Can you trick your own brain?

Can you trick your taste buds using smell?
Thanks to 80000hours.org/h2ct 80000 hours for sponsoring this episode
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Hi I am Ann Reardon, How to Cook That is my youtube channel it is filled This week we are exploring the effects of smell on taste. In these experiments we will see if I can trick Dave and the boys into tasting something that is not really there.
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[@Flameclaw123]

"It's like eating a cookie while you hold a banana in front of my face" Yeah it sure is like that, huh!

[@TheMongooseOfDoom]

H2CT, your son is a genius.

[@victor-oh]

He should be a detective

[@mayflyforyou]

He's so clever 😂

[@DiamondCake2]

You could hear her giggling when he said that lol

[@BecomingTera]

They all eventually came to that conclusion. She's trained them too well 😂

[@ErwinPommel]

Dave: "My mind is playing tricks on me" No, Dave. It's not your mind, it's your wife!

[@Celediev]

Mind, wife, what's the difference?

[@newhavencon-py5yy]

Dave is like the Daredevil. He knows exactly what's going on just based on smell.

[@TalysAlankil]

i love dave going "i had two seconds of smell and then it's gone" like yes congrats that's exactly what happened

[@torntrof]

Ann's family being actively gaslighted: "It just... smells weird" Ann, to the side: "... interesting" :D Great video, as always!

[@Farimira]

Gaslighting would more be if she said they were stupid or crazy for thinking that

[@DucktorQuackers]

@@Farimirayeah, exactly I sometimes I hate how that word is constantly used incorrectly. It's a word used to describe a form of psychological abuse not to be used to describe a cute innocent trickery like in this video. The more it is used incorrectly the less of the weight the word has.

[@rawkhawk414]

@@FarimiraFor real lmao. Pranks and jokes are not gaslighting. But if you prank someone and don't include them in the joke or they didn't like the joke, then you go on to assert that the prank never happened, and act confused or annoyed or irritated at the suggestion--that is gaslighting.

[@Farimira]

@@rawkhawk414 or if you do something mean-spirited then insist its just a prank and they shouldn't be upset

[@JohnDBlue]

​@@rawkhawk414 also this isn't a prank or joke either, it's quite literally a blind test where they're not supposed to know all the factors! It's no different than giving them two glasses with Coke and Pepsi

[@suzannestrickland1586]

And that is why everything tastes bland or bad when you have a cold and your nose is plugged up

[@lich109]

I never experienced that personally.

[@Rachel_M_]

Except for curry. That soon clears the nose.

[@outtaspace1566]

I had instant porridge when i got cold and it tasted fine, edible. Later when i got better i ate it taste disgusting and I can’t even finish it. Lol. Maybe this is reason why hot soup and porridge taste better when you got fever/cold bcs of the steam? Idk.

[@iris4547]

ive never had a strong sense of smell so things like this make me wonder what im missing out on with food. i can smell, just very muted.

[@Amira_Phoenix]

I never had that, I distinguish well between smell and taste

[@ragequazar]

your older son has a hell of a palate on him, i'm seriously impressed!

[@jlammetje]

Yeah, i've noticed in other video's as well, he's really good at identifying flavours, and also at describing them!

[@thomrmpasss]

i think Ann putting them through these taste tests since they were kids helped a lot his taste develop 😂

[@GenuineLhachwen]

I saw that as well!

[@seriliaykilel]

That kid is made for the Hell’s Kitchen taste test competition

[@PunkrockNoir-ss2pq]

Really? Not much going on in your life is there?

[@Keshlynne]

Cheesy skittles. My pregnant brain literally just said, "cheese and skittles sounds good." I'll see myself out.

[@bethanybrookes8479]

I mean cheese goes pretty well with chocolate, cherries, toffee and caramel, so it might work.

[@FairyRat]

@@bethanybrookes8479 also great with jams.

[@abbyrivers9971]

Oh gonna try that tomorrow! SSoubd

[@Littlepocketrocket81]

😂😂😂😂

[@susanowen1709]

I've got some Laughing Cow Babybel cheese (similar to Edam, only made with vegetarian rennet), a packet of Skittles, and a sense of adventure. I'll take one for the team here. OK, here we go: cheese and red - good at first, aftertaste of vomit. Do not recommend. Cheese and yellow - kinda nice, less of an aftertaste but still there. Cheese and orange - Surprisingly good, I really like this combo. Cheese and purple - Skittles flavor almost completely obliterated; more of a sweet undertone to the cheese, not bad. Cheese and green - similar to red without the nasty aftertaste. Conclusion: Except for the red, I'd eat any of these combos again. And in fact, I did eat the rest of the orange ones with the last bits of cheese.

