Tasting notes
Amy Fleming explores the science and psychology that colour our eating experiences
Fasting facts: is the 5:2 diet too good to be true?
Amy Fleming looks at the scientific evidence for restricted eating
Could choosing raw foods rather than cooked be the key to a healthy diet?
Amy Fleming: New research indicates that cooking food bombards us with more energy than can be easily dealt with. So is it time to throw away the cooker?
The truth about alcohol, from gin tears to champagne hangovers
Do different drinks have different effects on your mood, why do funny-coloured drinks make you more drunk and what causes the worse hangovers? Amy Fleming investigates
Fake flavours: why artificial aromas can’t compete with real food smells
Amy Fleming: The Aromafork is a fun way to experiment with flavours, but its vials of fake strawberry, banana and almond smell disgusting. Would you be happy unwrapping a molecular gastronomy kit on Christmas morning?
A little warmth goes a long way – the science of hot drinks
Amy Fleming: Very little in life can’t be improved with a hot drink. They can warm us or cool us down. They help numb pain when we’re ill. They even help us see the best in other people
Why eating with other people makes us fat
Amy Fleming: Studies suggest we eat more in the company of an overweight person, a man, a spouse, family members, friends … Why is this, and is there anything we can do to control it?
The joys of grazing
Amy Fleming: Everything tastes better in a sneaky forkful out of the fridge. Why do we get so much pleasure from illicit picking away from the table?
Charles Spence: the food scientist changing the way we eat
An Oxford professor’s research into what affects flavour, from who we eat with to background noise, has influenced food-industry giants and top chefs alike. Now his new book brings food science to the home cook, too. Amy Fleming meets him
Back to our roots: would humans be better off eating a paleolithic diet?
Amy Fleming: Raw foodists and other campaign groups are eager for us to return to the sort of food our ancient ancestors ate. But how much truth is there in their various claims, and is there any real benefit for us in the 21st century?
The science of mixing mind-blowing cocktails
Amy Fleming: A guide from 1948 still contains the best advice about cocktail-making – but modern mixologists use plenty of 21st-century science, too. Is all that effort worth it?
Why do some people love 'earthy' flavours in food?
Amy Fleming: Do they, deep down, just want to eat dirt – indeed certain people do crave soil – or is there something more subtle going on?
Why packaging can spoil the flavour of food – and how to avoid it
Amy Fleming: When your bottled water tastes like plastic, it may not mean you are swallowing toxic chemicals, but it's far from refreshing. Find out what jars, tins and bottles do to your food
Mindfulness or cake? The battle against stress and comfort-eating
Amy Fleming: The sweet foods we crave to relieve stress have been shown to cause obesity, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Short of a ban on sugar refinement, how can we break the habit?
Why does artistically presented food taste better?
Amy Fleming: A study has shown that an artful plate of food tastes better. How bothered are you by presentation, at home and eating out?
What does meat taste of?
Amy Fleming: When we describe meat dishes we rely on unhelpful words such as lamby or beefy. Why is it so hard to explain what meat tastes like, and what are its distinctive flavours made up of?
Could home fermenting catch on?
Amy Fleming: The umami – or savoury – taste that is greatly enhanced in natural yeast can be easily concocted in your kitchen. From sourdough breadmaking to pickling, here comes the science bit
Fussy eaters – how to get your child to try nutritious food
Amy Fleming: While it's clearly important to supervise your children's diet, the trick is to be as covert about it as possible
Does local, seasonal produce really taste better?
Amy Fleming: Going for fresh food produced in your own area is a nice idea – but does it have more to do with feeling smug than actually eating better?
How a child's food preferences begin in the womb
Tests have shown that what a woman eats during her pregnancy is easily detectable in her amniotic fluid, and the foetus develops a taste for familiar flavours
How sound affects the taste of our food
Amy Fleming: High-frequency sounds enhance the sweetness in food, while low frequencies bring out the bitterness. So could sound replace sugar? And what kind of music should restaurants play?
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