Why store-bought baked goods taste so different
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Date: 2025-09-28
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Comments and reviews: 20
Tinil0
I wish people that were so afraid of chemicals would, instead of pretending they can't pronounce names of chemicals, actually research what each chemical does and why it is used in whatever highly processed food they are concerned about. Everything is used for a very specific reason, and they all have their own safety profiles and information on how they affect the human body. You don't HAVE to be ignorant and scared of anything that you aren't familiar with, that is a choice on your part. You can educate yourself and then the chemicals in each things are no longer scary!
Let's do some basic examples. In the pound cake listed here there are things like potassium sorbate. That's a potassium salt of sorbic acid and is used as a preservative. It acts as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of mold primarily, but also some bacteria. Of the organic acids that are used in this capacity (Sorbic, Propionic, and benzoic, Sorbic acid tends to be the most effective, even rivalling some dedicated antibiotics/antifungals in effectiveness despite working in a very fundamental, natural way. Namely, just crossing into the cell and being an acid, disrupting the workings of mold and funguses by excess hydrogen ions causing damage to their cellular machinery. It has been proven to be completely harmless to humans and other animals in general (Though there may be exceptions for all I know) at the doses used simply because animal cells have a stronger capability of handling this type of damage than molds do. Thus, it's one of the most natural methods of preventing the growth of mold on baked goods without any downsides for the people eating it! Now it isn't scary at all. Sodium Propionate is another similar chemical that is converted into the aforementioned propionic acid, another acid that helps inhibit important enzymes in fungi and bacteria but which animal cells are capable of handling without issue at doses used in processed food.
Another chemical used in that processed pound cake is Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, which is used as an emulsifier in very tiny amounts. Lactylates are a class of organic compounds that are used in like a billion different products, both for human consumption and things not eaten whatsoever. Made from modifying lactic acid, the compound has a very strong hydrophilic end and a very strong lipophillic end, and thus they allow fats and water to come together and stay combined with each other very strongly instead of gradually separating as is natural. In bread products, they also interact with the starch and gluten to form complexes that create a stronger network, allowing the baked good to retain water for MUCH longer without it evaporating out of the product, as well as also holding onto gas better meaning that the product will be lighter and airier, and even slowing down the recrystallization of starch which is just directly delaying the process we know as going stale, which is primarily the starch recrystallizing as the water leaves the product. As it is used in so many things, it has been EXTENSIVELY studied and the safety profile and possible side effects are very well understood. We know the LD50 of it in rats is at LEAST 25g/kg, which is pretty massive and the level that is proven to have no obseved adverse effects is 22. 1mg/kg/day for humans. For comparison, that little pound cake serving is 113g, and while we aren't given exact percentages, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate is generally used at around 0. 2-0. 5% bakers percentage. So pound cake is traditionally 25% flour, so 28. 25g of flour in the 113g cake as a rough estimate, and thus you would have 56. 5mg of Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate in that pound cake. For an average 150 pound person, that means you can safely eat around 1. 5g of this chemical per day and experience no side effects, or a little over 26 and a half of those little pound cakes per day. which uh. would give you many other problems first completely unrelated to the Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate hahahahaha. So again, it's no longer some strange chemical you don't understand!
You can do this for everything in your food. That's why we have food labeling laws. Find out what each and everything does and it's safety profile. And stop making decisions based entirely on feels and willing ignorance! Heck, if you really want to experiment, I am sure a lot of these chemicals could be purchased on your own and you can add them into your own baked goods at home to see how they affect things if you want! Science is fun like that.
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I wish people that were so afraid of chemicals would, instead of pretending they can't pronounce names of chemicals, actually research what each chemical does and why it is used in whatever highly processed food they are concerned about. Everything is used for a very specific reason, and they all have their own safety profiles and information on how they affect the human body. You don't HAVE to be ignorant and scared of anything that you aren't familiar with, that is a choice on your part. You can educate yourself and then the chemicals in each things are no longer scary!
