Learn the science behind:
What would food be like without color? Pretty bland for sure. Also, it would be very hard to determine whether food is good or has gone bad, whether it’s ripe or whether it’s sour or sweet. We use color a lot to make judgment calls on food.
Color is also full of chemistry, there are a lot of different molecules and phenomena that play a role in giving a product color.
Browse through our archives to learn more about color in food!
Color can make or break a food. Would you eat a blue steak? Drink green milk? Or eat brown salad leaves? Getting the color of your product helps consumers decide whether it’s the right product for them. If you use…
Ever stored some cooked beetroots in your fridge, only to come back a few days later to find dull brown beetroots instead of bright red ones? Or have you tried baking a red cake using beetroot as a colorant? Only…
No, we can’t answer the philosophical question, of why a lemon has a yellow color. But, we can explain what it is that makes a lemon yellow. Hint, it’s molecules, a specific group of molecules called carotenoids.
Oranges are orange. Not sure which was named first here, the fruit or the color? But, that’s not what we’re interested in anyway. We want to know, why do oranges have this bright, orange color? What is the underlying chemistry?…
They stand right next to each other in the store: golden, or yellow, brown raisins. They seem identical, except for their color. Is that true? Is their color the only difference? And if so, why even are most raisins brown,…
Ever tried making pistachio ice cream? And ended up with brown ice cream? Not at all like the vibrant green pistachio ice creams you’d find in ice cream shops? Turns out, creating bright green pistachio ice cream needs some help…
How you prepare broccoli doesn’t just affect its flavor. It also affects color, texture, and more. Do you cook it short or long, hot or dry? The final results can be very different! Using science, we compare 5 different ways…
Want to give your red cabbage salad a nice vibrant pinkish color? Just sprinkle in a little lime juice and your previously purple cabbage will turn pink! Or, to lighten up your cooked cabbage, add a few pieces of apple…
Have you ever wondered why some potatoes brown easily upon frying or baking, while others remain a pale yellow? Good news: you can influence this browning process yourself. According to theory, at least… Of course, we put this to the…
The secret behind that yellow dal, yellow rice, or beautifully colored curry? Chances are, it’s turmeric! A mere teaspoon can color a sauce or dish. Aside from those ‘typical’ dishes, you might also find it added to cheese, butter, or…
The other day, having some rhubarb left and not wanting to make a rhubarb pie, cake or crumble (>90% of rhubarb recipes online seem to be for one of those!), I decided to try a rhubarb ice cream. I had…
There is a very easy way to distinguish a fresh uncooked shrimp from a cooked one: its colour. If you’ve ever cooked shrimp before, you will have noticed this colour transformation. The shrimp will convert from a blue, translucent colour…