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MIT researchers study how to keep cream on both sides of the Oreo

By Sarah Perchikoff

NILES, IL - MARCH 30: Oreo cookies are seen displayed in a grocery store March 30, 2004 in Niles, Illinois. Kraft plans on closing a 300,000-square-foot facility in Niles, Illinois that produces some of Kraft's more popular products such as these Oreo cookies and also Wheat Thins crackers. The plant closing will affect almost 400 workers. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images)
NILES, IL - MARCH 30: Oreo cookies are seen displayed in a grocery store March 30, 2004 in Niles, Illinois. Kraft plans on closing a 300,000-square-foot facility in Niles, Illinois that produces some of Kraft's more popular products such as these Oreo cookies and also Wheat Thins crackers. The plant closing will affect almost 400 workers. (Photo by Tim Boyle/Getty Images) /
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There have to be research studies about important things that need funding, right? Like for some rare disease or something that could make people’s lives easier? But no, apparently researchers from MIT are studying Oreo cookies and how to make sure the cream ends up on both cookies when you split them apart. I mean, I get being curious but…come on!

One of the researchers and lead author of the study, Crystal Owens, wanted to know if there was a way to split the creme evenly between the cookies. If you take your Oreo apart instead of eating it as a sandwich, it works best (and tastes better) if you have a little bit of creme on each cookie. But that’s easier said than done.

The experiment used an Oreometer to control how the cookie sandwich was split apart. The device was designed to split the cookie with a precise amount of force. The researchers hoped that they would discover the perfect way to twist an Oreo to get creme on both cookies. Unfortunately, they were not so lucky. Owens explains:

"We learned, sadly, that even if you twist an Oreo perfectly, the cream will almost always end up mostly on one of the two wafers, with a delamination of the cream, and there’s no easy way to get it to split between wafers."

MIT researchers study how to twist the Oreo cookies

Delamination simply means that the creme split into layers and that, in this case, there was more creme on one cookie than the other.

If you ever managed to actually get half the creme on each cookie, according to the study, it was likely not due to how you twisted the cookie but had more to do with the manufacturing process and how the creme was placed on the cookie to begin with.

The study was published in the American Institute of Physics journal on Tuesday, April 19, 2022.

While this study may get more people interested in food science and physics, was it really necessary? What did we actually learn from this besides the fact that it’s not how you twist an Oreo that leads to how much cream is on each cookie? Will this knowledge change anything?

What do you think of this Oreo study? Let us know in the comments below!

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