Here's How Long You Should Dunk Your Oreo, According to Science (2024)

Utah State University's Splash Lab spent two weeks on the investigation

By Kate Welsh Updated February 13, 2018

oreos and milk

Here's How Long You Should Dunk Your Oreo, According to Science (2)

Credit: Photo by Scott Olson via Getty Images

When it comes to food-related mysteries, one of the most pressing—beyond, even, how many licks to the center of a Tootsie Pop—is how long to dunk an Oreo into a glass of milk. As someone with roughly 25 years of Oreo-dunking experience, I've had my share of successes and failures in this realm. Leave an Oreo in a glass of milk for too long, and the whole thing falls apart. Dunk for too short of a time, and you might as well be licking chocolate sandpaper. But fortunately for us, the good people at Utah State University's Splash Lab—which sounds fake but I swear it's not—have discovered the correct amount of time to leave an Oreo dunked in milk.

According to Salt Lake City local news site KSL.com, scientists spent two weeks solving this mystery. They started their research after it kept coming up in conversation. "Everybody kind of argued about it," researcher Dr. Tadd Truscott said. To answer the question once and for all, the lab dunked an assortment of different cookies—from Nutter Butters to graham crackers to Oreos—in milk "for several hours a day" over two weeks. They found that each cookie absorbed liquid at roughly the same rate. For Oreos, this meant that after one second, the cookie had already absorbed 50 percent of fluids possible. Therefore, assuming that the cookie eater is looking for a thoroughly dunked, but not just damp Oreo, the ideal Oreo dunking time is four seconds, as it will have reached maximum absorption, but not overstepped it. Beyond this, the researchers say, sugars and proteins break down and leave the dunker with more mess than cookie.

I'm going to be honest with you: I like a little more integrity to my dunked Oreo, so I may stick with—I don't know—a three-second dip? But more tests are needed. Excuse me while I go outfit my own Splash Lab.

Here's How Long You Should Dunk Your Oreo, According to Science (2024)

FAQs

Here's How Long You Should Dunk Your Oreo, According to Science? ›

Science may still have hard work ahead when it comes to curing a host of pernicious diseases and global ills, but it has just definitively cleared up one of the universe's great mysteries: the ideal amount of time to dunk an Oreo cookie. Spoiler alert: Exactly four seconds.

What is the perfect amount of time to dunk an Oreo? ›

The Perfect Time Revealed

Drumroll, please—the answer, according to food scientists and Oreo aficionados alike, is approximately 3 to 4 seconds.

What is the optimal time to dunk an Oreo according to science? ›

The takeaway: Three seconds is enough time to saturate most of an Oreo. There's no benefit to dunking longer than four seconds. (Unless you want to watch the cookie crumble into your milk. As Splash Lab's Randy Hurd, a mechanical engineering Ph.

How long should you dip an Oreo? ›

Although the amount of time to perfection depends on preferred sogginess levels and milk fat content, the Utah researchers determined that 3 seconds was enough to thoroughly saturate the Oreo without losing structural integrity.

Are Oreos meant to be dunked? ›

When baked goods get wet, this methylbutanol intensifies and is more easily detected not only by the tongue but also by the nose. By dunking Oreos in milk, you're able to maximize the taste of the Oreo. And if you dunk it for exactly three seconds, you'll achieve the best texture too.

Is it possible for me to dunk at 5 8? ›

Yes! Although being tall can make it a lot easier to dunk a basketball, some people have actually proved to us that even short people can perform a slam dunk.

What is the world record for the longest biscuit dunk? ›

The longest time to dunk a biscuit is 5 mins 17.1 sec and was achieved by Cherry Yosh*take aka Mr Cherry (Japan), on the set of 'La Notte dei Record', in Rome, Italy, on 15 November 2018.

What is the science behind biscuit dunking? ›

A biscuit is porous, with interconnecting hollow channels between the crumbs. When the biscuit is dunked, capillary action draws the liquid into these channels: a similar process occurs when a piece of blotting paper is dipped into ink, or when ring stains form from dried liquid drops1.

What is the writer's motivation for the optimal time to dunk an Oreo according to science? ›

7. The writer's motivation is to inform the reader of the scientifically proven optimal time to dunk an Oreo. He is also trying to persuade the reader that this is the best way to dunk an Oreo. However, he does not do this in a heavy-handed way.

How long should you dunk a biscuit for? ›

She found the average biscuit should absorb 20 per cent of its original weight in liquid for the optimal dunk experience. Milk Chocolate Digestives and Hobnobs can be dunked for just over three seconds to reach this point, while Penguin bars should remain in the hot drink for a whopping six-and-a-half seconds.

Is 3 Oreos a day too much? ›

It is recommended that an individual limits their intake of Oreos to the serving size specified on the package, which is typically three cookies. Each Oreo cookie contains approximately 52 calories and 2.3 grams of fat, including both saturated and unsaturated fats.

Can I eat 2 Oreos everyday? ›

Therefore, it can cause severe health conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases. However, you can avoid the harmful effects by having it in moderation. It's best you limit the Oreos consumption to 2 or 3 per day to stay within the advised daily intake limits.

How long is the perfect Oreo dunk? ›

Therefore, assuming that the cookie eater is looking for a thoroughly dunked, but not just damp Oreo, the ideal Oreo dunking time is four seconds, as it will have reached maximum absorption, but not overstepped it.

What is the optimal time to dunk an Oreo according to science by Lucas Reilly? ›

After - They found that the ideal dipping time for an Oreo cookie is about three-and-a-half to five seconds. If you want a longer dipping time they recommend using a dairy product with higher fat content and more calories.

Why do you twist lick and dunk Oreos? ›

The “Twist, Lick, Dunk” game incorporates just that: Oreo's legacy of how kids around the world have learned to eat the cookie. Many people believe that the only way to eat an Oreo is to twist one cookie off the top, lick away some or all of the cream center, and then finally dunk it in a glass of milk.

How many minutes does it take to make one Oreo? ›

Each original Oreo cookie is 29 percent creme and 71 percent cookie. 4. It takes 59 minutes to make an Oreo. Each Oreo wafer is baked for exactly 290.6 seconds at a temperature of 400°F from above and 300°F from below.

How do you crush Oreos quickly? ›

To quickly crush the Oreos, freeze them first. Simply lay the whole Oreos on a baking sheet and stick them in the freezer for at least 30 minutes. Place the Oreos in a blender or food processor. Put the frozen cookies right into a blender or food processor.

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