I thought a spice blend was built by a chef tasting, adjusting, tasting again. What I didn't picture was science doing most of the work first.
On the OG Spice Guy Show, Ali Bouzari, UC Davis food biochemistry PhD and Pilot R&D co-founder, took apart my kitchen jar, ingredient by ingredient.
Food science, he said, studies the physics, chemistry, and biology of food. Culinary science gives that knowledge a sharp point, blending it with a chef's skill. You don't need physics to hit a baseball, but knowing the principles makes you better.
Pilot's 17 people run 100 to 150 trials per product, then torture-test it. Ali calls his job "murdering unicorns": a client wants a cheaper, carrot-only Dorito with 25 grams of protein. My version is 300,000 pounds of organic chili in two months, before it's even been grown. First prove what's haveable.
My jar was a 22-ingredient, no-salt seasoning. "Flavor is not something that's in here," Ali said. "It's all of the info our senses gather, assembled up here," in your head. Thyme, savory, oregano, and pepper are "all vibes," smelling like salty, savory cooking, so our brains add saltiness that isn't there. It smells like broth. There is no broth.
Herbs and spices are bitter alone, so the label, listed by weight, starts with onion, garlic, carrot, bell pepper, and tomato. That sweet, umami base tempers bitterness. Citric acid adds the sour anchor most blends miss; spices alone smell like potpourri. Orange peel reinforces sourness as thyme reinforces perceived salt.
We've learned to read labels but not what the words mean: dihydrogen monoxide is water, vilified carrageenan is functionally sea moss. Same with MSG. "I love MSG. Everyone who is human loves MSG." Tomato glutamate makes it rich without sodium; the fear grew from one letter snowballing through shoddy science and xenophobia.
Cut it in half? "We don't do alchemy. If the inputs change, the outputs are going to change." The dehydrated vegetables are the expensive heart of it. A blend isn't a list, it's a system. Turn the jar over, read it in order, and ask what job each ingredient is doing.
Hear the full conversation on the OG Spice Guy Show.
— Jonathan Raju, OG Spice Guy