Let's do some basic examples. In the pound cake listed here there are things like potassium sorbate. That's a potassium salt of sorbic acid and is used as a preservative. It acts as a preservative by inhibiting the growth of mold primarily, but also some bacteria. Of the organic acids that are used in this capacity (Sorbic, Propionic, and benzoic, Sorbic acid tends to be the most effective, even rivalling some dedicated antibiotics/antifungals in effectiveness despite working in a very fundamental, natural way. Namely, just crossing into the cell and being an acid, disrupting the workings of mold and funguses by excess hydrogen ions causing damage to their cellular machinery. It has been proven to be completely harmless to humans and other animals in general (Though there may be exceptions for all I know) at the doses used simply because animal cells have a stronger capability of handling this type of damage than molds do. Thus, it's one of the most natural methods of preventing the growth of mold on baked goods without any downsides for the people eating it! Now it isn't scary at all. Sodium Propionate is another similar chemical that is converted into the aforementioned propionic acid, another acid that helps inhibit important enzymes in fungi and bacteria but which animal cells are capable of handling without issue at doses used in processed food.
Another chemical used in that processed pound cake is Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, which is used as an emulsifier in very tiny amounts. Lactylates are a class of organic compounds that are used in like a billion different products, both for human consumption and things not eaten whatsoever. Made from modifying lactic acid, the compound has a very strong hydrophilic end and a very strong lipophillic end, and thus they allow fats and water to come together and stay combined with each other very strongly instead of gradually separating as is natural. In bread products, they also interact with the starch and gluten to form complexes that create a stronger network, allowing the baked good to retain water for MUCH longer without it evaporating out of the product, as well as also holding onto gas better meaning that the product will be lighter and airier, and even slowing down the recrystallization of starch which is just directly delaying the process we know as going stale, which is primarily the starch recrystallizing as the water leaves the product. As it is used in so many things, it has been EXTENSIVELY studied and the safety profile and possible side effects are very well understood. We know the LD50 of it in rats is at LEAST 25g/kg, which is pretty massive and the level that is proven to have no obseved adverse effects is 22. 1mg/kg/day for humans. For comparison, that little pound cake serving is 113g, and while we aren't given exact percentages, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate is generally used at around 0. 2-0. 5% bakers percentage. So pound cake is traditionally 25% flour, so 28. 25g of flour in the 113g cake as a rough estimate, and thus you would have 56. 5mg of Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate in that pound cake. For an average 150 pound person, that means you can safely eat around 1. 5g of this chemical per day and experience no side effects, or a little over 26 and a half of those little pound cakes per day. which uh. would give you many other problems first completely unrelated to the Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate hahahahaha. So again, it's no longer some strange chemical you don't understand!
You can do this for everything in your food. That's why we have food labeling laws. Find out what each and everything does and it's safety profile. And stop making decisions based entirely on feels and willing ignorance! Heck, if you really want to experiment, I am sure a lot of these chemicals could be purchased on your own and you can add them into your own baked goods at home to see how they affect things if you want! Science is fun like that.
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barefootalien
. but. that's a _bad_ thing. Who likes commercial baked goods better than homemade, and how many times were they dropped on their heads as babies Crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside is the dream, not something to fix with packaging!
But texture is only one part. Commercial baked goods also have a _taste_ that's really off. Shortening or other shelf-stable fats instead of butter is the main reason I believe, plus some stabilizers, emulsifiers, and preservatives that have some flavor.
A fresh baked item from a grocery store deli that's never seen water-tight packaging still tastes commercial, not home-made, so I. yeah. Gotta disagree with at least some of your hypothesis here.
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. but. that's a _bad_ thing. Who likes commercial baked goods better than homemade, and how many times were they dropped on their heads as babies Crispy on the outside and soft and moist on the inside is the dream, not something to fix with packaging!
But texture is only one part. Commercial baked goods also have a _taste_ that's really off. Shortening or other shelf-stable fats instead of butter is the main reason I believe, plus some stabilizers, emulsifiers, and preservatives that have some flavor.
A fresh baked item from a grocery store deli that's never seen water-tight packaging still tastes commercial, not home-made, so I. yeah. Gotta disagree with at least some of your hypothesis here.
