Ever since Nick Wiger and Mike Mitchell launched their influential podcast “Doughboys”, involving a semi-serious breakdown of our most universal of foods — chain restaurants and junky snacks — it caused a small revolution. Maybe the smallest revolution imaginable! The one where people take bad, but popular, food quite seriously.
That influence can be felt in the new video from Claire Saffitz at Bon Appétit as she attempts to create and teach us how to create gourmet, Skittles. For me, Skittles are the go-to candy you get when you’re not adventurous enough for very mild M&M’s, but I will admit — I have no idea how they’re created and this video was absolutely educational.
The science behind making food seems incredible. Claire dips the candies in water, breaks down the incredible formula behind the flavors within, and pulls what seems to be some sort of flavor taffy. She gets the opinions of her fellow chefs that, despite their grand pedigree, show a universal truth — we all have a huge opinion about pretty bad food all in all. Claire isn’t just reverse engineering Skittles, she’s trying to make a better Skittle! Indeed, this is a firmer Skittle, a better Skittle and a Skittle which foregoes cheap ingredients in lieu of something better.
The final result is an incredible little candy that Claire rates a very kindly 8 out of 10 and gives us a recipe to make our own Skittles! So, next time you see a vending machine, have a dollar bill sweatily gripped in your hand and look at your miserable reflection in the vending machine window, remember — you deserve better.
What did you think of the video? Are you going to try to make your own Skittles? Let us know in the comments, or on Twitter at @WhatsTrending.
