The Mind Trick That Makes Food Sweeter

Talk about cunning cutlery: Eating with fancy silverware might make dessert taste more delicious than if you use a plastic fork, according to new research from the University of Oxford. That's because people who snacked from larger, heavier utensils said the added weight made food taste sweeter.

In the same study, eating cheese off a knife also boosted tasters’ perception of salt nearly 28 percent compared to toothpick samples.

So what's going on? There are several hypotheses, but it’s possible that your past dining experiences teach your brain to associate certain utensil weights with different flavors, explains study coauthor Vanessa Harrar, Ph.D.

Interesting research, for sure. But if you really want to make your food taste better, use these 30 Top Chef Secrets.

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