Have you ever wondered why you love crunchy food so much? Well, guess what? You’re not the only one who loves it! This type of food stimulates multiple senses at the same time, which makes it very exciting.
The crunch generates pleasurable sensations through hearing, taste and touch. These go straight to the brain and produce satisfaction. That’s why so many people love eating crunchy food. Keep reading to find out more about it!
Sound: A Secret Element in Crunchy Food
The dining experience that includes crunchy food also involves the sense of hearing as an important part of it. Thanks to the noise we perceive when biting into this type of food, we can tell whether it’s fresh or good quality.
When we hear the crunch, it’s easy to imagine that the flavour and texture of the food will be pleasant. In fact, according to an experiment carried out by Professor Charles Spence and funded by Unilever Research, the crunch is a sign of freshness.
This is especially true in the case of vegetables and fresh foods that have this texture. It creates a sensory experience that the brain later recognises through that crunchy sound every time it hears it.
Crunchy Food as a Multisensory Experience
Multisensory stimulation is present in the human body thanks to multiple external factors. One of them, and a very effective one, is crunchy food, as these foods go beyond the sense of taste.
A crunch food that is also accompanied by other creamy or juicy elements activates several senses with its flavour and its sound. For example, a burger with juicy meat and crispy bacon stimulates both hearing and taste.
But beyond all that, the crunch creates sensations that the brain translates as control. Thanks to the rigidity and firmness of this type of food, humans interpret chewing as power and dominance — at least in that context.
Why Does Crunchy Food Do So Well in Street Food?
Street food is a culinary option found in cities all over the world, and one that people turn to often. Why? Because it offers delights such as toasted bacon, chips, fried chicken and onion rings. All of them are popular crunchy foods.
And what do they have in common? That beloved crunchy sound that you hear with every bite. And, without a doubt, this is one of the main reasons why we love these foods. Anyone ordering chips and trying them feels instant satisfaction.
That’s why this type of food is such a hit in street food: first, because everyone has access to it, and second, because it’s a delicious culinary experience that awakens all the senses.
Crunch Also Happens in the Kitchen
Crunchy food isn’t just found in a restaurant or at a street food stall — you can make it at home too!
But do you know the trick to getting the perfect crunch? If not, here are some ideas for three crunchy and delicious recipes.
Crunchy Fried Chicken
To cook perfect fried chicken in the unmistakable KFC style, you don’t need to be an expert. You just need to get the ingredients and follow this recipe step by step to get a perfect coating. These are the ingredients:
- 1 chicken cut into equal pieces
- 100 g of wheat flour
- 180 g of water
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- Breadcrumbs
- Olive or sunflower vegetable oil
If you already have all the ingredients, start preparing your fried chicken as follows:
- If the chicken is not already cut up, cut it into pieces.
- In a bowl, pour the water, flour and spices, and mix everything together.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and then add it to the previous mixture.
- Submerge the chicken completely and leave it to rest there for 20 minutes.
- Drain the chicken pieces and bread them by coating them in breadcrumbs until completely covered. If you use both fine and coarse breadcrumbs at the same time, it will be even crunchier.
- In a frying pan or deep fryer with hot oil, start frying your pieces of chicken. The temperature should be medium-high, because if it’s too high, it won’t cook properly inside.
- Let the pieces fry for 3 to 5 minutes on each side, checking so they don’t overcook. To do this, you must keep an eye on the temperature.
- Once ready, remove the chicken and place it on absorbent paper to drain the excess oil.
When finished, serve with a sauce of your choice and enjoy the crunchy sensations of the chicken you’ve made yourself. Now, how about another crunchy food recipe?
Crunchy Burgers
Crunchy burgers are easy to achieve with one or two ingredients. So, how do you make them super crunchy? It could be with crispy bacon, chips and fried onions, or by toasting the bun.
To prepare them, get these ingredients and follow these step-by-step instructions:
- Toasted bun: The ingredients are bread and butter. Spread butter on the bun. You can place it on a hot griddle or leave it for a few minutes in an air fryer. Watch it closely and get a perfect crunch.
- Crispy bacon: For this, you just need bacon. You can cook it in a pan, in the microwave or in an air fryer. Place the slices on a plate or tray with paper, as appropriate, and let them brown until crunchy.
- French fries: For good crunchy chips, you need potatoes and any vegetable oil (except olive oil). Peel and cut the potatoes, soak them in cold water for 30 minutes, dry them and fry them in hot oil until golden. But now we’ll explain in more detail.
- Fried onion: This crunchy food can be prepared in two ways. One is slicing the onion into rings, drying them with paper and frying until golden. The other is coating them in flour, egg, milk and breadcrumbs; frying them, and you’re done.
You can include them all in the filling or prepare whichever you like best and brown them to your preferred level. They’ll give your burger an exquisite crunchy texture, and you’ll be able to enjoy crunchy food made by yourself.
Crispy Chips
The trick to frying chips and getting a perfect crunch is as follows:
- Peel and cut the potatoes (not too thick, not too thin).
- Soak in water for 30 minutes.
- Fry until cooked but not golden.
- Remove and let cool (without piling them up).
- Fry again until golden and crunchy.
- Let rest for 5 minutes and add salt.
With this trick, your chips are sure to turn out extra crunchy.
Crunchy Food: A Pleasure for the Taste Buds and the Soul
Crunchy food is, without a doubt, one of the greatest pleasures for human beings. It connects us to the happiest moments and takes us back to our childhood. We’ve all had moments sharing with loved ones and enjoying exquisite crunch dishes, served in practical paper food packaging that keep their texture and flavour intact.
The crunchy texture represents everything tasty, happy, memorable and guilt-free!
