Joy of sound
The sounds of cooking.
It’s often said we eat with our eyes and that our sense of smell is responsible for 80% of what we taste. But what about our ears? What role do they play in the food we enjoy making and eating?
Cooking is a multi-task activity. It’s easy to take for granted all the aural cues we rely on to perfectly coordinate the preparation of an entire meal. When your back is turned or your attention is focused on just one task, things can quickly get out of hand without healthy hearing.
Continue reading.
Jada is wearing a TruHearing® Advanced hearing aid.
The sounds of cooking.
It’s often said we eat with our eyes and that our sense of smell is responsible for 80% of what we taste. But what about our ears? What role do they play in the food we enjoy making and eating?
Cooking is a multi-task activity. It’s easy to take for granted all the aural cues we rely on to perfectly coordinate the preparation of an entire meal. When your back is turned or your attention is focused on just one task, things can quickly get out of hand without healthy hearing.
Continue reading.
Jada is wearing a TruHearing® Advanced hearing aid.
For example: When a pot of pasta is about to boil-over…when you’re checking the temperature of a hot skillet with the sizzle of a drop of water…the thump of a ripe melon…those final kernels of popcorn alerting you that any more heat would ruin movie night…all have tiny warning signs that rely on healthy hearing.
After addressing their hearing loss, many customers have told us how much more they love cooking and the sense of joy that comes from the simple sounds of chopping carrots, throwing a steak onto a hot grill, or the way a loaf of hearty bread cracks as it breaks.
They start in the morning with the quiet percolating drip of hot coffee or bacon sizzling in a skillet. For lunch, there’s the delicious crunch of perfectly fresh lettuce in a salad with just the right amount of dressing. And later in the day, the sound of family conversation in the kitchen as dinner starts to take shape.
The memories made with care and love in kitchens are filled with joyful sounds.
When working in the kitchen, consider a few of the following tips for making things as easy as possible. Use multiple timers. Your phone is a great timer because it can flash and has vibration. Hands-free, voice-activated timers, like those on smart home units, are perfect for cooking. They have adjustable volume levels and can get much louder than a quiet microwave or oven timer.
Another smart tip is to plan carefully, be patient, and take your time. Don’t try to do too many things at once. If you like watching TV or listening to the radio while you’re cooking, save those activities for later. Focus on what you’re doing and don’t leave the kitchen.
Food and the simple act of sharing it with good company is an essential part of staying connected with both loved ones and a delicious world that fills your senses.
Struggling to hear?
In less than 5 minutes, you can find out if you might have hearing loss.
Why we crave crunchy foods.
Humans love crunchy, noisy snacks because noisy foods remind us of freshness. Produce like apples, celery, or lettuce have the most nutrients when they are fresh and crisp.
Gastrophysicist and Oxford professor Charles Spence, Ph.D., says “noise draws attention to the mouth in a way that silent foods do not. Noisy foods make you think about them…especially in dark rooms, like movie theaters, where sight cues aren’t present. Even hearing the words crispy and crunchy can cause one to start salivating.”1
For those suffering from hearing loss, it’s entirely plausible that food doesn’t taste as good as it should. It’s surely an appetizing reason to get your hearing checked.
Sources:
1 https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/531186/science-behind-why-we-crave-loud-and-crunchy-foods
