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Nutrition & composition

Allulose: What It Is, How Many Calories It Has, and How It Differs From Sugar

Allulose, also called D-psicose, is a monosaccharide structurally related to fructose that occurs naturally in small amounts in selected foods. Much of it is absorbed but very little is metabolized for energy, so it contributes far fewer calories than sucrose. In the United States, FDA allows a value of 0.4 kcal/g and permits allulose to be excluded from Total Sugars and Added Sugars while remaining in Total Carbohydrate.

4 min read
Fruit · Nutrition concepts

Monk Fruit: What It Is and Why It Is Usually Blended With Erythritol

Monk fruit, or luo han guo, is Siraitia grosvenorii, a fruit native to southern China. Concentrated extracts contain mogrosides, the compounds responsible for intense sweetness. FDA reports that extracts can be roughly 100–250 times sweeter than sucrose depending on mogroside content. Because only a tiny amount is required, many tabletop monk-fruit sweeteners contain far more erythritol or another bulking ingredient than actual extract.

4 min read
Grains & pseudocereals · Cooking & food science

Polenta: What It Is, What It Is Made From, and How It Differs From Cornmeal

Polenta is a preparation: a thick porridge made by cooking ground grain in water. Today the word usually means medium- or coarse-ground yellow or white corn. A package labeled “polenta” may therefore be ordinary cornmeal milled to a useful particle size for the dish. The meaningful differences are usually grind size, whether germ and bran remain, and whether the product was precooked.

4 min read
Tubers · Cooking & food science

Tapioca: What It Is, Where It Comes From, and Why It Is Used in So Many Foods

Tapioca comes from cassava root, Manihot esculenta, and in most food uses refers to purified cassava starch. Cassava roots are milled with water to release starch granules, which are separated from fiber and other plant material and then dried. The resulting starch is neutral in flavor, swells strongly in water, and can form relatively clear, elastic pastes that work well in sauces, desserts, and gluten-free foods.

4 min read
Comparisons

Cornstarch vs. Tapioca Starch: How They Differ for Sauces and Desserts

Cornstarch and tapioca starch thicken by the same general mechanism—starch gelatinization—but their granules and amylose/amylopectin structures differ. Cornstarch commonly creates a more opaque sauce and firmer gel as it cools. Tapioca tends to swell strongly, remain clearer, and produce a slightly more elastic texture. Neither is universally better; the choice depends on the sauce, filling, or dessert you want.

4 min read
Fish & seafood · Food safety

Smoked Salmon: Is It Raw or Cooked, and How Is It Made?

“Smoked salmon” can describe two very different processes. Cold-smoked salmon is cured with salt and exposed to smoke at low temperature without a full cooking treatment, leaving a silky texture similar to cured raw fish. Hot-smoked salmon receives enough heat to cook and coagulate the fish proteins, producing a firm, flaky texture. Refrigerated cold-smoked salmon is ready-to-eat but deserves particular attention because of Listeria risk.

4 min read
Meat · Nutrition concepts

Beef Tallow: What It Is and Why It Has Become Popular Again

Beef tallow is rendered beef fat: fatty tissue is gently heated so the fat melts, then water, proteins, and solids are filtered away. It is useful for frying, roasting, and adding savory flavor. Its 2025–2026 resurgence has been driven by nostalgia, social media, traditional-food messaging, and anti-seed-oil campaigns. That popularity does not make tallow nutritionally superior; it remains 100% fat with a substantial saturated-fat fraction.

4 min read
Drinks · Comparisons

Protein Water: What It Is and How It Differs From a Protein Shake

Protein water is a clear or nearly clear beverage containing dissolved protein, most commonly whey protein isolate, although hydrolysates, collagen, and plant proteins also appear. Clear whey formulations are usually acidic because whey isolate can remain highly soluble and optically clear at low pH. A bottle can provide meaningful protein with very little fat or carbohydrate, but the exact nutrition varies by formula.

4 min read
Eggs · Food safety

Cracked Egg: When You Can Use It and When You Should Throw It Away

A crack breaks an egg's main physical barrier. USDA advises against buying eggs that are already cracked because bacteria on the shell can enter. If a refrigerated intact egg cracks accidentally at home, it can be handled immediately: transfer the contents to a clean covered container, refrigerate, and use within a short period, preferably fully cooked. If an egg cracks during hard cooking, USDA says it is safe.

4 min read
Fish & seafood · Nutrition & composition

Surimi: What It Is, What Fish It Is Made From, and Its Nutrition

Surimi is a fish-protein paste made by mincing, washing, and concentrating fish muscle to remove part of the fat, pigments, and soluble compounds. Alaska pollock is a common raw material, although other fish can be used. To make imitation crab sticks, manufacturers usually add starch, salt, sugar or sorbitol, egg white, oils, flavorings, and color. It still provides fish protein but is not nutritionally identical to a fillet.

4 min read