Food Detectives

You've got questions; Food Detectives will find the answers! Science meets food as Ted Allen and his band of culinary sleuths conduct experiments to find the truth behind all of your burning food conundrums. What's the deal with the five-second rule? Does turkey really make you sleep? Is double-dipping really unsanitary? Tune in for all these answers and plenty more.

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Turkey Test

Boiling Water

The 5-Second Rule

About The Show

S2 | E1

Tastes Like Chicken

Ted Allen subjects the food techs to a very unusual taste test. They'll determine if meats like alligator and guinea pig truly do "taste like chicken." And before you go to your next birthday party, you better find out the results of our experiment on birthday cakes. The team also calculates how many calories you save by blotting a slice of pizza. And does eating carrots improve your vision?

S2 | E2

Bad Breath Cures

Ted Allen is on a mission to find out what stains your teeth the fastest? Is it tea, cola, coffee or wine? And Ted invites an olfactory expert to sniff out the best cure for the food techs' bad breath. Plus you may have heard that it's impossible to drink a gallon of milk in an hour, but is it true?

S2 | E3

Miracle Berry

We investigate a little berry with a surprising twist. What is the secret behind this miracle berry? And the curiously explosive combination of diet cola and Mentos have Ted Allen wondering, what causes this grand eruption? The team also asks if drinking alcohol really kills brain cells, and if throwing pasta against the wall is really the best way to see if it’s done cooking?

S2 | E4

The Effects of MSG

This week Ted Allen and the Food Detectives team investigate the real effects of eating food that contains MSG. We will also reveal the best way to keep ice cream from falling off the cone. And, have you ever wondered what has the most caffeine-coffee, tea, soda, or energy drinks? Find out here, on Food Detectives.

S2 | E5

Liquid Smoke

Ted Allen recruits identical twins for an experiment to find out if drinking lots of water really makes your skin look better. The Food Detectives team also creates liquid smoke in the lab, and discovers the bizarre secret ingredients in natural food coloring.

S2 | E6

Moldy Cheese

A delicious piece of bleu cheese has Ted Allen wondering—what makes moldy cheese okay to eat? And when you burn your tongue, does it cause any permanent damage? Finally, the Food Detectives team hits the street to find out if so-called "dirty water hot dogs" are as dirty as you think.

S2 | E7

Small Plate Club

This week the team conducts an experiment to find out if the size of your plates can make you fat. Ted Allen also reveals why asparagus doesn't smell like much going in, but can be rather pungent coming out. And, have you ever wondered how much of the alcohol evaporates when you cook with liquor? Lastly – can drinking too much water actually kill you? Find out this week, on Food Detectives.

S2 | E8

Smells Delicious

This week, Ted Allen subjects the food techs to a taste test to find out how much your sense of taste relies on smell. Will they be able to tell apple from potato without the help of their eyes and nose? And, you might not think of fried food as “healthy”, but how fattening is it? And what is the healthiest oil to fry with? Finally, is it really true that wood cutting boards harbor more bacteria than their plastic counterparts? We’ll cut to the truth, on Food Detectives.

S2 | E9

Liquid Nitrogen Cocktails

This week, Ted Allen invites Richard Blaise to the Food Lab to demonstrate how to make some really cool cocktails, using a tank of liquid nitrogen. And, Dr. Brian Wansink teams up with the food detectives to find out how much of taste is influenced by elegant decor or flowery menu descriptions. Finally, have you ever heard that drinking ice water can burn calories? Find out if that theory holds water, this week on Food Detectives.

S2 | E10

Chewing the Fat

This week, Ted Allen wants to know what labels like "low fat" and "light" really mean. And, are they a good way to help you lose weight? The food detectives also want to know if bugs could be part of a balanced diet. So, Ted serves up some six-legged critters to the food techs. Finally, have you ever heard that green potato chips are poisonous? Find out if there's any truth to that claim, this week, on Food Detectives.

S2 | E11

New York City Pizza

This week the food detectives want to know if New York City really has the best pizza. And if so, is the secret in the water? We'll also find out what metals like iron and copper are doing in our food, and discover the good, the bad and the ugly truth about preservatives. Also, Ted Allen wants to know if tapping the top of a soda can to prevent it from exploding really works. Find out this week, on Food Detectives.

S2 | E12

Nightcaps?

Ted Allen wants to know if a warm glass of milk before bed really guarantees sweet dreams. So he’s checking the food techs into a sleep lab to find out if nightcaps really work. Plus the food detectives will give you the raw facts on raw food diets, and will reveal what foods contain more sugar than you think. Finally, when you crack open an egg and find a blood spot, is it still safe to eat? We’ll give you the hard boiled fact, this week on Food Detectives.

S2 | E13

All you can eat

This week on Food Detectives, we investigate the Calorie. First we’ll set various foods on fire to calculate the number of Calories they contain, and then we’ll hit the gym to find out what it really takes to burn them off. And, “all you can eat” is a great deal but it’s lousy diet advice. So, Ted Allen wants to know, how can you enjoy buffets without going overboard? Finally, you may have heard that there are no naturally blue foods. But is it true? We’ll put that claim to the test, this week on Food Detectives.

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