-
How To Stay Healthy In a Salty World
Whenever a human is eating, a salt shaker is never too far away. For six thousand years we’ve relied on salt to improve our food. To make the uninteresting interesting and the bland, well, less bland. Though our ancestors often found it hard to get enough salt, in the modern world we are awash with… Continue reading
-
Why Bacon Causes Cancer (And Why I Still Eat It): The Science of Nitrites
Is bacon as dangerous as cigarettes? Explore the food chemistry of nitrites, NOCs, absolute risk, and how to safely enjoy cured meats in moderation. Continue reading
-
The Science of Beer Fermentation: Biochemistry, Malting & Brewing Chemistry
Discover the science of beer fermentation. Learn how yeast converts sugar into ethanol, the biochemistry of ATP and malting, and how brewing turns starch into beer. Continue reading
-
The Science of Chilli Burn: Why We Love the Pain of Capsaicin
Ever wondered why eating chillies hurts so good? Discover the neuroscience behind capsaicin, the TRPV1 heat receptor, and why humans love spicy food. Continue reading
-
Quick bite: The secret life of vegetables
As Harold McGee points out in his book, On Food and Cooking, plants are essentially chemical factories. Plants are famously stationary and lacking any motive power must interact with the external world, for the most part, through a dazzling array of chemicals that they synthesise from basic chemical elements. The same plant will simultaneously produce… Continue reading