[@figmo397]

Both of your sons have incredible palates, especially your younger son. When he identified the "cherry flavor" as "medicine," my first thought was "yup, you nailed it!"

[@anthonydelfino6171]

I wonder too if that's part of either the types of medicine they buy or what's available in Australia? Just thinking back on my own childhood, my parents usually purchased medicines with the artificial grape flavor, so I'm not sure I would have tagged artificial cherry as medicine.

[@sadroses2]

@@anthonydelfino6171 my friend always said dr pepper tastes like medicine to her! diff med flavorings everywhere, I guess

[@anthonydelfino6171]

@@sadroses2 which is funny since that's what I think about root beer!

[@tdb7992]

@@anthonydelfino6171 I think a lot of our childhood medicines here in Australia (like cough syrup) are cherry flavoured. Either cherry or blackcurrant (which, from memory, is not a common flavour in North America as blackcurrant plants are considered a weed there. It’s an incredibly common flavour in the UK & Australia)

[@acookie7548]

my family always called it doctor's hand hahaha

[@tomhomunculus]

Interestingly with that blindfold scent jar experiment I think Ann stumbled upon a wholesome demonstration of how when somebody trusts you, they will doubt themselves and give you the benefit of the doubt past the point one would expect, to a laughable degree. Something that an abusive person could exploit, but which is a positive trait in a healthy dynamic. Hearing Ann giggle and struggle to maintain the harmless dishonesty was so endearing.

[@Eventide215]

That's also why it's important when doing these kinds of tests actually scientifically (this was more for fun) you need people that have no connection to anything. She could likely just give them a cookie and say it's supposed to taste like something and they'd taste it because they trust her. Though with them they probably don't fully trust her because of the other videos she's had them in.. lol However, it's like a placebo effect where you can give someone a sugar pill but tell them it'll help with their anxiety and it could actually help them. The brain is extremely powerful and such a mystery.

[@christine.b.k]

I had the same reaction - this was the cutest and most innocent version of gaslighting I’ve ever seen.

[@stephaniejoobern1001]

​@@christine.b.kyes it was such a sweet test lol. I was giggling the whole time :)

[@Rowgue51]

This isn't a new revelation and it's not something that only exists with people you actually trust. The Milgram experiment was a very clear demonstration that people were willing to literally torture another person to the point where they believed they were giving them a potentially lethal dose of electrocution simply because someone in a perceived position of authority was instructing them to. That's why a healthy dose of skepticism is good for both the individual and society as a whole. Just deferring to anybody in a perceived position of authority because you assume they must know better than you is dangerous.

[@anthonydelfino6171]

they probably know who all is going to be involved in the tests. Dave usually gets the brunt of the potentially disgusting food taste experiments whereas she usually doesn't have her boys involved in those, or at least not the youngest one. So if they know he's getting cookies too, they're probably safe.

[@socpancake]

in the skittles test, Dave actually made a couple of correct guesses he wasn’t credited for! “they’re all the same” was definitely a correct claim 😅

[@everfluctuating]

true, but i think ann was scoring whether they could tell the intended flavor lol

[@Hazelcake]

i think by that he meant that they're all the same colour, hence his surprise when she said which they were

[@jansenbaldopena8009]

I was going to comment "I think we can tell the difference between smell being inhaled and smell being exhaled" but then I thought "Wait ✋🏾, she's going to explain that in the end. Just keep watching," and what do you know... I've never heard of retro-nasal olfaction before but it's now burnt into my brain. I super admire your knowledge 🙌🏾!

[@Neicorr]

This family should be an Australian icon, with their own show. KZbin doesn’t credit you Anne with the fame that you deserve, and should be a worldwide phenomenon.

[@leevons_home_vids]

Basically you made LaCroix cookies hahaha. But the part where dave was waving his hands around trying to figure out what was happening had me cracking up

[@dianacourt377]

Same here, I was laughing hard at that. 😂

[@IsabelJones69]

My cousins in the Bahamas love La Croix. I don't because because I don't like fizziness.

[@jiggyprawn]

Same!

[@AshleyxVlogs]

Hahaha that’s so funny I love LaCroix but I describe it as whatever flavor it is’s ghost, like “peach’s ghost” because it’s all just the smell. 😂

[@ritageorge8748]

He sensed your hand

[@firfuxsake]

I get my grandkids this afternoon, I'm going out to buy some skittles and have some fun !

[@HowToCookThat]

sounds awesome

[@addie1080]

That's so sweet, I'm sure they'll have a blast!

[@BewareTheLilyOfTheValley]

I also now want to try this as I really feel like I know the differences in Skittle flavors.

[@wbennin]

How did it go?

