Food and Recipes

Unlike more commonly known taste aspects like bitter or sweet, umami is tough to pin down. But the savory sensation gives rich dishes undeniable oomph. Learn what gives a food its umami nature and how our tongues taste it.

By Christine Venzon

When the sweet stuff is mixed with water, it suddenly wants to bond with everything it encounters. Why so clingy, sugar?

By Alison Cooper

What's that bagged mass in your freezer — and did you really want to eat 12 chicken breasts right now? Here's how to freeze food in serving-size portions.

By Alison Cooper

The same compounds responsible for ginger's potent taste and smell offer relief to gurgling digestive systems.

By Alison Cooper

The practice has ancient roots — but GMOs as we know them really started taking off after some key discoveries about DNA.

By Alison Cooper

To a food lover, the idea of trading pizza for a pill isn't exactly appetizing. But in a world where many of us struggle with getting daily nourishment, being a foodie is a luxury. Is a cure for world hunger on the horizon?

By Kate Kershner

These healthy grains can bring new flavors to your plate while providing healthy, whole grain goodness.

By Debbie Swanson

If peanuts are technically not nuts, what are they?

By Debbie Swanson

When you see the increasingly popular label on food products, does that mean you're getting a sugar-free product?

By Christine Venzon

Kale is a descendant of ancient cabbage. Learn more about kale in this humorous video from HowStuffWorks.

Cheese has a very long history. Learn more about cheese in this funny video from HowStuffWorks.

One "synbio" ingredient — with its computer-generated DNA — got the OK to bear a "natural" label. Could these science-lab concoctions be considered organic, too?

By Alison Cooper

"All-natural" labeling offers a thin slice of reassurance to sandwich lovers who want to avoid nitrites and nitrates. But would deli meat be deli meat without them?

By Alison Cooper

Shell shocked by the price of eggs these days? So are we, but the good news is you can freeze them. We'll tell you how.

By Alison Cooper & Sarah Gleim

Spoiler alert: Light and heat — not your milk's fat content — are what get bacteria excited.

By Alison Cooper

Wheat takes the heat for gut problems, painful joints — even cancer. Has human intervention transformed modern crops into harmful fake food?

By Alison Cooper

Most of us eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day without stopping to think about it. So why do we eat three meals a day — is there a biological reason, or is it a societal construct?

By Laurie L. Dove

Your food might look perfectly fine on the plate, but silent ingredients — packaging chemicals — probably have seeped into it during storage. How do these substances affect your food?

By Laurie L. Dove

Salt has kept entire civilizations alive thanks to its ability to prevent foods from turning into bacteria-laden killers. It preserves food, too. What is it about salt that makes it so versatile?

By Laurie L. Dove

Whether you're about to munch on some sodium-laden cured meats or a salty snack, go ahead and grab a big glass of water. Why does salt make you so thirsty?

By Laurie L. Dove

Kale has become the little black dress of the culinary world: chic, understated and perfect for nearly every occasion. But it comes with a not-so-elegant side effect. We'll — ahem — get to the bottom of why kale makes you so gassy.

By Laurie L. Dove

Meals would be pretty boring without the benefit of herbs and spices. But lest you think those are interchangeable terms, we're here to tell you they're definitely not. What's the difference between herbs and spices?

By Laurie L. Dove

Discerning between a fruit and a vegetable may seem simple: Fruits have seeds and vegetables don't. This works great if you're a botanist, but not so well if you're not. We'll finally tell you which category tomatoes fall into (or maybe we won't).

By Laurie L. Dove

Sometimes it seems as if processed meats (like the pastrami on your late-night sandwich) don't last long. But all those preservatives do serve a purpose — you'll be able to eat that pastrami days after your home-cooked chicken has gone bye-bye.

By Laurie L. Dove

If you can't get enough of starchy foods, you don't need to limit yourself to potatoes and squash. Fruits have starch, too! We'll tell you why, and also reveal the starchiest fruit of them all.

By Laurie L. Dove