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Does organic food really taste better?

At TheCooksDen, we decided to apply the scientific method to that important question. We brought in an unbiased test subject — one who has superior taste buds, is unaffected by marketing hype, and is unafraid to express her opinions publicly.

Meet Hammy the Hamster. Hammy was kind enough to participate in hours of rigorous testing in order to get to the bottom of this critical issue. Read on for the results — they just may surprise you.

Highlights

First off, a bit about our technique is in order. Hammy was asked to repeatedly choose between an organic food item and a conventional item of the same type. Click on this video to see documentation of several test trials.





Outtakes

Of course, Hammy was not always so cooperative. Like a well-trained athlete, sometimes she just wasn't up to her best. Below see video documentation of several trials where Hammy was not quite so interested in our scientific quest.





Results

When all was said and done, Hammy chose organic. In over sixty percent of the trials that resulted in a clear selection, Hammy opted for the organic item. Below is the summary of results, broken down by individual food item. Hammy was 'indifferent' frequently, choosing to groom herself, rest or run away entirely. Those trials are noted below as well.

Organic Conventional Indifferent Banana 6 3 5 Walnut 3 5 3 Strawberry 5 2 4 Carrot 7 3 4 Broccoli 4 3 7 Cheese 6 2 3 Total 31 18 26

For five out of the six food types, Hammy preferred organic. She did, however, seem to have a preference for conventional walnuts over organic. This fascinating inconsistency deserves further investigation and will no doubt be the subject of follow-up research.

More Info and Music Credits

Of course, no hamsters were harmed during the filming of these movies. In fact, Hammy got a pretty good feast out of the deal.

Music for the videos was provided by Kevin MacLeod at Incompetech.com. If you're looking for music for your movie, I highly recommend his site.

Got some ideas on what Hammy should try out next? Maybe a convection oven or a high-end saute pan?

Drop us a line and let us know.