[@severussnapeytp715]

please update us :D

[@everydayisricenewday]

This is crazy! I just had a Septoplasty and my smell opened up! I failed medical smell tests and lived with anosmia for a long time. Now I can Smell so much and it’s overwhelming. This makes sense why everything I ate… at added extra extra salt to everything! Smell matters!!

[@angelorosso4871]

I love how Dave can turn any experiment into a comedy skit

[@ninjin305]

This reminds me of an experiment I did for science fair in middle school! I made various colored drinks by adding food coloring to the clear lemon-flavored fizzy drink and had people guess the flavor for each color-almost no one guessed that all the different colors were actually from the same bottle. I felt so smart for “tricking” people that day 😂

[@wherefancytakesme]

I've heard of an experiment like that to see if wine enthusiasts really had refined palettes. Some were given white wine from the same bottle but with one glass dyed red, some were given the same wine but poured into a cheap and expensive bottle respectively. Nobody could tell.

[@SewerRanger]

@@wherefancytakesme Normally I'd let something like this go, but considering the channel and it's ethos...this often heard of study that floats around the internet is so overblown and incorrectly summarized it's not even funny anymore. The study actually was to see if somethings visual appearance changes how you describe its odor; something Anne briefly mentions in this video. The experiment (it wasn't really a study) wasn't done with wine experts, but with grad students studying the science of wine. They were first given a glass of red wine and a glass of white wine and were told to write down a list of words describing the smells of each wine. A week later, they were given white wine dyed red and the same white wine without the dye. They were then given the same list of scents they wrote down previously (now sorted alphabetically) and told to assign each word on the list to which wine they thought the word described best. The results showed that they tended to assign the words associated with red colored or dark colored objects (plums, chicory, raspberries, etc) to the red colored wine and words to describe light or yellow colored objects (straw, lemon, honey, etc) to the white colored wine. The results show that scents is heavily influenced by color. The experiment itself was never (as far as I can tell) reproduced and the results had nothing to do with the taste of the wine, wine "experts", or guessing if a wine is red or white.

[@SheyD78]

@@wherefancytakesme Interesting, but I think that speaks to the people more than the flavour of the wine (of which I drink perhaps a little too much). Even though expensive wine is often not actually more pleasant tasting than a good but cheap wine, there is a sort of richness to higher quality wines that set them apart. It doesn't mean they're nicer to drink (I struggle to consistantly find an expensive wine that is actually nice, which is why I usually buy the cheap stuff which IS reasonably consistant) but I'm pretty sure I could tell the difference between a $5-10 bottle and a $50-100 bottle every time.

[@MaximumTheMokona]

@@SewerRanger thanks for explaining. it seems like it was a very limited experiment.

[@wherefancytakesme]

@@SewerRanger Okay, fair, though I never said it was a study or that they were proclaimed experts, and I never really thought if it as some sort of gotcha. I didn't know though that they were students and that it was mainly a sight/taste test. I read the sources ages and ages ago so I may not have remembered that precisely, my bad.

[@breakingbadheisenberg9703]

Medicine, 😂 perfect ! Every kid knows.

[@brandyabbott1434]

That is my answer everytime to artificial cherry lol

[@princesseville6889]

There is this ONE horrible Cough syrup that unites kids worldwide in their hatred for it, I see lol.

[@rillab]

Reminded me of my sister. One of the medicines she got when she was in hospital as a child was a cherry-flavored zinc supplement. Even ten years after she did not eat anything cherry-flavored because "it tasted like zinc".

[@agentmae5490]

For me everything artificial fruity tastes like benadryl 😖

[@notenoughmonkeys]

Fun fact, all KZbin videos are exactly the same, it's only the sounds and pictures that are different.

[@Gamamations]

WHAAAT 🤯

[@xFireCrystalx]

I work in the flavor industry and want to say how great your video is! I think people often see flavor on packaging and have no idea what it is or why it's there. It's a fascinating world you could make hours of content about, but love your way of explaining some of the basics! :)

[@SakyTenraku]

Okay, are we just gonna pretend like dave's reaction to the skittles WASN'T comedy gold??? 🤣🤣🤣 I am DYING already

[@bextomoose]

His reactions to everything are hilarious, especially in this video XD It was hilarious when Ann said "yes, orange flavored!" and Dave said "well, orange _scented_ " haha

[@oldvlognewtricks]

Slow descent into existential crisis, hitting all the stages of grief along the way 😂

[@stephaniejoobern1001]

Just always red and then resignation lol

[@filiaaut]

I was so sad for him when the red finally turned up and he had already given up.@@stephaniejoobern1001

[@eliabeck689]

@@oldvlognewtricks Slow de-SCENT, eh? ;)

[@watfordbros5440]

Seems like the theory of those air up bottles as well

[@AuntyAwesome]

I thought it was going to be about that!

