TIL: Why Deep-Fried Food Tastes So Delicious!

French Fries, Donuts, Fried Chicken, Potato Chips, Churros... All of those things have one thing in common: They're deep fried - and they're delicious.

Nowadays, it seems like almost everything is being deep-fried: Oreos, Chocolate Bars... even Ice Cream!
But why is it that we enjoy fried foods (and greasy foods in general) so much?
We know that it's unhealthy and full of calories, but still we can't deny that we love the flavour of deep-fried foods.

There's actually a lot of science involved with the process of deep-frying food and what it does to your brain!

When you deep-fry something, you usually use oil that is twice as hot as the boiling point of water.
The temperature is right when you drop the food in, and it starts to bubble.
But what's bubbling there is not actually the oil, but moisture on the surface of the food that's being boiled.
So this means that moisture the food is losing moisture and dehydrates, which creates the crispy outer layer that we love so much.
At the same time, the escaping molecules of the water actually leave a gap, which lets oil molecules enter the food.
This of course makes the food item higher in calories - so more appetizing and rewarding to our brain!

This process gets even more interesting when you add a batter.

Then, there's a layer of batter between the actual food and the oil, which means that only the batter gets dehydrated while the inside can stay moist.
That's why we add batter to things like fried chicken, Tempura dishes or Fish & Chips .

So in general, greasy, deep fried food is delicious to us because of the high energy and calorie level - but also, because it usually stimulates several different senses at once.

Deep frying gives food a crispy texture, that also sounds great when biting into it.
Studies have shown that we don't rate potato chips as delicious or fresh if we can't hear the sound that chewing them makes.

Foods that "melt in your mouth" like certain chocolate or cheetos are tricking our brain in a special way:

Since they melt away quicker than we finish chewing, our brain actually thinks that we are not taking in that many calories.
This results in over-eating!
This Effect is called Vanishing Caloric Density.

Fat also enhances flavor in general -

that's the reason why only a thin layer of butter on your toast already makes a big difference to the taste experience.
Also, we can't ignore the fact that nowadays a lot of processed and junk food have been created with a lot of scientific background.
So these foods already contain the perfect amount of fat an salty- or sweetness that stimulates our brain's reward system.

Basically, they are specifically designed for you to crave them!

Sources: 1, 2, All GIFs from Giphy.com

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