The Colonel: Friend or Foe?

White suit impeccably styled, with a matching white mustache and black string tie, the Colonel is getting a new round of recognition with the latest KFC marketing initiative. With thousands of restaurants worldwide and an ever-growing audience in China, you’ve likely had (and enjoyed) the Colonel’s famous recipe. Kentucky Fried Chicken is much like every other food known as being quintessentially “southern.” It’s fried up and utterly unhealthy. It makes sense why we like it, though, and it’s nothing to be ashamed of devouring on occasion.

We as humans have evolved to love foods with a high caloric density. What does this mean? We love anything and everything that has a lot of calories in a small package. It’s all due to evolution. We evolved in a setting where high calorie foods were slim pickings. Extra were a special treat and you took ‘em where you could get ‘em. Now, we still love those energy-rich foods, but we’re surrounded by them, so getting enough calories during the day isn’t a matter of life or death anymore.

KFC’s fried chicken is definitely a calorie-dense food, but it’s not the chicken itself that fills that biological need for caloric density. In fact, most of the caloric density comes in the form of the crust, especially if you’re eating Extra Crispy. Take away that skin and you may find yourself asking what exactly it is that makes KFC so special. Eating it basically no longer delivers a psychological reward.

While the Colonel’s super-secret 11 herbs and spices are kept tightly concealed under lock and key, it’s easy to see that some of the main ingredients are salt and MSG. The salt content in one piece of chicken is equal to half of your daily recommended intake. The MSG is a naturally occurring compound that’s been developed into a powder, which is now used as “flavor enhancer.” Really, it’s simply an amino acid that helps to enhance savory flavors in proteins. While MSG usage is controversial in many circles, it’s a fact that our tastebuds love it. These two ingredients provide the basis for why we love that fried skin, crispy or original. Salt and MSG combined form a super-hedonic flavor sensation.

Lastly, there’s a reason why we salivate when a food is particularly tasty. We love foods that make us drool, simply put. That saliva helps us get all the flavor out of whatever we’re eating, and certain components are needed for us to start salivating in the first place — mainly salt, fats, a melt-in-your-mouth texture or the right moisture content already present in the food. As we’ve already seen, KFC fried chicken definitely has that salty component, but it also has the perfect moisture content to promote salivation. Pressure cooking is known for helping to lock moisture into proteins. While pressure cooking is a rather unorthodox way to cook fried chicken, it’s exactly what the Colonel uses to reach that perfect moisture level. Not only is the chicken itself moist, though; the skin is as well, thanks again to that pressure cooking.

When you think about it, it’s somewhat impressive that an elderly man with little education managed to create a concoction that, scientifically, is irresistible to the masses. Of course, it’s true that eating at KFC every day is not a great idea for your health, but a little treat every now and then isn’t going to hurt. After all, we’re biologically hardwired to love the way it’s made. So, whether you love it Original-style, Extra Crispy or any way you can get it, don’t be afraid to show the Colonel a little love.