[@stormywolfhowls]

Honestly it sort of does work I wear lipbalm, watermelon scented in particular. S o when I drink from my water with the lip balm the water will taste like watermelon while its still on the rim of the bottle.

[@MsSquishme]

I have one & it does work - I do 'smell' that it's plain water after I've had a drink, but while sucking the straw, it def 'tastes' like the pod I'm using.

[@doodlejule]

It reminded me of that too! Advertising works 😆 But I also watched a video recently where someone tested AirUp and hated all of the flavours, saying they made everything taste chemical. It's like Ann's son said about the banana flavour, some of the "artificial" flavourings in stuff (even if they say it's not artificial) tastes nothing like the real thing, does it? Watermelon flasvour, like previous commenter said, doesn't taste anything like watermelon!

[@Nigolasy]

This is exactly how air up works. It's also why there are so many wildly different opinions on how good the flavors of the pods are. Just yesterday I saw an honest review about air up and all people in the video said that the pods were unpleasent or disgusting. Only one person had good things to say which was only after the smell got weaker. A fresh pod was also identified as unpleasent. Using chemicals to mimic flavors when those exact chemical flavors are used for other products will result in people identifying wrong things when tasting them.

[@KhanaHatake]

Someone commented about how this is a beautiful example of how much someone is willing to doubt themselves if they fully trust the other person. I totally agree, and it's so cool to watch!

[@Zephiias]

3:54 its not just that. Normal Smell doesnt contribute much to flavour, its the retronasal olfactory system. When the Smell is coming from the back of your throat into your nasal cavity it is percieved differently than if entering the "normal" way. For Instance the chemicals of smell of beet-root is the same as rain on earth. It is percieved as pleasant in form of rain, yet many experience it bad in its retronasal flavour of "dirt". Thats why at your experiment at 12:00 they figured out its more of a "smell" in their face instead of a different "taste". Edit: just reached the end of the video and seen you mentioned it. Oops

[@phibs2276]

I love the visual of Ann sneakily weaving peanut butter under her family's nose 😂

[@MySweetBijou]

Watching Ann hold the jars of smell up to everyone and seeing them catch onto what she is doing was so fun. I love the experiments ran on family so much.

[@Vexxa_]

thank you for explaining taste vs flavour. i think people forget that they cant really taste much when they have sinus congestion, but they wouldnt then say that "all food tastes the same"

[@sarahfox5379]

This is def one of my top 10 fave episodes! Y'all are such a sweet family - seeing Dave trying to find what bumped him had me in tears!

[@curhob]

13:55 is probably one of the most hilarious moments on this show. The smell trick was surprisingly effective up until that point.

[@skye4591]

i was dying laughing 😅

[@kaoslobster3742]

The point when he catches her 😂

[@leifl8812]

It was a great segment overall but I liked the "my mind is playing tricks on me" moment even more

[@nartnugget]

Hardest I've laughed all week!

[@Rowgue51]

It wasn't really effective at all. The older son figured out exactly what she was doing and explained it in detail in the middle of the test. And both Dave and the younger son said multiple times that they could identify the smells but that the cookies did not actually taste like what they were smelling. This did more to disprove the theory than to support it.

[@ZephyCluster]

I read somewhere that the specific "banana flavoring" that they use for artifical flavoring was from a species that went extinct. So there is no natural banana anywhere that tastes like "banana flavor" anymore.

[@lentinsteeman4622]

From the Banana wikipedia page: "The cultivars Dwarf Cavendish and Grand Nain (Chiquita Banana) gained popularity in the 1950s after the previous mass-produced cultivar, Gros Michel (also an AAA group cultivar), became commercially unviable due to Panama disease, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum which attacks the roots of the banana plant." and from the Gros Michel banana wikipedia page: "The Gros Michel has a higher concentration of isoamyl acetate, the ester commonly used for "banana" food flavoring, than the Cavendish."

[@tookitogo]

I mean, it’s not extinct as such, but it’s not the commercially available variety anymore. So most people today have never tasted a Gros Michel, and most never will.

[@Eventide215]

@@tookitogoDon't know about "never will" but yeah most people today never had an actual Gros Michel banana. Though it's odd we still use it for flavoring.. hence why artificial banana flavored things don't taste like actual bananas.

[@Nachiebree]

Good thing all those bananas are extinct too cause they taste bad if that's what the artificial banana flavor is

[@Eventide215]

@@NachiebreeWell, as Ann said, it's not *exact*. Even if you extract flavor from something it still doesn't taste the same as simply eating it. Like vanilla extract doesn't taste exactly the same as just eating vanilla. Similar happens with orange juice. A lot of brands of orange juice don't actually use just orange juice.. they actually take the juice, concentrate it, then water it down to create a different flavor profile. Personally I don't care for those ones at all because it's too concentrated and doesn't really taste like an orange because of it.

