Though you've probably heard more than a few jokes about the quality of airline food, airlines actually spend millions of dollars to research and design the meals they serve to their passengers. But no matter how much they spend, there are a few foods that will rarely their way to your tray table.
According to a study commissioned by Lufthansa, the dry air and low air pressure impact how we perceive flavor. It's estimated that we lose about 30% of our sense of taste while rocketing through the clouds. To offset this loss of tasting ability, airlines frequently bump up the seasonings on their foods to help make your in-flight meal just a bit more delicious.
The low pressure and dry air in the cabin are not the only factors airlines have to deal with when catering to your every meal. There are numerous federal regulations governing food safety on planes and that determines how most meals must be prepared. Food must be kept just above freezing until it is finally reheated by flight attendants.
Cost and efficiency are also factors when airlines choose what to offer on their flights. A dish has to be simple enough to be made in a warehouse-sized assembly line kitchen, yet inexpensive enough to be kind to an airline's bottom line.
Taking into account all of those factors, here's a look at 10 foods you'll rarely see on an airline menu.
Soufflé would not last.
Notoriously difficult to make under normal circumstances, this delicate recipe of eggs, flour, and butter have little chance of making it onto your in-flight food cart.
Most airlines prepare food between 12 to 24 hours ahead of time, blast chill the ingredients, then truck the meals to a nearby airport to be loaded onto each plane and reheated. A delicate dish like a souffle would never survive the journey.
Omelets might be more unappetizing on a plane.
While eggs are sometimes served in-flight, many airlines have shied away from featuring them on their menu.
Our severely lowered senses of taste and smell render egg dishes unappetizing. Cooked eggs go rancid quite quickly and even airline employees reportedly shy away from the egg offerings whenever they're flying.
Toast could set off smoke detectors.
A simple slice of bread crisped over a heat source proves a conundrum for airlines.
Despite a few airlines dallying with this simple offering, it remains one of the least offered foods on flights. Like eggs, the half-life of toast is quite short and toasting bread on the plane could set off smoke detectors.
You'll have to stick with the pre-packaged croissants.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider