Popular Science

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Account for taste

Popular Science

Our weird yet extra-tasty food pairings

What makes food tasty?

How to define wine

Your dinner is heating up

Where do candy flavors come from?

How would dinosaur meat taste?

What do people eat in space?

Explain umami like I’m 5

How did the quest for guilt-free foods fall short? • When you’ve been publishing for a century and a half, some off-base ideas are going to creep into your pages. We’re diving into the archives to give you a fresher take on “popular science.”

Does a sustainable diet have to be boring?

Can texture change the way food tastes?

Sauce boss

Frequent fryers • WHETHER YOU’RE GRILLING CHEESE, SAUTÉING MUSHROOMS, OR SEARING STEAK, PICKING THE RIGHT PAN IS ALL THAT STANDS BETWEEN DINNER AND DISASTER. THESE TOOLS WILL MAKE YOU A CULINARY HERO.

Cup-cycled • PARTIES END, BUT THEIR RED DISPOSABLE DRINKWARE LIVES ON IN LANDFILLS FOREVER. THE BALL ALUMINUM CUP PROMISES INFINITE RECYCLABILITY.

Chop shop • A SHARP KNIFE IS THE MOST ESSENTIAL TOOL IN ANY KITCHEN, BUT NOT EVERY COOK NEEDS ONE THAT COSTS AS MUCH AS A MONTH’S HAUL OF GROCERIES. THESE THREE CHOICES WILL SUIT EVERY SKILL LEVEL.

Mix masters • A NEW WAVE OF NONALCOHOLIC SPIRITS LOOK, SMELL, AND SMACK JUST LIKE THEIR INEBRIATING COUNTERPARTS, MAKING IT EASY TO MIX COCKTAILS WITHOUT CATCHING A BUZZ.

Appetite for destruction • Turning invasive species into gourmet meals could blunt environmental and economic costs across the US. But can Americans stomach them? Chefs and biologists are taking a gamble.

The age of the cannabis connoisseur • The weed world is starting to crack the delicious chemistry that makes each bud—and edible—unique.

Bean town • A Technicolor operation filling candy jars for decades, Jelly Belly has mastered making flavors so real they can confound the senses.

Unearthed • A burgeoning Indigenous movement is digging up heirloom plants in seed banks and museums and reconnecting them with their original tribal stewards.

The (Old?) New Delicacies

The last sip • AT A HOSPITAL IN FRANCE, END-OF-LIFE CARE IS FILLED WITH GOOD TASTES AND FINE WINE. AND BRAIN RESEARCH IS CONFIRMING WHY THAT MAKES FOR A GOOD ENDING.

Fix any food mistake

Reheat that pie

Maximize your microwave

How to can food without dying

Better do a dairy dough

Boost your senses

Hold the ice • Updating the science of the PopSci archives