[@deuidicibus]

I LOVE that your family is part of the "equipment" you use to educate us. Lovely folks, all, and so game to take part in the various experiments. Just charming!

[@_iarna_]

Fun fact: Tastebuds don't quite work the way we were taught in school -- every tastebud can respond to all of the flavors, but they respond more strongly to one or another. (And so the flavor regions of the tongue are not as strict as we imagined.) Further, recent research has found olfactory receptors in the bundle of nerves in our tastebuds, though what that means specifically has not been determined. (It does imply that we **may** be able to distinguish, as flavor, more than the base tastes even without nose breathing, though obviously much less intensely than in the nose.)

[@00shivani]

I died laughing at Dave randomly throwing his hand up to catch you in the act! Lmao! Love seeing the fam, you all have the best vibes. Great and informative video as always!

[@MeloniousThunk]

So interesting, Ann! When I had Covid and lost my sense of smell and most taste I could still taste macro-flavors like sweet / spicy / sour / bitter but none of the more specific nuance of the flavor. This made tortilla chips and salsa taste salty / spicy ONLY- with no trace of tomato, onion, peppers, or corn chip. Buttered toast just tasted like greasy cardboard… no flavors of butter or wheat. And ginger candies tasted just spicy / sweet, with no ginger flavor at all. So odd!

[@HowToCookThat]

Exactly, helps you understand this perfectly. I hope your smell came back.

[@MeloniousThunk]

@@HowToCookThat it did come back after a few days of illness and I was (and am) so grateful! The prospect of a life without all the lovely flavors in nice foods felt a little gray. Thanks for all your wonderful content and for sharing your knowledge and family with us :)

[@StefyB5]

I had the same experience thanks to COVID. The most awful 5 days of my life because I just love food. 😢

[@sallyomahony1108]

My daughter loves her tea but after COVID couldn’t drink it for a year because it tasted horrible to her.

[@eiralinnea]

I got covid in late 2020 and lost immediately all sense of smell for months/years, that's when I learnt that the nose is very important to flavour. ☹️ I used to shove lots of chili in my food so I could at least FEEL it. Then very slowly some of it came back, and in 2023 I feel like I had gotten 85% of it back, and that's where it's stayed. I used to love dark coffee and dark chocolate but I think I've lost those forever, I can only taste the bitterness. (Thank God I'm not a chef!) (And luckily white chocolate exists 😊 )

[@Amra415]

I love this. It reminds me of the Soarin’ ride at Disneyland. They have different scents blown into your face during the ride ( sand for deserts, salt for oceans…..etc) to make the experience more immersive.

[@DanJ94]

Hearing you laugh so hard when Dave figured it out was so heartwarming ❤❤ I’d be curious to see what you’ve seen or researched about people with altered states of smell/taste post-covid? I never had a positive test (never had symptoms), but for the past 3 years now my smell has been seriously altered and I think it’s because of a case of covid where I was asymptomatic. Certain dairy products like sour cream & yogurt smell spoiled to me (I can no longer eat them - there’s that link between taste & smell!), same with certain cheeses. Certain breads also smell spoiled, cooking onions often smells like they’re burnt. Then it’s affected other non-food smells: people smoking cigarettes now make me feel sick, a lot of men’s colognes smell the same to me now. But more feminine scents all smell like they used to. And then a weird one - urine has an almost sweet scent 😅. It’s one of the weirdest things I’ve ever experienced.

[@bladepanthera]

I laughed so hard at Dave figuring out what you were doing at around 14:10 😂😂😂

[@reid3031]

Nothing could have prepared me for "Imagine this is your nose" (presents massive handmade nose sculpture)

[@ethanheyne]

Anne's disembodied hand floating out with those jars... the subtle difference in her tone and a sudden drop in fluency from trying to keep a secret... and the guys all sensing that something was not quite as advertised while still trying to stay on-task. Wonderful!

[@silkvelvet2616]

This explains SO much. With a LOT of microwave curries claiming 'authenticity', but they're all promise as you're heating them up, but zero delivery upon eating. Thanks for this!

[@lohihilo7884]

Your channel is among the best produced, most professional, well-researched, and benevolent on the platform. It's wholesome without being moralistic, accessible, insightful, and always entertaining. I've been sick and watching a lot of KZbin lately, and honestly, there is so much monetized garbage out there it's depressing. Thanks for actually teaching me something in a gentle, professional way. You deserve a proper show on television.

[@livingmorganism]

Couldn't agree more, you said it perfectly

[@TheLastPhoen1x]

Dave's commentary during the scent experiment is hilarious.

