. _Journal of Illusion, 2._ https://doi.org/10.47691/joi.v2.6152 - Slevitch, L. Seeing the light: Consumer perceptions of ground beef packages. https://doi.org/10.5923/J.MM.20140404.01 *Good (accessible) references:* https://behavioralscientist.org/how-sight-not-taste-smell-or-touch-became-the-sense-of-the-supermarket/ https://www.utep.edu/engineering/novick/colors/explanation/explanation1.html MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Leonardo Souza, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC. Youtube | https://youtube.com/minutefood TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minutefood_ Twitter | https://twitter.com/minutefood Instagram | https://instagram.com/minutefood_ Facebook | https://facebook.com/minutefood Shop | https://store.dftba.com/collections/minutefood Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:19:06 +0000 MinuteFood Why oranges are sold in red bags 8:08 no 2 mnfFDVkMxR8 https://youtube.com/watch?v=mnfFDVkMxR8 There’s reason to believe that people who grew up eating Red Vines might prefer Red Vines later in life, and the same for those that grew up eating Twizzlers. It turns out basically everyone has a weirdly-strong preference when it comes to red licorice. But nobody has actually looked at this question scientifically – until now; the MinuteFood team put together a survey asking some basic questions about people’s red licorice preferences – like which candy people grew up eating. Because there’s a TON of evidence that we tend to prefer foods that we’re exposed to earlier and more often. Like, in one study, kids rated vegetables that they ate more frequently as better-tasting than those that they didn’t eat frequently – or didn’t recognize at all. Another found that the more often adults tasted various types of juices, the better they liked them. And a landmark experiment – one of my all-time favorite studies – found that babies whose mothers drank carrot juice during pregnancy and the first few months after birth – in other words, they were exposed to carrot flavor in utero and via breastmilk – liked carrot-flavored cereal better at 6 months old than babies whose mothers didn’t drink carrot juice. And that’s exactly what we saw in the data; the red licorice brand you grew up eating is an incredibly strong predictor of which one you like now. Out of the 900+ respondents, only 33 people grew up eating one candy and now prefer the other. So, because I grew up in a Twizzlers family, I was basically pre-destined to like Twizzlers; same with my husband and Red Vines. But this doesn’t explain why people seem to absolutely HATE the other brand. Because Red Vines and Twizzlers aren’t all that different – they’re both fruity, twisty, and – as a lot of people mentioned, no matter which side they’re on – “plastic-y” and “artificial.” In other words, Red Vines and Twizzlers seem similar enough that – if you’re trying the one you didn’t grow up eating – you probably expect it’s going to be what you’re used to. But the two products are just different enough that you don’t get what you expect. And research has shown that we don’t tend to like things – especially foods – that defy our expectations. Two of my favorite comments got at this idea: “Twizzlers are like Red Vines but with no redeeming qualities” and Red Vines taste “like someone tried to recreate a Twizzler from memory while having dementia and Covid at the same time.” For most of us, Twizzlers and Red Vines seem to fall into an uncanny valley – an uncandy valley, if you will – where they’re just different just enough from our expectations to cause utter revulsion. Fri, 15 May 2026 18:51:19 +0000 MinuteFood Your Childhood Decides Your Favorite Candy 2:34 no 3 fyDS1Y6znqM https://youtube.com/watch?v=fyDS1Y6znqM Depending on the direction and speed at which the foam expands, you can actually get four distinct popcorn shapes! A kernel of popcorn is basically a bunch of starch and a little bit of water surrounded by a hard shell, which popcorn-ologists call the “pericarp” but you’ll generally hear referred to as the “hull”. And it’s the hull that makes popcorn special, because unlike other varieties of corn, which have pretty thin, weak hulls that make for tender eating, a popcorn kernel’s hull is way stronger and thicker. When you heat up that kernel, the starch inside starts to gelatinize – it basically turns into goo – and the water inside starts turning to steam, but the super-strong hull keeps holding everything together, allowing pressure to build up inside. Like, a lot of pressure; a popcorn kernel is basically an itty bitty pressure cooker. Except that most pressure cookers generally function at around 15psi, but the average popcorn kernel can withstand an internal pressure of more than 130psi before its thick hull finally fails. Once that happens, the starchy goo explodes into a foam, which almost immediately cools down and solidifies. Depending on the direction and speed at which the foam expands, you can actually get four distinct popcorn shapes. If it expands more or less equally in all directions, you’ll get this – the “mushroom”. This shape is rare in home and theater popcorn; you’ll mostly see it made into flavored popcorn because it’s super sturdy. Instead, the starch in most commercial popcorn kernels expands more chaotically, creating a shape known in the popcorn biz as a “butterfly”. But butterflies can actually take on three distinct subshapes:. Even weirder is that these different shapes are markedly different in their texture, the amount of oil and salt they tend to pick up, and even their chemical composition, which means the proportion of the various shapes you get in a batch can really affect your eating experience. Thu, 07 May 2026 17:56:04 +0000 MinuteFood Why Popcorn Explodes Into Different Shapes 1:43 no 4 EbAHrFf6DNs https://youtube.com/watch?v=EbAHrFf6DNs Want to get cool stuff AND support what we do? Join us at http://patreon.com/minutefood! 