Temperature’s role in Taste Enhancement

Do you remember the last time you took a bite into your favourite pizza or French fries and felt every one of your taste buds exploding with flavour. Now, imagine the same thing but with the pizza and French fries served cold. It’s still cooked to perfection, but it just doesn’t taste the same, does it? The last slice never tastes like the first slice, yet it was only 10 minutes ago you and the first slice. The reason? The temperature of food.

Hot food tastes better than cold food in most circumstances. Why? Science offers 3 reasons: aroma intensification, Stronger activation of taste buds, and chemical reactions that unlock flavour. The first one, aroma intensification, makes a lot of sense. Much of what we perceive as “flavor” is actually smell. Heat increases the volatility (the tendency of a substance to evaporate at a normal temperature) of aromatic compounds, allowing more molecules to be released into the air and detected by our olfactory receptors. That’s why a steaming bowl of soup smells so inviting, while cold leftovers might seem bland until reheated. So, yes, when you say you smell good pizza, pizza molecules are actually travelling up your nose. Same with any gross smells you might encounter. You might want to hold your breath in your bathroom from now on. 

The second reason is Stronger activation of taste buds. Our taste buds are more sensitive to warm food. Studies suggest that our perception of sweetness, saltiness, etc is heightened at higher temperatures. This is why melted chocolate or warm fruit pie tastes sweeter than when they are cold. The last reason science has to offer is chemical reactions that unlock flavour. Many key food reactions—such as the Maillard reaction (which gives baked bread their rich, complex flavors – that crispy on the outside and soft on the inside toast is what I mean ) and caramelization (which enhances sweetness in cooked sugar)—only occur at high temperatures. When food cools down, these flavors are less pronounced, making the dish taste duller.

However, another question arises. If hot food tastes better than cold food, why are deserts like ice cream so good despite being served cold? Unfortunately, I’m going to leave you hanging here. The answers will be revealed tomorrow. Until then, bye for now.