[@jmarshal]

I love seeing your family participate in your experiments. So wholesome. Your sons are so clever and have incredible palates! Your eldest son especially seems very aware. I wonder if he’s interested in a career with food somehow, or he’s gone a completely different route!

[@Sethemiah]

Your family has the best job ever! And oh the patience on them!

[@justlola417]

I know it's probably not going to be about that but I love that ice cream shops, that sell something that doesn't have a smell, started making waffles, which have a strong smell, to entice people to come in

[@zucchinigreen]

That's Subway's whole business model

[@anthonydelfino6171]

movie theaters do this too, or at least many of them used to. they would vent the popcorn smell into the theaters to get people to come out and buy more during the movie

[@Official_Rik]

The science education queen of KZbin!

[@carylgibbs6094]

So I lost my sense of smell after a bout of strep throat 8 or 9 years ago and Ann Reardon, you almost made me cry with that description of smell detectors. I miss smelling flowers and experiencing my food properly and fully.

[@davomo89]

Love the way Dave is always so precise and your entire family is involved! My favorite video of yours by far, and I've been a follower for years! Thanks for such interesting content.

[@elheber]

It's telling how during the flavored-water blind taste test you were able to help them identify the flavor by just speaking the color and putting the color in their minds.

[@nileredscandy]

Can we just appreciate Ann making a giant nose sculpture at 3:20 though? And how when she sprays the droplets get sucked into the nostrils?? I applaud the commitment to good visual aids for 25 seconds of footage 👏👏👏

[@hopehoping]

She's brilliant.

[@nuaru100]

This made my morning, thank you. Oh, your sweet, patient family. You guys are hilarious.

[@cadencefletcher]

This is perhaps my favourite video I’ve watched in a long time! I laughed so much with biscuits tasting, and have had my eyes opened to even more wonder of how intricate and detailed we are. I’m so amazed at Gods intricate and detailed attention in creating us. Thank you so much Ann for all the love, work and care you put into your videos! Such fun and so interesting 🥰

[@MarkALong64]

Part of the issue with banana flavour is that artificial banana flavouring is based on the Gross Micheal banana which is pretty much extinct except in Canary islands. Everywhere else gets the Cavendish banana which has a much less pronounced flavour and a firmer texture.

[@SaberusTerras]

The same reason the Gros Michel is no longer worldwide is now a threat to the Cavendish: Fungal infestation. We propagated the plants through cuttings and not seed stock, so the entire crop is basically clones. The only real method to combat it is to destroy all the plants in the plantation and stop using it, since the spores survive in the soil for decades. We went to the Cavendish because it was resistant to the fungus. Now a variant of the fungus is showing up that does affect the Cavendish.

[@inugami-d5355]

Sadly this is why mono crops are a false economy and do often produce mass plagues of disease. Same as any over population

[@shutup-gc2yk]

If you're curious, you can still have Gros Michel bananas, you can order them online through specialized websites but they're reaaaaally expensive. And the artificial flavor is still not that close to the real deal.

[@frumbolo]

This is actually a common misconception. Banana-flavored candies taste different because they only use isoamyl acetate, just one of the many flavor compounds in bananas. This compound is present in both the Cavendish and Gros Michel varieties, and while it has a higher concentration in the latter, foods flavored with isoamyl acetate still taste differently from the Gros Michel. Fruits contain a wide variety of compounds that contribute to their flavor. These chemicals may quickly degrade or be difficult to produce, so artificial flavors do not use most of them. This is why fruit-flavored candies and drinks may not taste the same as the fruit they imitate.

[@perevision]

@@frumboloyes we have Gros Michel bananas in Thailand and the Philippines and they don’t taste like that at all. Thanks for pointing it out, I hear this misconception all the time!

[@tahlia4427]

I did a research project on this for year 10 science a couple years ago. You explained everything so much better than all those websites did. I wish I would’ve had this as a resource

[@ashlyboss]

This is probably the only channel I watch where I don’t fast forward through the sponsors because they’re always awesome. Thanks for keeping us educated and entertained Anne! With love from Canada as always

[@tomatokage]

The cookie test at the end had me in stitches, especially with Ann trying to contain her giggles as her family pondered why the smell kept appearing and disappearing. An interesting dive into the topic, and some fun experiments too!

[@DJBaphomet]

I love them trying to start smelling the cookies to see what they smell like, so Ann has to very quickly try and sneak the jar in front of their nose without bumping their fingers so she can continue the experiment Definitely a fun (if not visually awkward) experiment to try out though!