🍪Our delicious Smart Cookie patrons: - James A McCormick 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆-𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆: -Ashby, B. H., James, G. M., & KRAMER, A. (1973). Effects of freezing and packaging methods on freezer burn of hams in frozen storage. Journal of Food Science, 38(2), 258-260. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2621.1973.tb01399.x -Bueno, M., Resconi, V. C., Campo, M. M., Cacho, J., Ferreira, V., & Escudero, A. (2013). Effect of freezing method and frozen storage duration on odor-active compounds and sensory perception of lamb. Food Research International, 54(1), 772-780. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.foodres.2013.08.003 -Domínguez, R., Pateiro, M., Gagaoua, M., Barba, F. J., Zhang, W., & Lorenzo, J. M. (2019). A comprehensive review on lipid oxidation in meat and meat products. Antioxidants, 8(10), 429. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox8100429 -Neal, E. S. (2023). Investigation of Consumer Freezing Practices, Condition and Duration on Palatability of Beef. University of Arkansas. https://scholarworks.uark.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6474&context=etd -Nowak, D., & Jakubczyk, E. (2020). The freeze-drying of foods—The characteristic of the process course and the effect of its parameters on the physical properties of food materials. Foods, 9(10), 1488. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods9101488 -Schmidt, S. J., & Lee, J. W. (2009). How does the freezer burn our food?. Journal of Food Science Education, 8(2), 45-52. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-4329.2009.00072.x 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: -https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/3725-how-to-prevent-freezer-burn-quick-chill-meat -https://www.seriouseats.com/the-best-fastest-way-to-freeze-defrost-food -https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/7140-what-is-freezer-burn-ask-paul -https://www.headcountcoffee.com/blogs/food-drink/freezer-ice-odor-absorption-and-flavor-drift-record?srsltid=AfmBOoqg7Hlmz9JfC_YH4FgmsCLf54mFiGsfLWpARaBPtBxvyeBNOQ_D -https://www.americastestkitchen.com/articles/7416-why-does-my-ice-taste-bad -https://theconversation.com/freezer-burn-is-a-serious-problem-preventing-ice-recrystallization-may-alleviate-it-164989 -https://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/edible-innovations/freeze-drying2.htm 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀: -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Oq9_L4odNY -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=htDyrKumPKg -https://www.tiktok.com/@renduh/video/7612376503619276046 MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Leonardo Souza, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC. Youtube | https://youtube.com/minutefood TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minutefood_ Twitter | https://twitter.com/minutefood Instagram | https://instagram.com/minutefood_ Facebook | https://facebook.com/minutefood Shop | https://store.dftba.com/collections/minutefood Fri, 01 May 2026 16:04:45 +0000 MinuteFood What is "freezer smell"? 7:26 no 5 3gEy1WjSOMg https://youtube.com/watch?v=3gEy1WjSOMg You know how these things start; I go down a weird food-related rabbithole and then next thing I know, I’m inviting my friends and acquaintances and anyone else I can find to sniff stinkbugs or eat a ridiculous number of spicy peppers. This time, it was all about this plant – Synsepalum dulcificum – which traditionally grows thousands of miles from my kitchen, in West and Central Africa. Well, actually, it was all about this plant’s berries, because they contain a glycoprotein – that’s nerd-speak for a protein with a carbohydrate tacked onto it – that fits into your sweet taste receptor. Normally, sugars – and artificial sweeteners – lock into this receptor, which triggers a cascade of chemical signals that tell your brain that something is sweet. But when this particular glycoprotein fits in there, well… uh… actually nothing happens – see, the protein itself isn’t sweet. But if there’s acidity around, the hydrogen ions cause the shape of the glycoprotein to change a little bit, and this change triggers that sweet, sweet chemical cascade. In other words, a protein in this berry fools your taste buds, making things that contain acid – things that are normally sour – taste sweet. So I