Unit Conversion

There’s a package of pork chops you spot; it’s got all the makings: thick-cut chops, nice marbling, and they’re priced just right. You head home and give ’em a healthy dose of whatever you think is a modest pinch of salt. Maybe add a little soy marinade for some flavor before throwing them on the … Read more

Don’t take it for granted that one teaspoon of salt equals another teaspoon of salt. When packed tightly into a spoon, salt crystals forms dense solids. But the flaky, airy structures of kosher or other coarse grained salts contain huge gaps between each crystal, trapping a lot of air. So while six grams may be … Read more

Make lean burgers. Make light tacos. Buy a pound of ground beef. Season it lightly with salt and pepper. It taste good. But there is likely a lot more sodium on that plate then you think. Why? Because fresh beef contain little sodium, most of it comes from whatever you add. And cooking it change … Read more

When you eat a burger meal, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Sodium? Saturated fat? Rarely do you think about the fact that the condiment you’re holding in your hand is basically a super-concentrated version of syrup dressed up as tomato sauce. This blind spot explains why tracking sugar in ketchup matter more … Read more

For example: A typical 12-ounce can of ginger ale has about 32 grams of added sugar inside. In other words, that’s eight level teaspoons worth of dissolved granulated sweetness in every pop of soda. Even if you don’t perceive all that sweetness (root ginger is so spicy that it may mask some of it), your … Read more

Residual sugar levels makes a difference, too: Have you ever noticed a huge diffrence between a sweet Riesling and a dry Chardonnay? Because there are still some grams of sugar left in the wine after fermentation finish, those leftovers impact your perception of the acidity and overall balance. They also can determines if this is … Read more

The label reads: Coconut water. The sugar content are barely lower than your usual soft drink. You feel good about yourself for buying this bottle instead. That is, until you look at the nutrition information and find the sugar level isn’t realy much less than what you’d get in your typical soda. What gives? Usually, … Read more

Here’s what it looks like: Two almost identical-looking jars of peanut butter sitting on your pantry shelf… One has salt and peanuts; the other has peanuts plus some sort of smoothness and sweetness. The reason why this can be a dilemma lies in choice between types and their sugar content. But it’s not just about … Read more

PULL A cold can out of the fridge. Open it. Drink it. By the time the can are empty, you’ve just consumed almost ten teaspoons of sugar. Drinking soda doesn’t mean you’re judging yourself; it means knowing what is going into your body before grabbing for that next can. Soda tastes sweet, most people know … Read more

Why does making a basic soup feel like a math equation? Why is there a cup of this and a cup of that and now I’m looking at my yellow onions on the counter wondering how many I should chop? And what if I caramelize them, would that raise their sugar level more high? It’s … Read more