[@afsg2410]

Some bakeries just blow "baking"-smell out of little ventilators into the street. Nevertheless, I almost start drooling when I smell that. 😀

[@blue4155]

I lived near an outlet for a big chain bakery as a kid and we could smell it all the way down the road on the way back from school. The urge to buy and scarf down a whole loaf of fresh bread every other day was overwhelming lol

[@sabrinage4401]

Wow I'm really impressed every time I'm watching another Video from you. The way you are so passionate about what you're doing and the fact that you are really testing out so many things and doing so much research about each topic is wonderful. And I feel the support your family is giving you, they seem to have so much fun, although (especially your husband 😂) had to taste so many experiments until now. Thank you for making such a great content. Looking forward to your next videos. 😊 Greetings from Germany, Sabrina

[@fwosti3548]

Utterly fascinating. Thank you, Ann!

[@Chimchimchimmyy]

I love how Ann combines food, science and fun to make such creative videos 🔥❤

[@Eventide215]

This is why I loved science as a kid then started to hate the idea of it as I got older. It was like as you get older the more serious it gets but it doesn't have to be that way. Most things don't have to be that way.. there are ways of combining fun into everything we do which makes it so much more tolerable and well.. fun to do.

[@Chimchimchimmyy]

@@Eventide215 absolutely! I've learned so much cool stuff from people like Ann and Nile Red because they know how to incorporate fun into learning

[@careena8242]

Fantastic, and so interesting. It also explains why, when I had Covid-19 and lost my sense of smell, the only things I could 'taste' were sweet, salty and sour. I remember thinking "I can taste the 'texture' more than the actual taste."

[@ClanImprobable]

This was fascinating and so delightful, I adore that your kids and husband, Ann are so game and each so brilliant in different ways of engaging with what you ask of them. Thank you to all of you!

[@zoeroseH]

The work you put in to communicating a concept is so awesome. I'm so hooked on the videos you produce ☺

[@jeanvignes]

THANK YOU! This really explains a lot about how my ability to smell and taste food got messed up (and is still messed up today) after I had COVID. At first I couldn't smell or taste anything at all. It was like being "blinded" instantly to all tastes and smells. Then very, very, very slowly (over a period of several years) my taste came back (bitter, sour, sweet, umami, etc.) but my sense of smell still tunes in and out like bad radio reception while driving through a remote desert. Sometimes my sense of smell is at around 60% and other times it drops back down to 0% to `10%. It is so very frustrating. Things can take on a really odd smell (e.g. my dog smelling like peanut butter, or something mint smelling like burned grass) or just have so little scent that (for example) I can bury my nose into a fresh cut Christmas tree and smell nothing at all. So frustrating. Oddly, if my sense of smell is very poor, I can sometimes kick-start it by brushing my teeth, gargling, and rinsing very well. I guess I'm cleaning and stimulating that vestibule in the back of my nose where the food smells linger when you breathe out? I hope that eventually I don't miss my old sense of smell anymore. It's still very distressing to (for example) take a big whiff from a bottle of vanilla extract and smell...nothing at all.

[@OwenFriday13]

I experienced that too when i got covid. I could only taste a bit of salty and sweet and smell nothing at all. I think the usual use of aromatics and spices in our food culture helped in my recovery a lot.

[@mmutants116]

thank you for sharing this description, most thorough one i've seen regarding covid-related smelling problems

[@eiralinnea]

And it has a social dimension too, you start getting apprehensive of tasting anything your friends made because what if it tastes bad to you or you can't taste it at all - people take cooking sometimes very personally so saying you can't taste anything might go over badly.

[@ladykiwi2946]

I wouldn’t want to eat or cook or bake anymore, which says a lot because I love to cook and bake! I would also miss petrichor (the smell that lingers after rain), clean laundry, flowers, loved ones… I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I really hope you get your sense of smell back ♥️

[@janemiettinen5176]

Grandma lost hers too, some of it returned, but not everything. Just a heads up, when buying scents for yourself, get someone else to come along as interpreter/judge. Grandma had one really offensive perfume, that magically got lost.. Not even sorry, it had to go!

[@WhyForLewis]

Another great scientific video, Ann! I could definitely see this being shown in a classroom. I loved the big nose, I wonder if you bought it; or did you, Dave, or one of the boys make it. I also found it funny how your shirt blended in with the background so it looked like a floating arm with jars of food, haha! Already can't wait until next week's. 😃

[@HowToCookThat]

Thanks WhyForLewis I made the giant nose just for this video.

[@WhyForLewis]

Love the commitment, haha.@@HowToCookThat

[@ColettexCollins]

you are a bad ass

[@peglakanta]

The holding of jars test was honestly so funny 😄 great investigative video as per usual, this is the only channel I have notifications turned on for! ❤

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

When I temporarily lost most of my sense of smell due to a mild case of COVID last year, the taste of my favorite foods was the only way I could experience flavor. It was like missing out on half of every meal, and made me appreciate just how much flavor comes from smell.