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manuel-i6j
What in the name of anything is this video He compares his home cooking to Bon Appetit brand cakes. Those have a shelf life of 7 days, maybe that is fair enough. Then, in the background there are purposely placed Hostees cakes which he doesn't go into great depths about but are added to the conversation as though those are in any way comparable to homemade goods.
They are not. Hostees if barely food. Sure have them from time to time if you want, just don't go thinking oh this is just like what mom used to make, it is not.
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What in the name of anything is this video He compares his home cooking to Bon Appetit brand cakes. Those have a shelf life of 7 days, maybe that is fair enough. Then, in the background there are purposely placed Hostees cakes which he doesn't go into great depths about but are added to the conversation as though those are in any way comparable to homemade goods.
They are not. Hostees if barely food. Sure have them from time to time if you want, just don't go thinking oh this is just like what mom used to make, it is not.
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maries. 7752
In elementary and middle school I greatly preferred PB&Js that I took to school and ate at lunch rather than ones I ate at home, and the reason is exactly this: I liked that after just a few hours in a plastic bag in my lunchbox that the moisture from the jelly and the interior of the bread would distribute itself to the more dry places. A few years ago, when I really thought about it, I started preparing my PB&Js at home and left them in a bag in the fridge to be consumed later. at home.
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In elementary and middle school I greatly preferred PB&Js that I took to school and ate at lunch rather than ones I ate at home, and the reason is exactly this: I liked that after just a few hours in a plastic bag in my lunchbox that the moisture from the jelly and the interior of the bread would distribute itself to the more dry places. A few years ago, when I really thought about it, I started preparing my PB&Js at home and left them in a bag in the fridge to be consumed later. at home.
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Bloodray19
To the people whining about chemicals in their food, I usually say that almost every food contains sodium-chloride and dihydrogen-monoxide. That sounds scary, doesn't it Until you realize it's table salt and water. Just because more recently discovered food additives don't have a common household name, doesn't mean they're poisonous, like monosodium-glutamate. It's found naturally in meat, mushrooms and even vegetables, but people loose their sh! t if it's written on the packaging.
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To the people whining about chemicals in their food, I usually say that almost every food contains sodium-chloride and dihydrogen-monoxide. That sounds scary, doesn't it Until you realize it's table salt and water. Just because more recently discovered food additives don't have a common household name, doesn't mean they're poisonous, like monosodium-glutamate. It's found naturally in meat, mushrooms and even vegetables, but people loose their sh! t if it's written on the packaging.
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ausieysoldier
I disagree, I think by far the biggest factor is that oils replace what would be moisture in the baked goods. Muffins from 7/11 might taste and feel moist but as far as actual moisture content goes they are basically hard tac. The oil does the job that water otherwise would doesn't allow rapid spoilage.
I would love to test this properly in my freeze dryer and report back, it a muffin has a similar texture after a run in the freeze dryer that would pretty much confirm it.
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I disagree, I think by far the biggest factor is that oils replace what would be moisture in the baked goods. Muffins from 7/11 might taste and feel moist but as far as actual moisture content goes they are basically hard tac. The oil does the job that water otherwise would doesn't allow rapid spoilage.
I would love to test this properly in my freeze dryer and report back, it a muffin has a similar texture after a run in the freeze dryer that would pretty much confirm it.
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kimbraun0823
Thanks for the validation. I've thought this for years.
We used to get dinner rolls called hard rolls, because they were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. They sold them in open bins. You picked out the ones you wanted and took them home in a paper bag.
They got rid of the bins and started packing them in plastic bags. They still call them hard rolls, but they're pretty soft. We have to put them in a low oven for a few minutes to crisp them up a bit.
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Thanks for the validation. I've thought this for years.
We used to get dinner rolls called hard rolls, because they were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. They sold them in open bins. You picked out the ones you wanted and took them home in a paper bag.
They got rid of the bins and started packing them in plastic bags. They still call them hard rolls, but they're pretty soft. We have to put them in a low oven for a few minutes to crisp them up a bit.
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lf2334
Adams that guy that wants to eat healthy, but just can't get past his love for mass produced preservative laced foods. It's what he's known his whole life, and he just can't accept that it's killing him. Either that or he's accepted it but doesn't care. If you care about your health, don't eat this shit. Science and facts tell us that it's a really bad idea. Ultimately it's your choice, but when you're 55 and having health issues you only have yourself to blame.
