How It Actually Works

Food & Drink

What happens in the kitchen, and why.

Microwave control panel close-up — what the mute setting actually silences, from button beeps to end-of-cycle alerts
We Tested Microwave Mute Settings: What Do They Actually Silence? Daniel S. I. · 9 min read
Slices of bread in a freezer bag with frost visible, ready for freezer storage
Does Freezing Bread Really Keep It Fresher? Daniel S. I. · 14 min read
A bottle of orange juice with a thicker pulp layer settled at the bottom and a clearer layer above it
Does Shaking Orange Juice Really Put the Good Stuff Back In? Here's What Actually Settles Daniel S. I. · 12 min read
A steaming pot of hot soup beside an open refrigerator, illustrating whether hot food should go straight into the fridge or cool on the counter first
Does Putting Hot Food in the Fridge Really Make It Work Harder? Daniel S. I. · 13 min read
An open microwave oven with a plate of food inside, illustrating the standing-wave field patterns that make microwave heating uneven
Why Does Your Microwave Heat Food Unevenly? What's Actually Happening Inside the Oven Daniel S. I. · 14 min read
A chili pepper beside a flushed glass of milk, illustrating how capsaicin tricks the body's noxious-heat receptor into reporting a burn that isn't there
Why Does Spicy Food Burn If It Isn't Actually Burning You? Daniel S. I. · 11 min read
Illustration of a person chopping an onion with tears streaming down their face, with a molecular diagram of the tear-producing lachrymatory factor nearby
Why Do Onions Make You Cry, and Can You Actually Stop It? Daniel S. I. · 12 min read