Steak fries, home fries, “Freedom Fries” or just plain chips — whatever you call them, they have a scent that gets our stomachs crying out for more. And now scientists know exactly what that heavenly smell is.
Food scientists at Leeds University, England, have unraveled the smell of chips using the latest laboratory equipment, as well as using human noses, successfully breaking down the yummy smell into its constituent components.
The research, commissioned by the Potato Council, was led by Dr. Graham Clayton. He said, “Lightly cooked or undercooked chips were found to contain three simple aromas, including bitter cocoa. A little extra cooking produced a more complex aroma profile, with up to nine different aromatic notes.”
Those aromas include butterscotch, cocoa, onion, cheese and ironing boards.(Seriously) But the well-cooked fries then take on a mixture of aromas dependent on the potatoes, the oil, the temperature and the cooking process.
Cocoa and ironing boards, huh? Who knew?
Source: The Metro