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Adams that guy that wants to eat healthy, but just can't get past his love for mass produced preservative laced foods. It's what he's known his whole life, and he just can't accept that it's killing him. Either that or he's accepted it but doesn't care. If you care about your health, don't eat this shit. Science and facts tell us that it's a really bad idea. Ultimately it's your choice, but when you're 55 and having health issues you only have yourself to blame.
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TheFerretMan
I feel like the type of fat also plays a roll. Using a fat like vegetable oil makes for a moister cake in general, and then packaging in the same way for a day or two, you'll notice it's as soft all around as a store bought cake. Actually I can't really say, as American cakes are very different to British cakes in terms of what is allowed as ingredients, so it's hard to say, but I've had a Twinkie and that tastes nothing like a store bought British cake
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I feel like the type of fat also plays a roll. Using a fat like vegetable oil makes for a moister cake in general, and then packaging in the same way for a day or two, you'll notice it's as soft all around as a store bought cake. Actually I can't really say, as American cakes are very different to British cakes in terms of what is allowed as ingredients, so it's hard to say, but I've had a Twinkie and that tastes nothing like a store bought British cake
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AvB. 83
01: 30 Why would anyone want their cake to taste like flavored cardboard instead of cake You wouldn't want your trade coffee to taste like hot water with a pinch of instant coffee either.
That said, from a curiousity point of view, very interesting video, as always. Even if I didn't learn anything new, but it was more of a I'm pretty sure that's how stuff works. ah, see, Adam can explain that much better than I could case.
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01: 30 Why would anyone want their cake to taste like flavored cardboard instead of cake You wouldn't want your trade coffee to taste like hot water with a pinch of instant coffee either.
That said, from a curiousity point of view, very interesting video, as always. Even if I didn't learn anything new, but it was more of a I'm pretty sure that's how stuff works. ah, see, Adam can explain that much better than I could case.
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NoName-ik2du
I use this trick to keep my cookies tasting fresh out of the oven for longer. I put cookies straight from the oven into a seal container. They hold on to their moisture that way and keep that soft fresh texture for much longer.
It's the same reason food that is meant to crispy (fries, breaded chicken, etc) is delivered to you in vented containers. So they don't get super soggy super fast.
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I use this trick to keep my cookies tasting fresh out of the oven for longer. I put cookies straight from the oven into a seal container. They hold on to their moisture that way and keep that soft fresh texture for much longer.
It's the same reason food that is meant to crispy (fries, breaded chicken, etc) is delivered to you in vented containers. So they don't get super soggy super fast.
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aragusea
Dude for the love of God get a decent hand grinder. You don't have to spend a fortune, but for like $80 you can MASSIVELY upgrade your coffee experience - both the taste and the experience of making it. You're brewing and promoting top tier coffee with bottom tier gear.
#1 tip for people just getting into coffee is to get top shelf coffee. You have that. #2 EASILY is upgrade your freakin grinder.
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Dude for the love of God get a decent hand grinder. You don't have to spend a fortune, but for like $80 you can MASSIVELY upgrade your coffee experience - both the taste and the experience of making it. You're brewing and promoting top tier coffee with bottom tier gear.
#1 tip for people just getting into coffee is to get top shelf coffee. You have that. #2 EASILY is upgrade your freakin grinder.
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Nijht
Hi, Adam! Love your content, been a fan for years and you've taught me a lot. The chances are pretty low that you'll see this, but I have to try.
My mom and I are going to be traveling a few states down to the Gatlinburg area in about a month for her 50th birthday, and we'd be willing to drive over to Knoxville as well. Are there any food places you'd recommend as being worth the detour
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Hi, Adam! Love your content, been a fan for years and you've taught me a lot. The chances are pretty low that you'll see this, but I have to try.
My mom and I are going to be traveling a few states down to the Gatlinburg area in about a month for her 50th birthday, and we'd be willing to drive over to Knoxville as well. Are there any food places you'd recommend as being worth the detour
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aragusea
Working at [the world's most major fast food], I had the opportunity to sometimes eat a burger before it was wrapped.
