How Food Tasters Work

In this Stuff You Should Know episode, Josh and Chuck dive into the surprisingly unsexy world of professional food tasting, exploring everything from the trained sensory experts who develop flavors for companies like Ben and Jerry's to the everyday people who get paid to test frozen French fries and pie components. They reveal what the job actually entails, from the grueling reality of developing mouth sores from repetitive tasting to the surprisingly low earnings, and they interview real food tasters about their day-to-day experiences working for major food manufacturers. The episode also covers the historical tradition of presidential food tasters and ends with practical tips for training your own palate to enjoy food more mindfully at home.