Skip to content

The Science of Food

July 8, 2025

What is a Redox Reaction? Chemistry and Your Health

Discover how reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions work, from browning fruit and iron smelting to free radicals, antioxidants, and everyday kitchen science. Continue reading

antioxidants, chemistry, redox reactions

antioxidants, biology, chemistry, food chemistry, food science, free radicals, health, iron, oxidation, oxidative stress, oxidising agent, redox reaction, reducing agent, reduction-oxidation reactions, Science
June 30, 2025

Trophic Shadows: How the Energy Pyramid Controls Our Food Systems

Discover how the laws of physics and the energy pyramid dictate our food systems, why we farm herbivores, and what modern supermarkets hide from us. Continue reading

chemistry, ecology, Food, food systems

agricultural, ecology, energy pyramid, environment, food science, food systems, hunter/gatherer, malthus, nature, photosynthesis, physics, plants, sustainability, trophic levels
June 18, 2025

Is Pork a Red Meat? The Science Behind Meat Colour and Myoglobin

Is pork actually red meat? Discover the science of muscle fibers, myoglobin, and haem to find out why the classic “other white meat” marketing campaign got it wrong. Continue reading

chemistry, meat, pork, proteins, steak

biochemistry, chemistry, chicken, chicken breast, cooking, diet, fast twitch muscle, fitness, Food, food science, haem, health, muscle, myoglobin, nutrition, pork, red meat, slow twitch muscle, steak, white meat
June 10, 2025

Eugenics and Genetic Diversity: What Bananas Can Teach Us

Discover why the Cavendish banana is vulnerable to extinction. Learn how genetic diversity, polyploidy, and monoculture shape modern food security and biology. Continue reading

bananas, genetics, infectious disease

agriculture, allele, bananas, biology, Cavendish, chromosome, evolution, food science, genetic diversity, genetics, Gros Michel, health, inheritance, Science
May 29, 2025

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

bacon, cancer, cell biology, chemistry, health, nutrition, processed meat, steak, vegetable

bacon, bowel cancer, cancer, chorizo, colorectal cancer, diet, DNA, Food, food science, haem, health, IARC, N-nitrosamines, N-nitroso compounds, nitrates, nitrites, nitrosation, nutrition, processed meat, S-nitrosothiols, wellness
May 20, 2025

The Science of Slow Cooking: How to Tenderise Tough Cuts of Meat

Discover the science of slow cooking tough cuts of meat like brisket, chuck, and shank. Learn how to break down collagen into gelatin for tender results. Continue reading

proteins, steak, tough cuts

actin, braise, brisket, collagen, connective tissue, Food, food science, health, meat, myosin, nutrition, slow cooking, stew, tough cuts, travel
April 22, 2025

Why Most Nutrition Science is Wrong (And How to Spot Flawed Diet Claims)

Confused by conflicting diet advice? Discover why most nutrition science relies on observational studies, their major limitations, and how to spot bad health claims. Continue reading

health, nutrition, Science

confounding factors, diet, Food, food science, health, nutrition, nutrition science, observational studies, p-value hacking, Science, wellness
April 9, 2025

The Science and Flavour of Mushrooms: Their Culinary Chemistry Explained

Discover the fascinating science of mushrooms—from cellular chitin and heat tolerance to umami chemistry, aroma compounds, and expert cooking tips. Continue reading

fungus, MSG, mushrooms

botrytis, botrytis cinerea, button mushroom, chanterelle, cooking, corn smut, Food, food science, fungi, fungus, Huitlacoche, hypha, hyphae, lenthionine, MSG, mushroom, mushrooms, mycelium, nature, shiitake, Ustilago esculenta, Ustilago maydis
March 31, 2025

Quick Bite: How salt enhances the flavour of our food

In my recent post on MSG and our taste perception I was going to include a bit about salt and how it works as a flavour enhancer but, as usual, I went on a bit so I couldn’t fit it in. So I wanted to do this short post while it was all fresh in… Continue reading

Bitter, MSG, salt, Sweet, Taste, Taste buds, Taste perception, Umami

#cooking, flavour enhancers, Food, food science, health, MSG, nutrition, salt, Taste, Taste buds
March 30, 2025

What Is Umami? The Science Behind the Fifth Basic Taste

Discover the science of umami. Learn how taste receptors, glutamic acid, and MSG interact on the tongue to create the savory 5th basic taste. Continue reading

Bitter, Sweet, Taste, Taste buds, Taste perception, Umami

Bitter, evolution, flavour, Food, food science, monosodium glutamate, MSG, salt, Science, sour, Sweet, Taste, Taste buds, Taste perception, Umami

«Previous Page Next Page»

Search

Search

About Me

I’m a scientist with over twenty years of experience as a medical researcher. I’m also an amateur cook. Tired of bumbling around the kitchen and being misled by weird internet recipes I decided to see if science could help me be a better cook. This blog is the result.