[@Cthulhus_Mum]

Ahhh, Dave and the boys are so patient, and we love them for it 🤣🤣🤣

[@mariawelych4294]

I really enjoy your scientific approach to food. It’s fascinating to watch you deconstruct and explain food science.

[@joyce1175]

This video was the perfect combination of educational, interesting, hilarious. The boys had me cracking up when they started getting onto you waving the jars in front of their faces!

[@ada3110]

In middle school I got addicted to skittles and spent all my money on them, and thats why I vowed to never eat skittles again...

[@fornkly]

I love coming out of these videos not with definitive answers like "skittles are all one flavour", but being able to use this wealth of knowledge to apply to all sorts of questions! Like being able to differentiate flavours, smells and tastes, between all kinds of foods. Thanks Ann, for yet another insightful Friday evening 💖

[@-MacCat-]

As always entertaining and informative. A big thank you to you and your dedicated test subjects.

[@mrsbaggettbaby4384]

I literally learn something new every single time you post a video! That last bit about being in a restaurant was so enlightening and fascinating! I love your passion and dedication and how your face lights up when you talk about things ❤

[@KuaEtus]

I love the restaurant example at the end, really usefull for explaining the phenomena

[@AppleJackApple]

A (probably) better variant of the same experiment would be to have the same plain cookies for the taste but for the smell to have not the actual banana, orange, etc, but cookies with banana, orange, etc.

[@Irma_N]

This has to be my favorite video you've done yet! 😄 My sister and I watched this together and we laughed the whole time!

[@ShadowNight808]

Not only is this super interesting and informative, but it's also wholesome and hilarious as heck.

[@nbrad3105]

Your family are the best for doing your experiments on them 👏👏👏

[@milky__.]

Ann shoving the jars into their noses is so funny😂

[@Efi_C]

I really appreciate your channel, your content is such great quality, in every way. Your personality and interests make it shine even more. Thank you for sharing such great content with us!

[@jaball77]

"It's weird. I get 2 seconds of smell then it's gone..." lol. You don't say!

[@Vickie-Bligh]

What a fun, interesting, and informative video. Due to my education, I knew that flavor depended on scent. But I didn't know it was utilizing exhaled scents from the food. Once again Dave & the boys are troopers. Being willing to a) do the experiments and b) do them on camera was wonderful. It didn't take them all long to figure it out either. Well done you lot. Thanks again, for this, Ann.

[@jiggyprawn]

Great vid as usual, Ann. I especially enjoyed a good giggle when Dave started getting suspicious! I can only imagine how hard it was for you to not burst out laughing a few times during that experiment!😄

[@Reihanism73]

This was incredible! Thank you

[@LeeLee86]

This video was fascinating Ann!! I always love how much your hubby and boys are always up to helping you in your videos and for being the guinea pigs ❤❤❤

[@Sheena5212]

Them slowly catching on to the ploy, lol

[@angelarthrasher]

Your family is sooo precious and supportive of your antics! Love when they caught on to what was going on!

[@ashleejones586]

You’re seriously the best KZbinr. Thank you for all that you and family do for us! I get so excited every time you post!

[@chaeriplease]

Your videos always make my day Anne. You're inspiring me to want to become a food scientist ♥

[@HowToCookThat]

thanks chaeriplease your comment made me smile.

[@chaeriplease]

@@HowToCookThat omg! i'm so glad 🥺

[@GamerAbbylee]

Today on HTCT, Ann gaslights the family with cookies.😂

[@KC-lz9qg]

Love your vids Ann, especially the ones with your family in them. Dave cracks me up. Your kids are super sharp too. I also love reading the comments, you draw a nice crowd. Fun, entertaining takes on what you do and devising their own experiments. Enjoyable, stress free fun on KZbin . . . whoda thunk it!?!

[@ossieg1505]

This is one of the best, most fun, educational, fascinating video you've done. Thank you!!!

[@scraperindustry]

The older son is the best taster

[@K4nicr4b]

I love this topic, truly amazed by the science behind it. Found it from the Sorted Food channel which they expand more to create interesting food pairings. This also makes me remember how confused my brain is when drinking Flavored Clear drinks from Japan

[@vaiciciaku]

You keep surprising us with content that is each time new, fresh, entertaining, informative and never seen anywhere else. Thank you!

[@lisaflower5994]

I loved this, thankyou Anne and family

[@tomskih203]

I tell you now. This channel produces some of the best content on the entirety of KZbin. Thank you for Ann and the rest of the Readon family for the excellent educational content. Also this is the science in how the airup waterbottles work.