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Chef attempts to make gourmet Cheetos

Bon Appétite recently released a video showing pastry chef Claire Saffitz’s attempt at recreating the Cheetos. While it may take you 3 minutes to eat a whole bag of the oh-so-additicting neon orange snack, it took Saffitz three days to make something recognizable. The final product was less “gourmet” Cheetos and more of just Cheetos made with natural ingredients. While the original processed Cheetos product has some questionable ingredients, Saffitz’s included everyday items like polenta, baking powder, egg whites, salt, spices, vegetable oil, cornstarch, sharp cheddar, powdered milk. Only tapioca maltodextrin raises an eyebrow. Upon further research this is how chefs convert high-fat liquids into powder — necessary for recreating the powdered cheese and getting it to stick. The official process reportedly only take Cheetos only 19 minutes, but is nearly impossible for a home chef. That is, unless you follow this video, get out your high-powered blender, dehydrated, fryer, oven, deep…

Why you like the taste of milk and cookies so darn much

Milk. It’s a crucial part of the eating experience — for baking, cooking, coffee, cereal, smoothies. But it’s best use? For dunking cookies, of course! But why do milk and cookies make the world’s best duo? It’s culinary chemistry, Great Big Story reports. Here’s the actual science behind why the two are so tasty together. A Brief History of Milk 10,000 B.C.: Animals are domesticated and milked. 1862: Louis Pasteur modernizes milk safety. The term “pasteurized” is born. 1884: Milk is bottled and the milkman came to be. 1994: The Got Milk campaign sweeps the nation. What SCIENCE says about dunking “When you dip cookies into milk you change a number of things about those cookies that completely alters your eating experience,” Matt Hartings, professor of chemistry at American University. “Alters” means that not only does the texture and composition change, but the chemical composition does as well. There are specific ways…

Signs you’re addicted to food, and how to overcome it

We all have bad days when our sour mood gets the best of us and we end up binging on bags of potato chips and Netflix in an attempt to cope. But there’s a difference between reaching for comfort food now and then and a full-blown food addiction. But if you’re not sure where your habits lie, you’re not alone. Food addicts aren’t entirely different from folks who overeat. The same ingredients that cause intense cravings can also cause addiction. “The food industry makes food intentionally addictive,” Vera Tarman, MD, MSc, FCFP and author of Food Junkies: The Truth About Food Addiction, told Dr. Oz, The Good Life. Some people have genetics that make them even more susceptible to developing addiction. “There’s a subpopulation who gets that hook like everyone else, but then they’re vulnerable because of a previous addiction or genetics,” Dr. Tarman said. “It’s like an alcoholic who can’t put down a…

Office workers consume a shocking number of extra calories in snacks every year

Glazed donuts, pretzels, salted peanuts. What is it about a 9-5 desk job that makes you want to eat all the darn time? You barely finish breakfast before your stomach is rumbling for a mid-morning snack or lunch. And let’s not even talk about those late afternoon hunger pangs. Whether it’s boredom or temptation that has you giving in to the slice of cake, the calories consumed present a huge cause for concern. According to a recent survey by Dutch food brand Kallø, all of those extra calories add up to a shocking 100,000 extra calories every year for the average woman. Your eyes probably just popped a little bit, and you might have even put down that potato chip — and that’s a good thing. All those extra calories are, of course, seriously adding to your waistline. 100,000 calories is the equivalent to eating 193 double cheeseburgers or 502 bars of chocolate. If you go…

Americans are salty with their snacking habits

America has become a country of snackers. Between working long hours and eating on the run, it’s no wonder Americans spend more on snack foods than they do on actual meals. According to new Nielsen data, snacking is popular in every corner of the country, but gender, generation, income and geography can shape some of your preferences. Salty snacks still reign supreme, with chips, popcorn and meat snacks generating more than $27 billion for retailers. Candy comes in a close second with $20 billion in sales, followed by cheese snacks generating more than $17 billion in sales. Cookies sales top $7 billion. Crackers ($6.65 billion), ice cream ($6.63 billion) and nuts ($6.17 billion) also rank among America’s favorites. In a recent Harris Poll EquiTrend study, released by Nielsen, U.S. consumers identified the snacks they use to commonly curb cravings out of 275 common snacking brands. While candy and chocolate ranked high regardless of region, some snacks did better in…