You can read more about me here, if you are interested.

Bluesky
X

Subscribe

Type your email…

Support

If you want to support the blog get a copy of the ebook from Amazon.

Share

Recent Posts

Ramen and Race Relations
Absinthe: Does The Green Fairy Have No Clothes?
How To Cook Fish
How To Stay Healthy In a Salty World
Do We Love Mum’s Cooking Because She Made Us as Well as Dinner?
Tomatoes and Fake News
Helminths Exposed: Inside the Sometimes Gross World of Food Borne Parasites
Phylloxera: The American Grape Vine Pest That Almost Ruined My Saturday Nights
Vanilla II: The Curing and the Chemistry
Vanilla I: Botany and Bad Behaviour
The Brassica: Cabbage, Broccoli and Other Childhood Nemeses
Why is Kobe Beef So Good?
Are Michelin Stars All in Our Mind?
Custard, Avgolemono and Carbonara: The Science of Using Eggs to Thicken Sauces
The Microbiome II: Every Microbiome Is Happy in Its Own Way
The Microbiome I: A New World is Discovered
Acids, Cooking and Inconvenient Corpses.
Darwin, Lamarck and the Murder Scientist
Genes, Gluttony and Gout
Food Science Book
The Science of Egg White Foams: How Denaturation, Bowl Choice and Ingredients Impact Whipping
Quick Bite: New research lets us know who to thank for our chocolate
Mad honey or how the Poison King and some bees outwitted the Romans
Quick Bite: Can an asthma drug really protect people from food allergies?
Quick Bite: New research shows what was on the menu 2 million years ago
Aphrodisiacs: Can food make you sexy?
Quick Bite: You say tomato, I say potato
Hunger games: Why we get hungry and why we overeat
Quick Bite: Ultra-processed foods give you lung cancer? Maybe not
Quick Bite: How to avoid death by Listeria
The Saffron Scam: Food Fraud and How to Spot Fake Saffron
Vitamin D and Human Individuality: Why One-Size-Fits-All Nutrition Fails
The Science of Bacterial Growth: How to Keep Your Food Safe and Avoid Food Poisoning
What is a Redox Reaction? Chemistry and Your Health
Trophic Shadows: How the Energy Pyramid Controls Our Food Systems
Is Pork a Red Meat? The Science Behind Meat Colour and Myoglobin
Eugenics and Genetic Diversity: What Bananas Can Teach Us
Why Bacon Causes Cancer (And Why I Still Eat It): The Science of Nitrites
The Science of Slow Cooking: How to Tenderise Tough Cuts of Meat
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods? (And Are They Really Bad for You?)
Everything you ever wanted to know about cream (the food not the band)
Why Most Nutrition Science is Wrong (And How to Spot Flawed Diet Claims)
The Science and Flavour of Mushrooms: Their Culinary Chemistry Explained
Quick Bite: How salt enhances the flavour of our food
What Is Umami? The Science Behind the Fifth Basic Taste
Starch and Gelatinisation in Everyday Cooking: The Science of Thickening
The Science of Pasteurisation: Raw Milk Safety vs. Health Claims
The Science of Milk: Emulsions, Lactose, and Casein Chemistry
Caffeine: The science behind the buzz
The Science of Beer Fermentation: Biochemistry, Malting & Brewing Chemistry
Quick bite: A cooks tour of fats and oils, the good, the bad and the ugly
Understanding Emulsions II: Mayonnaise and The Science of Emulsification
Mastering the Science of Sugar: From Simple Syrups to Caramel
The Science of Chilli Burn: Why We Love the Pain of Capsaicin
Understanding Emulsions I: The Science Behind Your Favourite Sauces
The Science of the Perfect French Fry
Quick bite: The secret life of vegetables
Quick bite: A cooks tour of protein chemistry
Quick bite: Osmosis and your next BBQ
Anatomy, heat and the perfect steak
The Pasta Making Guide for Non-Nonnas
The Science of Frying an Egg
Why Every Cook Should Understand Food Science

Designed with WordPress

Loading Comments...

Write a Comment...

Email (Required)

Name (Required)

Website