Why Cold Pizza Tastes So Good

JoN writes "The BBC is running an article about why cold pizza tastes '... so good the morning after.'" Dr Maureen Cooper, a researcher from Stirling University, has found the answer. Apparently the '... traditional pizza base has fibres which trap water, preventing it from seeping through to the cooked dough and making it soggy. Given that fat and water do not mix, the melted cheese topping then sits nicely above the puree.'"

Comments

*g*

[Chris Johnson]

This is a silly topic to study on, yet I am immensely gratified that someone, somewhere, is willing to just be curious and study it. That curiosity, not the expectation of profitable results, is what science is really about, and it lives. :)

It's not just cold pizza that tastes good!

[Kaz Kylheku]

Other foods taste good cold as well, such as certain kinds of cooked meats: beef steak, grilled or fried chicken, etc. Some kinds of cooked meats are purposely served cold: think roast beef or turkey breasts in your sandwich, or chicken salad.

I think that one cause is that your sense of smell plays a big role in enhancing your sense of taste.
Heating food causes it to have much more flavor, which can actually be objectionable.

Cold food is more bland; objectionable taste elements are suppressed. So it tastes better simply by way of being free of bold smells.

Another factor may be that the food has better texture because the fatty elements are solidified and a lot of the moisture has evaporated.
The food is just more cohesive making for a good bite. In the case of pizza, your toppings are less likely to slide off.

Finally, it could also be that certain chemical changes set in which improve the flavor. There is probably some oxidation that goes on, as well as the very beginning of decomposition. It's also possible, even likely, that certain reactions only complete when the food is chilled; e.g. primarily exothermic ones which are suppressed at high temperatures.

There are many chemical processes in food preparations which require heating followed by chilling. For example, when you make certain kinds of pudding, you must first cook and then refrigerate to form the gelatin.

This type of process is not restricted to the food industry; certain kinds of plastic resins are formed in a similar way: a cooking stage followed by necessary cooling which actually forms the product.

Re: Warm Pizza - Some Thoughts

[Bob Uhl]

Well, I must admit that I actively like the taste of cold pizza. I have sometimes bought a pizza only to eat one piece, then leave it out or in the fridge to eat the next day. Very very tasty.

I think that part of the allure is that it doesn't fall apart like hot pizza does. I cannot stand anything more than getting cheese in my beard or burning my tongue on too-hot pizza. Those always-hot bags that Domino's introduced are the work of the devil:-) I always ask that they leave them unplugged.

Finally!

[Anders H�ckersten]

Wow this is truly a great day for mankind. Finally we've gotten the answer to this great riddle, one that has plagued me for several years.

Finally, I'm free...

Now I only need the answer to why I always get a craving for pizza when I'm drunk. Is that something other people experience too or is it just me?

Re:Your Tax Dollars In Use

[hedgehog_uk]

No you didn't pay 'your tax dollars' for this. Not unless (like me) you're paying tax (in pounds) in the UK.

HH

Yellow tigers crouched in jungles in her dark eyes.

slop?

[MrPlab]

Also, re: the lack of posts. Most people are probably so ashamed to admit that they like this slop that they won't post about it :)

It's far from slop.. mmmmmmmm.. way to go, I wasn't hungry until I read SlashDot. Someone on a diet might read /. just to get their mind off of food, and now it's plaguing it's way into regular posts. Hehe, 1, 2, 3, success!

With Jenny Craig Issues,
Matthew
_____________________________________

Warm Pizza - Some Thoughts

[The Good Reverend]

I think the main reason cold pizza tastes so good is because we're hungry in the morning, and everything we like tastes even better when we're hungry.

A restaurant here in Santa Cruz used to have "cold pizza and beer" on their breakfast menu.

There is the issue that pizza with extra cheese tastes great hot, but is annoying cold, because the cheese is TOO thick. I perfer a thinner layer of cheese in the morning.

Why are there so few posts to this? Spooky.


The Good Reverend

Re:i disagree

[RottenDeadite]

There's also the fact that cold pizza always reminds me of how broke I am; I can't even afford a decent breakfast.

Well, broke and lazy. Can't even fry an egg. Which is why, I suppose, cold pizza has a few values: it's instant breakfast that doesn't suck as much as a pop tart.

Now cold pizza and stale beer, that's where it's at.

Also, re: the lack of posts. Most people are probably so ashamed to admit that they like this slop that they won't post about it :)

RottenDeadite

***JUMP PAD ACTIVATION INITIATION START***
***TRANSPORT WHEN READY***

But...

[Mullen]

But cold pizza does not taste good. Pizza was made to warm or hot. The melted cheese, the smell of the topings right under your nose, the soft warm crust as it hits your togue when you first bite into it. How easy the pizza folds in half as hold it in your hands.
Cold pizza just sits there, no smell, no warmth, no folding. Cold pizza is like bad sex, ya its still good, but it just sits there, does nothing, does not tantilze you, does not tempt you, does not call your name in the form a smell. It just lays there waiting for you.

PS. I think too much about pizza.

It's only a partial answer...

[tesserae]

As a friend of mine says, "The way pizza tastes best is when you wake up, reach over the back of the front seat, and grab a slice of pizza and a warm beer."

So, Dr. Cooper, where's the rest of the explanation?

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