Food

Why Do Meals on the Plane Doesn’t Sound Great?

Photo of author

By Admin Desk

You must have noticed while sitting on an international flight that when you order your favorite drink in the plane and take the first sip, it tastes very different to how it normally tastes at home. The same is the case with food that is served on the plane. There is a considerable difference in taste between airline food and the food taken on the ground. Do you know why? This is so because due to differences in altitude our taste buds respond differently to the food and hence its taste varies. We will be sharing various tricks in this article that will greatly help you to maintain the flavor of food while being on an international flight.

Compare airport parking deals from our quality smart parking providers and book the most suitable one depending upon your parking requirements.

1: Altitude Affects the Taste Buds

One of the biggest reasons that meals served on the plane taste different is because we are consuming it at an incredibly high altitude. Once you are at an altitude of 39,000 feet, your taste buds do not work properly. Due to this reason, airlines test their menu in the air before serving it regularly on the scheduled flight.

2: Meals are prepared in huge quantities

Flight meals are not prepared just for the passengers of a single flight. Their chefs prepare food for thousands of passengers at a time. Hence, you must keep in mind to compromise over the taste and flavor when the food is being prepared on such a large scale. This is the main reason that most of the passengers do not greatly admire the food served on the plane.

3: Foods are Overcooked to Facilitate the Plastic Cutlery

Plastic cutlery is being served in economy class on the plane. It is very difficult to eat with a plastic spoon and fork. To make things easier for the passengers, the food is intentionally overcooked to make it softer so that it can be easily cut with the help of flimsy utensils being served in the economy class.

4: Tiredness greatly affects our taste bud

When you have to take a long hauled international flight, you have to get up early in the morning to board the plane or will probably sit in the plane after a full day of work. Mostly in such situations, you are tired even after boarding and desire to sleep soon after stepping in the aircraft. Soon after that, you will hear the rumble of trolley approaching you, but nothing tastes good when your body is tired and is asking for a nap or little rest. This is also one of the main reasons that the airplane meal doesn’t taste great, especially during long-haul flights.

5: Poor Quality Ingredients 

Every airline aims to earn maximum from the ticket prices and spend minimum over the food for the passengers. This is achieved by choosing inexpensive and poor quality ingredients for their food preparation. Due to the sale of such low-quality materials, a tasteless meal is prepared for the passengers. The taste of the food greatly depends upon the ingredients used in its preparation both in the ground as well as on the plane. So, how can you expect tasty food out of cheap and low-quality ingredients?

6: Food is Reheated While Serving

Meals for all airlines are cooked on the ground, hence it refers to that the meal that is served to you on the plane is cooked, packed and refrigerated before transferring to the aircraft. After taking off, the food is reheated and served to the passengers. Reheated food can never taste as good as a freshly cooked meal.

7: Cold dishes are also prepared before time

Not only are meals cooked a few hours ahead of the flight, but the cold foods, including salads, are not served freshly on the plane. They are also prepared plenty of time before the departure time.

8: Try Tomato Juice on the Flight

It has been seen that most of the foods taste bad over the plane, but many passengers have liked the taste of tomato juice. It tastes a lot earthy on the ground, but when taken up in the dry cabin air, it tastes very refreshing and light.

Meals on the airlines don’t taste great due to these reasons too:

  1. Food quality and taste varies greatly between different airlines
  2. Unnecessary sauces are added to the food to make it tasty
  3. Due to dehydration, most of the passengers don’t like the food on the plane
  4. When you are seated at the back of the plane, most of the interesting delicious items are picked by the passengers in the front seats, hence leaving you with minimum options.
  5. Most of the travelers are stressed and uncomfortable during the flight. This also doesn’t allow enjoying their meals while being on board.

Secure your parking slot with a meet and greet Heathrow and ensure a comfortable and peaceful Easter trip for you.