The Science Behind Airline Food

Beyond Mile-High Grub: Can Airline Food Be Tasty?

Did you know that food actually tastes better at lower elevations? In his article “Beyond Mile-High Grub: Can Airline Food Be Tasty?” Jad Mouawad talks about the science behind airplane food.

At a low elevation (about 1,000ft) the taste buds on the tongue and the nose work perfectly together. But the higher elevations numb the taste buds and in an airplane it is even worse because one third of the taste buds will numb and the cabins are kept at a low humidity, so the nose looses its sharp smell. So it is not really the food on a plane that is the problem (although some dishes look very unappetizing), it is the 35,000ft of elevation.

This is where science comes in. Chefs from all around the world are working with airlines to create a more enjoyable meal for the costumers. At first everyone was puzzled. The chefs would produce beautiful gourmet meals, but when brought up into the air they tasted, well, like airplane food. But this was not the only problem. The packaging, freezing, storing, and heating of the food from the ground to the air were real problems. And that is not mentioning the nightmare of getting the right meals on the right flight at the right time with hundreds of flights per day. So, now airline companies are trying to solve these problems.

Delta hired Mr. Chiarello, a former contestant on “Top Chef Masters,” and it took him six months to create a menu. In those months he tested different recipes and ingredients, as well as trying to figure out the best way to present his meals on an airplane tray, which means looking at textures and colors of his ingredients. He found that cherry tomatoes should be kept whole instead of sliced, chicken should be cooked on the skin side first, and two large pieces of prosciutto should be used as appetizers. While this may seem like a lot of work, it is actually very important. When Delta decided to get rid of one ounce from their steak it saved them $250,000 per year. So, it is very important for airline companies to try to please their customers, as well as not make meals too expensive.

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I found this article very interesting because I had never actually considered how difficult it was to do something as simple as feed people on airlines. I had always thought that airlines just served the food that was the easiest to make; I did not know of how much time, thought, and money were put into making the foods more enjoyable.

I am also interested by the fact that it is actually harder to taste food at higher altitudes. Is this why my school’s food is so bad? (We are at 6,500ft.) Ok, there may be more reasons, but it is fascinating how much science goes into something we eat. I would have never thought that tomatoes were better at high altitude whole than sliced. These small details are things that I would never have considered if I had not read this article.

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