April marks the 15th anniversary of my blog, so during the A-Z blogging challenge, I will be sharing previous posts from over 2,100 I have written.
On my blog, I occasionally report on an experiment I've tried, like the time I tried to fry an egg on a hot sidewalk. Today, I going to rerun the post describing the time I tried to determine if different colored M &Ms have different tastes. This post originally ran in April 2016.
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Can You Taste the Difference?
One day at work, a friend commented that she didn't like the red M&M's as well as the other colors. I said they all tasted the same, and she insisted that the red ones were different. Well, I thought this comment definitely needed further investigation.
Off I went to get a bag of M&M's. I carefully tasted each color, and indeed, the red did taste different. Must be something with the dye, I thought. But did the red just taste different because I expected it to? Next, I tried a blind taste test, and the results were not as conclusive, but still, there could be something there about the red ones tasting different.
After that, I enlisted the help of my husband and son. I had no problem getting their help when I told them all they had to do was eat M&M's. Again, the results were inconclusive, but there still was enough of a trend to warrant more examination.
Then I sat down to design an experiment to test the theory that red M&M's taste different than the other colors and to get more data points. As it turns out, with so many different colors to work with, the design got quite complicated. In fact too complicated to carry out the experiment in the casual way I wanted. That meant I simplified things so that I was no longer using journal-worthy test methods, but I proceeded anyway.
I went to Aldi's to get a couple of large bags of M&M's to start setting up the experiment. Well, one thing led to another, and it took me several days before I got a chance to get much done. And I think you can guess what happened next? I ate all of the variables (M&M's). A couple of weeks later, I got more M&M's to try again. And guess what? I ate them before I got the experiment set up.
So what were my conclusions? Maybe the red ones do taste different, but more work needs to be done to know for sure. However, more conclusively, I proved that I like M&M's and have little self-control when they are around.
Have you ever noticed that one color of an M&M tasted different than another?
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| Do the different colors taste different? |
Off I went to get a bag of M&M's. I carefully tasted each color, and indeed, the red did taste different. Must be something with the dye, I thought. But did the red just taste different because I expected it to? Next, I tried a blind taste test, and the results were not as conclusive, but still, there could be something there about the red ones tasting different.
After that, I enlisted the help of my husband and son. I had no problem getting their help when I told them all they had to do was eat M&M's. Again, the results were inconclusive, but there still was enough of a trend to warrant more examination.
Then I sat down to design an experiment to test the theory that red M&M's taste different than the other colors and to get more data points. As it turns out, with so many different colors to work with, the design got quite complicated. In fact too complicated to carry out the experiment in the casual way I wanted. That meant I simplified things so that I was no longer using journal-worthy test methods, but I proceeded anyway.
I went to Aldi's to get a couple of large bags of M&M's to start setting up the experiment. Well, one thing led to another, and it took me several days before I got a chance to get much done. And I think you can guess what happened next? I ate all of the variables (M&M's). A couple of weeks later, I got more M&M's to try again. And guess what? I ate them before I got the experiment set up.
So what were my conclusions? Maybe the red ones do taste different, but more work needs to be done to know for sure. However, more conclusively, I proved that I like M&M's and have little self-control when they are around.
Have you ever noticed that one color of an M&M tasted different than another?
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M is also for But Wait, There's More!
Spring is continuing to show itself in a burst of blooms, and I'm going to share some of that. Sometimes, I refer back to these kinds of posts to compare the timing of seasonal things from year to year.
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| Lilac |
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| Viburnum |
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| Tulips |
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| Bleeding heart |
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| Daffodil |
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| Crabapple |
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| Apple |
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| Grape hyacinth |
There. I'm finally done for today.
Until next time...
Funny about the M&Ms. I haven't noticed them tasting different, but now I will have to sample them. :D
ReplyDeleteYour flowers are lovely!
That's what I first thought when my friend first said that the red M & Ms tasted different. Any excuse to get some M & Ms.
DeleteI didn't notice the difference. The M&M's I had eaten seemed to taste the same no matter the colors. But maybe it's the dye as you suggested since they don't use the same method to get the different colors. Beautiful spring flowers.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely day.
I could taste some difference, but couldn't do that reliably. I certainly couldn't get a job as a taste tester.
DeleteI love peanut M&Ms but cannot say if I ever noticed they taste differently. I am not scientific but this is an experiment I would love, lol!
ReplyDeleteI love peanut M&Ms, too. However, I think the peanut flavor would overshadow the subtle differences among the colors. But, I don't know. I think that needs some investigation, also. :)
DeleteIf you need test subjects for your next M&Ms experiment, I humbly offer my services. I agree with jj, peanut M&Ms are the bomb! For awhile, you could purchase coffee-flavored peanut M&Ms. I miss those.
ReplyDeleteLove your flowers. Our tulips started blooming today.
I never saw coffee-flavored peanut M&Ms. However, since I'm not a big fan of coffee, I would probably stick with the originals.
DeleteThere are tulips of various colors blooming in many yards around and they look so festive.
Ooh, now I want to try that experiment, myself! I love M&Ms! I can't say I've noticed a difference in taste, but, that's all the more reason to experiment, isn't it? :D
ReplyDeleteAnd after we figure out the taste of the basic colors, we can move onto the holiday colors, like the pastels they did for Easter. Of course, all in the name of science.
Deletei can't taste a difference between mm colors, but i worked with a lady who wouldn't eat cupcakes or other pastries with red frosting on them...she said when they color the frosting red it tastes bitter... i never noticed a difference in flavor. so maybe it has something to do with the dye being used?
ReplyDeleteI think the dye is is the difference. Your coworker must have had very sensitive taste buds.
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