And I found it tasted like meat and bread, with dressing, versus everything smells like the pickles.
It was the wax paper wrapping that fused the vinegar from the pickle, ketchup, and mustard into the soggy bun. Without a wrapper, I tasted actual grilled meat.
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Working at [the world's most major fast food], I had the opportunity to sometimes eat a burger before it was wrapped.
And I found it tasted like meat and bread, with dressing, versus everything smells like the pickles.
It was the wax paper wrapping that fused the vinegar from the pickle, ketchup, and mustard into the soggy bun. Without a wrapper, I tasted actual grilled meat.
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applegal3058
Yeah. why would I want to re-create pre-packaged cake Pre-packaged cake, and most commercially available breads are just not right in texture or taste. My mom and grandparents cooked and baked at home, so perhaps it's what I learned was good growing up. If you grew up on pre-packaged goods, then that becomes your nostalgia or normal foods, so it is a all a matter of taste.
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Yeah. why would I want to re-create pre-packaged cake Pre-packaged cake, and most commercially available breads are just not right in texture or taste. My mom and grandparents cooked and baked at home, so perhaps it's what I learned was good growing up. If you grew up on pre-packaged goods, then that becomes your nostalgia or normal foods, so it is a all a matter of taste.
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Sleezy. Design
I've been doing this with my home baked hamburger buns. I've been developing a recipe that includes all additives that you usually find in every commercially produced burger buns, because without them you can't produce such airy bread at home. Then I let them cool and put them in an air tight bag for at least a day. They taste almost identical to storebought ones.
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I've been doing this with my home baked hamburger buns. I've been developing a recipe that includes all additives that you usually find in every commercially produced burger buns, because without them you can't produce such airy bread at home. Then I let them cool and put them in an air tight bag for at least a day. They taste almost identical to storebought ones.
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RosieDuck
I love that you call them exotic chemicals. Bc there is nothing necessarily wrong with them, despite all the fear mongering about the additives. They are just not available at retail stores in pure form. But like, we didn't use to use baking powder at home either and no one's calling that an additive so. Yeah, I just like the term exotic chemicals.
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I love that you call them exotic chemicals. Bc there is nothing necessarily wrong with them, despite all the fear mongering about the additives. They are just not available at retail stores in pure form. But like, we didn't use to use baking powder at home either and no one's calling that an additive so. Yeah, I just like the term exotic chemicals.
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kassemir
I've never seen a single slice of cake sealed in plastic packaging. Guess that's an American thing.
We do have pre-packaged cake. But, it's sold unsliced in the same sort of bag.
It's also interesting that this is something people would want. Like for me, I view pre-packaged cake as inferior. Because I like having a more crusty outside.
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I've never seen a single slice of cake sealed in plastic packaging. Guess that's an American thing.
We do have pre-packaged cake. But, it's sold unsliced in the same sort of bag.
It's also interesting that this is something people would want. Like for me, I view pre-packaged cake as inferior. Because I like having a more crusty outside.
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RonJDuncan
Some of the exotics are less exotic than they used to be. Xanthan gum has been regularly available in grocery stores for some time now, and you may even find sodium citrate in a few as well.
That said, when you said it was simple, I knew where this was going. I've eaten way too many pre-packed snacks in the past not to notice.
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Some of the exotics are less exotic than they used to be. Xanthan gum has been regularly available in grocery stores for some time now, and you may even find sodium citrate in a few as well.
That said, when you said it was simple, I knew where this was going. I've eaten way too many pre-packed snacks in the past not to notice.
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Slotnikoff
To say that everything is chemicals is disingenuous. There are good chemicals and there are bad chemicals. A turtle and a crocodile are both reptiles. which would you want sitting in your back yard A Portobello mushroom and a death cap mushroom are, obviously, both mushrooms. which would you rather have in your dinner salad
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To say that everything is chemicals is disingenuous. There are good chemicals and there are bad chemicals. A turtle and a crocodile are both reptiles. which would you want sitting in your back yard A Portobello mushroom and a death cap mushroom are, obviously, both mushrooms. which would you rather have in your dinner salad
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