You'd think that if you're hungry, it's better not to scroll through such a list – it'll make you even hungrier and possibly even annoy you that you don't have that delicious food right in front of you. However, recent research actually shows that looking at pictures of food can satiate our hunger.

Aarhus University researchers found that if we look at pictures of tasty food repeatedly, we can somewhat satisfy our hunger. "In our experiments, we showed that when the participants saw the same food picture 30 times, they felt more satiated than before they had seen the picture," the author of the study Tjark Andersen explained.

What's more, the participants of the experiment who saw a picture of the same food repeatedly even ordered smaller portions than those who saw the pictures a few times. Andersen explains that this is our brains tricking us into thinking we're full even if we haven't eaten.

Scientists call this the grounded cognition theory. "You will receive a physiological response to something you have only thought about. That's why we can feel fully satisfied without eating anything," Andersen pointed out. So don't fret if you're hungry, Pandas, scroll away, and perhaps you'll trick your brain into thinking you actually ate all of these delicious foods!

Watching someone else make food can also make us want to do the same. Have you ever heard of the Great British Bake Off effect? It's the phenomenon the supermarket Aldi noticed after an episode of the show. 74% of their customers said in a survey that watching Bake Off inspired them to try out baking at home.

Other supermarket chains observed surges in baking equipment. In 2015, Waitrose reported an 881pc surge in the sale of baking trays prior to the season premiere. Stores also saw rising sales of certain ingredients like almonds and Brazilian nuts which the show featured in particular episodes.

Some chains like Morrisons even have appointed "bake officers" to prepare for the demand for certain ingredients. Series 6, for example, featured some exotic ingredients such as crystalized ginger and goldenberries, a superfruit from Peru. The bake officer for Morrisons was responsible for all the chain's stores not running out of these unusual ingredients as well as staples such as vanilla extract, flour, icing sugar, and yeast.

Part of the allure of Bake Off is that it's so relatable. A group of amateur bakers who can create incredible-looking and delicious desserts make a lot of people say: "Hey, I want to try this too!" Sometimes, the creations might even look and taste (that, of course, only the judges know) better than something we see in a professional bakery. Might home cooks and bakers be better than professionals?

Remember that time Gordon Ramsey battled his mom in an apple pie cake-off? She was the one to notice his pudding wasn't done baking. Although Gordon won in the eyes of the judges, his mom proved one thing that day: that home bakers and cooks can have an even more trained eye in the kitchen than professionals.

Professional chefs and bakers, of course, go through years of training in professional kitchens where the environment is fast-paced and the demands can sometimes be overwhelming. Home cooks, on the other hand, have no such pressures. They have to cater to their family members' tastes, likes, and dislikes. A fine dining chef has to create something original – more an experience than simply a meal.

However, experts say that fine dining is currrently going out of style. Copenhagen's legendary restaurant Noma, for example, is closing at the end of 2024. Industry insiders point to the fact that the vision of such fine dining restaurants was never viable in the first place. "People want to know that the restaurants they frequent have a positive impact on their communities; that the employees have work-life balance, fair pay, and happiness," chef Telly Justice told Bon Appetit.

So, as people are perhaps craving more of the simple home-cooked and baked food, it's time to give it its praises? People in this subreddit are certainly doing their part, and we are trying as well. Which foods on this list were your favorites? Do you have any perfect or nearly-perfect foods to share with us? Don't hesitate and let us know in the comments!