IS CHRIS REALLY A SUPER-TASTER?

The tasting segments offer Chris a chance to prove his mettle tasting supermarket ingredients. The setup is simple: Can Chris pick out the top-rated brand—the one chosen by the test kitchen’s independent panel of tasters as the best? Jack brings the winner (along with some losers) to the tasting lab and asks Chris to taste samples and make a snap judgment. Chris doesn’t know which brands are under those brown paper bags. And while our tasting panel takes as long as an hour sniffing, nibbling, and sipping as they form their opinions, Chris has about five minutes—and just one take—to get it right.

Despite Jack’s best efforts to trip him up, Chris picks out the winner more often than not. It turns out Chris, like a small percentage of people around the world, is a super-taster. His palate is packed with more tastebuds per square inch than the average person. This makes him sensitive to nuances in flavor. It also makes Chris overly sensitive to heat. In fact, any tasting that relies on spice (think hot sauce or barbecue sauce) is likely to go Jack’s way because Chris can’t stand even the slightest hint of heat. While most cooks like their chili moderately spicy, Chris prefers it very tame. Well, no one is perfect.