15 Oddly Compelling Facts About The Food You’re Served On Airplanes
Have you ever wondered why airplane food tastes different or why some foods are served at 30,000 feet? Airplane food has always been a topic of discussion.
There are some exciting things to learn in the science of why we have taste buds in high altitudes and the logistics of serving thousands of meals in the air. Here are 15 surprising facts about the meals you’re given above the clouds.
At Altitude, Your Taste Buds change
Your taste buds and sense of smell strike when you’re 30,000 feet in the air. Research also found that the combination of lower pressure and humidity in airplane cabins cuts our taste sensitivity by around 30 percent—particularly for salty and sweet flavors. This is why airline food is often dull or lacks flavor.
Cabin Pressure Dryness, the Science of it
Working with dry cabin air can also affect your sense of taste. Your taste buds are so numbed at high altitudes that a third become deactivated.
The whole effect is like a cold; if you have a cold, it dulls your senses, and that’s why airlines use so many more spices and salt than usual to overpower the change in taste.
Meals Are Ground Prepared
Strangely, your airplane meal isn’t even cooked on board. Instead, meals are prepped and partially cooked at catering facilities close to the airport, then chilled or frozen. Then, they’re reheated on the plane. Companies such as Gate Gourmet and LSG Sky Chefs provide about 50,000 meals daily.
The Weight of Cutlery Matters
Using light materials—plastic or specially designed lightweight metal utensils can dramatically lower an aircraft’s weight, saving fuel costs.
Regarding efficiency in the skies, every ounce counts, including lightweight cutlery in onboard meal planning. If they eliminated a single olive from each passenger’s salad, they would save $40,000 annually, according to United Airlines.
Quality Control is Stringent
Flying with airlines is a top priority, and airlines do everything to ensure safety, food quality, and customer comfort. At every stage of preparation, the dish is checked for hygiene and taste standards.
This includes monitoring temperature controls, following rigorous health rules, and performing batch tests to ensure consistency. These stringent checks matter because they ensure the food served is okay for you, high above the clouds.
A Menu Designed by Experts
Many airlines partner with world-famous chefs to design their menus. Singapore Airlines, for example, works alongside an International Culinary Panel, of which chef Carlo Cracco and Sanjeev Kapoor are members. This partnership ensures gourmet meals that are practical for high-altitude eating.
Back Then, Food Used To Be Cooked On Planes
Before tight rules against air safety were laid out, flying was so different from what it is today. You could smoke during the flight, and most of the food was cooked on the plane.
In 1936, United Airlines was the first to install onboard kitchens to serve hot meals to air passengers, and soon, other airlines began to follow suit. Concorde, launched in 1969, became famous for its high-quality cuisine prepared on board.
Tomato Juice Tastes Better in the Sky
Flyers also love tomato juice for some odd reason. University of Cornell researchers found that umami flavors like those in tomato juice taste more decadent and savory in a cabin environment.
Special Meals Need Extra Planning
Careful planning and prep culminate in special dietary meals, like Kosher, halal, or vegan, separately handled to meet nutritional laws. Airlines suggest you order these meals 24 to 48 hours before the flight to ensure availability.
Meals Differ by Class
It is no secret that business and first-class passengers receive more elaborate meals than economy class. The higher ticket prices allow carriers to provide better ingredients and higher-quality service. On long-haul flights, meals are often prepared by the onboard chefs.
Fruity wines are preferred
What’s on the wine menu changes with the changes in your taste buds at a high altitude. Most airlines prefer to carry wines that are fruity, high in tannin, and fragrant.
Pilots have different meals
Different meals are served to co-pilots on a flight. It’s rare for in-flight meals to cause food poisoning, but this is done as an added precaution to ensure both pilots don’t get sick!
Meals are Tested in Simulated Conditions
Airline meals are tested in simulated cabin conditions before reaching your tray table to ensure they’re palatable at high altitudes. This includes tasting them in pressurized environments that mimic the cabin.
A Global Collaboration
Plane food has a reputation for not being particularly good. But now, many airlines are going out of their way to alter that by working with some of the world’s best chefs.
Industry greats like Chopped judge Maneet Chauhan and chef Christina Tosi of Milk Bar are taking to the sky. The growing standard of food served in flight is coming along, even though the culinary talent mainly focuses on menu development for first and business classes.
You consume way more calories on a flight than you usually would
One calculation estimates that the typical British passenger will consume more than 3,400 calories from check-in until landing. We guess this isn’t much different for people in other countries (or maybe even worse for Americans).
The blame has been laid at the door of several factors, including that airplane food now has more salt and sugar as the taste perception reduces, people tend to consume more when watching a movie or TV show (as they do while in the air).
Disclaimer – This list is solely the author’s opinion based on research and publicly available information.
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