Food can be a funny thing. We eat because we must, but we don't always know what we're eating, why we're eating it or what minor miracles from nature or man made the food what is. Here are answers to some common food questions:
What makes Jell-O gel?
Jell-O, like all gelatin products, is made from collagen, a protein that comes from animal skins.
Jell-O is "a gelatin powder made of crystals that dissolve when placed into hot or boiling water," said Joyce Hodel, a Kraft Foods spokeswoman. "So the crystals essentially melt to form a liquid solution. When the solution cools, the crystals start to clump together into a gel that traps water. Cold water is used to cool down the mixture to accelerate the gelling reaction."
Jell-O won't begin to thicken and gel until the temperature approaches 55 degrees.
Why does popcorn pop?
The Popcorn Board, a non-profit organization funded by U.S. popcorn processors, offers an answer on its Web site (popcorn.org) complete with a slo-mo video of popcorn kernels popping.
"Popcorn's ability to pop lies in the fact that the kernels contain a small amount of water stored in a circle of soft starch inside the hard outer casing," the Web site explains. "When heated, the water expands, creating pressure within, until eventually the casing gives way, and the kernels explode and pop, allowing the water to escape as steam, turning the kernels inside out."
Why are butters different colors?
Butter is made from cream, and cream is produced by cows. The color of the butter depends on the color of the cream. The cream's color depends on "certain pigments present in animal feed and pasture type, which varies seasonally," said Jeanne Forbis, spokeswoman for Land O'Lakes. Cream is white to yellowish white, she added, but when the cream is churned into butter, the fat proportion increases from 40 percent to 80 percent. Result? A more intense color.
"Generally, butter has a pale yellow color but varies from deep yellow to off-white," Forbis said. Some manufacturers use color additives to give the butter a uniform color; Land O'Lakes does not, she said.
How do they get the olives in the olive loaf?
We called Oscar Mayer, a division of Kraft Foods, for the lowdown on this colorful luncheon meat. "The olives are mixed into the meat and remain in place similar to how chocolate chips stay in cookies," said Sydney Lindner, a company spokesman. The meat-olive mix is then baked in a giant loaf pan, packaged, and sent out to supermarkets and delis.
How do Slim Jims stay edible for so long?
ConAgra Foods, the maker of Slim Jims, processes this iconic meat stick in a similar way to classic dried sausages, like pepperoni and hard salami. The Slim Jims are cured, thoroughly cooked and dried. And while it may sometimes appear as though the sticks have been out on the convenience store counter forever, a Slim Jim has an eight-month shelf life.