This is Why Fast Food Tastes so Good

Having just described slow cooking as a sure way to unlock maximum taste, we might quite naturally ask why the stereotypical fast foods can still taste good, even when they are made from inferior ingredients or using industrial techniques that treat them in a rather brutal manner. Those that have little salt, or less fat, or substitute lean meat may have fewer calories, but they lose a great deal of taste, which is in the fats or enhanced by the addition of salt. So something is needed to fill the gaps, and the fast food industry often depends on umami to solve many of these problems. Much fast food is rendered edible, and may even be delicious, simply because it combines ingredients that maximize savory tastes. This is true for a hamburger with slices of tomato, ketchup, mayonnaise, and cheddar cheese; deep-fried potatoes with ketchup, spaghetti with tomato sauce; pizza with tomatoes and Parmesan cheese; or noodles with soy sauce. Three-day pizza with umami—not really a ‘fast food’