Food

“Natural” Flavorings Are Bullshit 

In one of those naked PR moves, Nestlé announced today it would only use natural flavorings and colors in its candy. Which means it’s a good time to remember that is “natural” does not mean better. The natural stuff is just as processed, and comes from places like beaver butts and insects. There’s nothing inherently…

Watch this guy prepare a tiny Japanese feast in a miniature kitchen

Miniature Channel is a Japanese Youtube channel devoted to cooking edible food using cute miniature kitchen supplies. There are many videos: They make curry, tajine, eggs and bacon, and of course, Japanese food. Here are some of their best Japanese miniature dishes. Shrimp tempura Yakitori Sushi Sashimi SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on…

How Does The Scoville Scale Measure The Exact Hotness Of A Pepper?

The hottest chili ever measured rates a whopping 1,569,300 Scoville Heat Units, but what exactly does that mean? Where does the Scoville Scale come from? What exactly does it measure? And how do we end up with such a precise number to describe the heat sensation a pepper can produce? First, it’s necessary to make…

The Foods That Will Survive the Disasters of the Future

When we think of the future of food, we think of crops that are bred to be stronger, more productive, and even more nutritious. But it turns out that these super-crops can have unexpected weaknesses—as one scientist realized after a cyclone hit eastern India in 2009. Over the past few years, we’ve heard a lot…

A Pen That Writes In Chocolate Is Just About the Best Thing Ever

Bic has been churning out ballpoint pens and other writing instruments since 1945, but to date the company’s R&D department hasn’t come up with an innovation in writing as ground-breaking as Skyrocket Toys’ Candy Craft Chocolate Pen. If you’re having trouble understanding why it’s so awesome, let us reiterate: it’s a pen… that writes in…

Why Do We Use Nitrous Oxide In Our Canned Whipped Cream?

Nitrous oxide is bad for people and bad for the Earth. We know this. So why is it in every can of whipped cream? Can’t we find something else that’s just as good? The answer is no. Laughing gas really is the best option, and here’s why. A few years ago, I did a short…

Hallelujah, You Can Bake Your Own Girl Scouts Cookies in This Tiny Oven

Are you tired of the high-pressure sales tactics used by the cookie-selling Girl Scouts outside the entrance of your local shopping mall? You’re not alone, and you’ll never have to be intimidated by them again because the Girl Scouts Cookie Oven from Wicked Cool Toys lets you make your own Thin Mints and Coconut Caramel…

Making pasta by hand is a relaxing, beautiful process

I know Chef Evan Funke of Bucato is making pasta in this video—I see it and it’s absolutely beautiful—but it almost looks like he’s playing a musical instrument. There’s so much skill in his work and so much grace in his movements that I can’t help but feel like I’m watching an artist at work.…

Watching dumplings get made is deliciously therapeutic 

I didn’t wake up craving dumplings today. But after reading about this epic dumpling crawl in Lucky Peach and seeing Momofuku’s David Chang post videos about dumplings and then learning a brief history about dumplings and watching them get made in the video above, well, damn. I’m really craving dumplings now. SPLOID is delicious brain…

Watch kids get grossed out by breakfast foods from around the world

Kids are cute and also hilariously picky eaters so they’re pretty perfect for this experiment by Cut Video that makes them eat different breakfast foods from all across the world. It’s fun to see how they react and also interesting to see what different countries eat for breakfast. The whole set up of the video…

How Much [X] Could You Eat Before It Would Kill You?

Toxicologists have a saying that “the dose makes the poison,” meaning that anything and everything can kill you in large enough quantities. So here we take five incredibly common (and usually benign) foods and household items to their illogical conclusion. Ever contemplated eating 480 bananas? Don’t do it. While we’re on that note, this isn’t…

Did you ever wonder about the methods and madness behind single-serving packets of soy sauce? Neither did we, until this fascinating feature, which takes a close look at their history; their contribution to making soy sauce America’s third most popular condiment; and at packaging innovations so carefully considered they’ve been tested in outer space.

31 Irresistible Cups Of Coffee

Coffee. We owe it our lives and our sanity. And so for this week’s Shooting Challenge, we photographed the bejeezus out of it. Winner: Good Morning No description given. Rodrigo Ergueta Sharikat Biru-Biru It was a very chill sunday and we decided to check this new coffee shop in town called Sharikat Biru-Biru. My friend…

Cool pictures of food cut in half while it is cooking

These cool pictures of food and kitchen supplies cut in half come from The Photography of Modernist Cuisine—a giant book published in 2013 featuring impressive photos of food taken from unexpected and weird perspectives. Here’s the video: You can buy The Photography of Modernist Cuisinehere. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or…

36 Hours of Glaciers and Steam in Iceland

I just visited Iceland for the first time! But, due to airport chaos, I was only there for exactly 36 hours. Here’s what I learned from my short trip, camping out on ice and dunking myself in the country’s steaming hot springs. It was supposed to be a three day trip, but a blizzard closed…

Cute miniature kitchen allows you to cook tiny breakfast on tiny pans

Japanese toy company Konapun has this cute but fully-functional miniature kitchen that is just perfect to cook a real Thanksgiving dinner for your hamster—or his favorite breakfast. SPLOID is delicious brain candy. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.

How Americans Changed The Way Japanese People Ate Sushi

Sushi has taken on its own shape and form in the United States, but even before the first sushi restaurants opened up in California, America had an impact on the type of sushi eaten in Japan. During the American occupation after World War II, a food rationing program helped the rise of nigiri outside Tokyo.…

Have We Hit Peak Food? 

Better question: what are we doing about peak food? The world hit peak wheat in 2004, peak eggs in 1993, and peak dairy way back 1989—all according to a recent study in Ecology and Society that leads to the worrisome conclusion we could be running out of food. The study looked at how the production…

When You Overcook Eggs, You Turn Them Into Chemical Weapons

Remember that ad campaign a while back, that was meant to show you that eggs weren’t bad for you? Turns out, they understated the case. Eggs are desperately trying to save your life. The “green” on boiled eggs shows where they saved you from your own attempts at chemical warfare. Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic…

Shooting Challenge: Coffee

Coffee. You owe that shit. Big time. It gets you out of bed, keeps you employed, and only stains your teeth moderately. So for this week’s Shooting Challenge, we’re photographing coffee—in beans, brewing, and cups. The Challenge Take a photo with coffee as the subject. It can be any sort of scene you like—from an…