bought enough miracle berries for a crowd and gathered the weirdest assortment of foods I could think of; some super-sour, some super-sweet, and some in-between. First we tasted stuff sans miracle berries. Then, everybody took two freeze dried miracle berry halves, and sucked on them for a while; this spreads that glycoprotein – which scientists have named “miraculin” – around, allowing it to come into contact with your sweet receptors. And the effect is almost immediate. In general, the more acidic the food, the stronger the effect; miraculin can make super-sour foods taste as sweet as a 17 percent sucrose solution – that’s stronger than almost all known sweeteners. The whole experience was honestly pretty mind-bending, because we were perceiving something – sweetness – that wasn’t actually there. Which, by the way, is the literal definition of a hallucination. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: -https://botany.one/2019/05/miraculin-the-miracle-in-miracle-fruit/ -https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/adventures-with-miracle-fruit/ -https://uchicagobite.com/blog/2019/3/17/sour-sweet-then-gona-how-miracle-fruit-tricks-your-tastebuds -https://www.discovermagazine.com/health/taste-tripping-with-miracle-berries -https://imbibemagazine.com/miracle-fruit/ -https://cen.acs.org/articles/88/i21/Taking-Trip-Down-Sensory-Lane.html Wed, 15 Apr 2026 20:27:46 +0000 MinuteFood The fruit that HACKS your taste buds 2:04 no 6 Ng98ZI7ye3Q https://youtube.com/watch?v=Ng98ZI7ye3Q Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hv3heAHq2Ok This company made an offer you couldn’t refuse, but when they got sued, they argued that the offer was never meant to be taken seriously – that it was “mere puff”. Find out why some types of marketing claims are exempt from normal scrutiny. Thu, 02 Apr 2026 18:40:37 +0000 MinuteFood What Is Puffery? (And Why Ads Get Away With It) 1:40 no 7 odgpApdGjlQ https://youtube.com/watch?v=odgpApdGjlQ Head to https://squarespace.com/minutefood to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain using code MINUTEFOOD! 🍪Our delicious Smart Cookie patrons: - James A McCormick 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆-𝗴𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘁𝘆: -Cai, H., Schnapp, W. I., Mann, S., Miscevic, M., Shcmit, M. B., Conteras, M., & Fang, C. (2024). Neural circuits regulation of satiation. Appetite, 200, 107512. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2024.107512 -Campos, A., Port, J. D., & Acosta, A. (2022). Integrative hedonic and homeostatic food intake regulation by the central nervous system: insights from neuroimaging. Brain sciences, 12(4), 431. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12040431 -Guinard, J. X., & Brun, P. (1998). Sensory-specific satiety: comparison of taste and texture effects. Appetite, 31(2), 141-157. https://doi.org/10.1006/appe.1998.0159 -Hetherington, M. M. (1996). Sensory-specific satiety and its importance in meal termination. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 20(1), 113-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/0149-7634(95)00048-j -Rolls, B. J., Rolls, E. T., Rowe, E. A., & Sweeney, K. (1981). Sensory specific satiety in man. Physiology & behavior, 27(1), 137-142. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(81)90310-3 -Ruddock, W. D., Kolk, S. J., & Northey, A. J. (2006). Room for dessert: an expanded anatomy of the stomach. CMAJ, 175(12), 1567-1568. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.061332 -Tack, J., Verbeure, W., Mori, H., Schol, J., Van den Houte, K., Huang, I. H., ... & Carbone, F. (2021). The gastrointestinal tract in hunger and satiety signalling. UEG Journal, 9(6), 727-734. https://doi.org/10.1002/ueg2.12097 -Wisniewski, L., Epstein, L. H., & Caggiula, A. R. (1992). Effect of food change on consumption, hedonics, and salivation. Physiology & Behavior, 52(1), 21-26. https://doi.org/10.1016/0031-9384(92)90428-5 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 (𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲) 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀: -https://www.npr.org/2025/03/15/nx-s1-5328768/sugar-brain-cravings-dessert -https://theconversation.com/why-theres-always-room-for-dessert-an-anatomist-explains-271562 -https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherthompson/2025/10/20/what-really-drives-hunger-and-fullness-the-science-explained/ 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗼𝘀: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lTtfqECMEb8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioctkVCEan8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5IfuwgI95tI&pp=ygUkd2h5IHlvdSBhbHdheXMgaGF2ZSByb29tIGZvciBkZXNzZXJ0 MinuteFood is created by Kate Yoshida, Arcadi Garcia & Leonardo Souza, and produced by Neptune Studios LLC. Youtube | https://youtube.com/minutefood TikTok | https://tiktok.com/@minutefood_ Twitter | https://twitter.com/minutefood Instagram | https://instagram.com/minutefood_ Facebook | https://facebook.com/minutefood Shop | https://store.dftba.com/collections/minutefood Tue, 24 Mar 2026 19:19:15 +0000 MinuteFood There are TWO kinds of hunger 7:52 no 8