- Purple asparagus, broccoli, and wax beans lose their color when cooked because the pigment in play—anthocyanin—becomes colorless as the heat changes acidity levels in the veggies’ cells.
- Q: Why did the blueberry turn red?
A: Because it saw the salad dressing. - Spinach is green because high levels of chlorophyll in its leaves absorb all colored light but the green band, which gets reflected outward.
- Yellow and white corn kernels from the same corn cob taste alike. Yellow ones have a slight nutritional edge, but they are not any sweeter.
- Eating too many carrots can turn your skin orange, a condition called carotenemia. But it would take a lot of carrots—10 a day for a few weeks.
- The Pantone Color Institute finds inspiration in tomatoes. Pantone 18-1660 is called Tomato, 18-1661 is called Tomato Puree, and 17-1563 is called Cherry Tomato.
- Food coloring agents abound in your larder. Use beets for red, lemon zinger tea for orange, turmeric for yellow, red cabbage for blue, and blueberries for purple.
- You can often tell what color a hen’s eggs are going to be by looking at the color of her earlobes.
- Oxidation happens. To keep enzymatic browning on cut fruits and vegetables at bay, eat them quickly, heat them up, or treat them to a toss in lemon juice.
- Food psychologists say round, white plates make food seem sweeter, while dark, angular plates intensify eaters’ perception of savory flavors.
Say Hello to a Better Tomorrow
Taylor Holm
