8 Surprising Food Facts Most People Don't Know

Why does honey never go bad?

You can store a jar of honey in your cupboard for years and it'll be fine. In fact, it's one of the few foods that doesn't spoil thanks to high acidity (a pH of around 4), low water content and low water activity.

Why does skimmed milk make more froth than whole milk?

If you're perfecting your barista skills at home, here's a tip for you. When it comes to adding a frothy top to your coffee, skimmed milk will give you the most foam with larger air bubbles.

Why does Swiss cheese have holes?

Swiss cheese (Emmental) gets its famous holes from bacteria known as P. shermanii that are added to the milk before formation of the curds.

What causes brain freeze?

Brain freeze happens when blood vessels in the roof of your mouth rapidly constrict when cold food or drink, like ice cream, touches it, and then dilate again rapidly due to a heat stimulus.

Why do cut apples go brown?

These enzymes trigger natural plant chemicals called polyphenols to start producing melanins, an iron-containing compound that gives the flesh a brown, rusty colour.

Why do bananas make other fruit go off quicker?

Bananas release a gas known as ethylene that begins the ripening process. This hastens the ripening of other fruit in the bowl and can also cause cut flowers in the vicinity to die quicker too.

And why do hard-boiled eggs sometimes smell so bad?

If your hard-boiled eggs smell... well, eggy, you've probably overcooked them. As with the grey ring around the cooked yolk, it's also down to a reaction between sulphur in the egg whites and iron in the yolk

Why does bread dry out but biscuits go soft?

A loaf of bread will harden over time due to a process called starch retrogradation, which involves the starch giving up the water it absorbed during the baking process.

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