Galileo must be smiling down on us from behind the pearly gates because science just had a major breakthrough years in the making. That's right, researchers have finally discovered the perfect amount of time to let your Oreo cookie bathe in its bath of creamy, 2 percent milk. We truly are living in the Golden Age of Science.
Scientists at Utah State University's splash lab are dedicated to the study of liquids, and for two weeks this summer, their focus was on milk. And in these scientists' perpetual quest to learn more and discover new things about this crazy planet we call home, they set out to find the ideal dipping time for different cookies.
"We've always had, like, these crazy ideas, I guess you'd say," Dr. Tadd Truscott, a researcher at the splash lab, told KSL. "We were always saying, 'We should be always curious, asking as many questions as we can.'"
So the research team looked into topical liquid issues in their daily lives and found that dunk times were a heavily debatable topic that deserved some scientific research. "That question kept coming up, like, 'What is the best dunking time?' And everybody kind of argued about it," Truscott said.
At the crux of this study was an exploration into how a cookie's consistency determines the way in which it absorbs liquid, coupled with a look into the maximum saturation point for cookies ranging from graham crackers to sandwich cookies like Nutter Butters and Oreos. For consistency purposes, the cookies were all dunked in 2 percent milk. After predetermined intervals of time, each cookie was taken out of the milk and weighed.
In the case of Oreos, the researchers found that within one second, Milk's Favorite Cookie had reached a 50 percent saturation point. But the relationship between time and milky goodness isn't linear, so don't mistakenly think that you can leave your cookie in your two percent for two seconds and call it a day. No, scientists at the splash lab actually found that it takes four seconds for an Oreo to reach maximum saturation.
But whatever you do, for the love of all things scientific, DO NOT leave your Oreo in your milk glass for over five seconds. At this point, the cookie's sugars and proteins start breaking down, meaning you're much more likely to lose half your cookie in the opaque depths of your milk glass.
Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have some research to conduct. And by "research," I mean cookies to dunk. And by "conduct," I mean eat. OK you caught me. I'm really just going to go eat an entire sleeve of Oreos.