This study was in no way sponsored by Oreo.

April 5, 2023 6:11 AM

Oreology (/ɔriːˈɒlədʒi/), from the Nabisco Oreo for “cookie” and the Greek rheo logia for “flow study,” is the study of the flow and fracture of sandwich cookies. With this work, we have studied the mechanics of splitting Oreo cookies when you hold one wafer fixed and twist the other. We measured the yield stress and failure mechanism of Oreo cookies, and influences on the cream distribution after twisting an Oreo open. With co-author Max Fan we developed an Oreometer (/ɔriːˈämədər/) for precise torsion of Oreos. [Introducing the Oreometer] [The Oreo Twister] [Full Research Paper] [MIT News Article] [Github with downloadable & printable files] [Wiki]
posted by Fizz (22 comments total)

Mmm, science. Delicious, delicious science.
posted by Kitteh at 6:12 AM on April 5, 2023 [3 favorites]

I love this and I love Oreos.
Perhaps someone could do a study on how to best achieve the quick softening of Oreos when they are technically "stale" but are even better. This involves moisture, but not rheology, I think.
posted by Countess Elena at 6:27 AM on April 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

Hot tip: Kinnikinnick K-Toos are superior in flavour, crispness and texture to Oreos, and gluten free.
Bonus: your mouth does not get that manky Oreo gluey after-texture.
posted by seanmpuckett at 6:29 AM on April 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

Somebody's gunning for an IgNobel.
posted by humbug at 6:35 AM on April 5, 2023 [7 favorites]

Oreos are a textbook example of 'Branch Plant Economics'. The plant in Chicago where Orios were made was profitable, and even paid out union wages. But some MBA did the math and even more money could be made if the production was moved to Mexico.

So they moved the cookies south.

Nabisco/Mondelez unwound their largest US manufacturing plant piecemeal to avoid bad publicity, starting with the Oreos line and 600 workers in 2016. Trump briefly latched onto the issue anyway and decreed that he wouldn't eat the cookies anymore. A rare point of agreement for me. Mondelez later shifted other products like Chips Ahoy, until all of the the remaining lines were relocated and they ceased production of all snacks.

So I think Orios taste a little gross, like two old pennies that have been rubbed together. Now I get the Trader Joes version, which are made in Canada, and the maple version is marvelous.
posted by zenon at 7:07 AM on April 5, 2023 [4 favorites]

Hydrox would like a word.
posted by tzuzie at 7:18 AM on April 5, 2023 [6 favorites]

Metafilter: involves moisture, but not rheology
posted by genpfault at 7:25 AM on April 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

This weekend I had an Oreo for the first time in ages and Little e took one look at me and said, ”The uncomfortable truth: when you realize your mom does the same thing you do with peanut butter crackers, but with cookies instead.”

Also for some reason I couldn’t actually open the Oreo?? I know people lose grip strength with age but this is freaking ridiculous.
posted by eirias at 8:00 AM on April 5, 2023

Oh outstanding, yet another set of prompts to memorize for the most phoned-in (American) crossword answer of the modern era.
posted by 7segment at 8:06 AM on April 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

I should have specified that it’s “cookies & cream” that I love, not Oreos in particular. Newman-Os are maybe the best I have had, especially with chocolate filling, but the price is ridiculous now. Joe-Joes are so good, though, I basically can’t have them around.
posted by Countess Elena at 8:30 AM on April 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

The results typically show adhesive failure, in which nearly all (95%) creme remains on one wafer after failure, and we ascribe this to the production process, as we confirm that the creme-heavy side is uniformly oriented within most of the boxes of Oreos.

Thanks for posting this. I now have a term ("adhesive failure") for this phenomenon.

Side note: I've never been a huge Oreo person, but I was turned on to the idea of putting Birthday Cake Oreos (the idea of the flavour did not, on preview, sit well with me) in the freezer.

I am here to say they are very, very good when ice cold straight out of the freezer - and they don't seem to get unchewably hard, and seem less prone to, uh, "adhesive failure" in a frozen state. That said, these are the Canadian version. YMMV elsewhere. More study needed.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:11 AM on April 5, 2023

When this popped up on my feed a bit ago, I had a good laugh because a number of the reactions were "stupid scientists wasting time/money" yada yada yada.

I laughed because the second I read the story I knew, in my heart of hearts, that this was a UROP involved project. And sure enough! So basically it's a grad student supervising an undergrad and showing them how working in a lab works while producing results that aren't necessarily "big science"

My UROP was in the MIT Media Lab Interactive Cinema Group. We got written up all the time for "the future of storytelling" type of stuff, but it was all still students messing around trying to figure out how computers would impact narratives.
posted by drewbage1847 at 10:12 AM on April 5, 2023 [7 favorites]

Would just like to point out that "oreos" means "of the mountain" in Homeric Greek.
posted by praemunire at 10:24 AM on April 5, 2023 [4 favorites]

We have a rheometer in our lab and I am *sorely* tempted to try gluing cookies to the plates. Such a clever use for this instrument, and an awesome way to teach students about how it works!
posted by beepbeepboopboop at 10:40 AM on April 5, 2023

Would just like to point out that "oreos" means "of the mountain" in Homeric Greek.

A-and didn't Heracles have to fight the Hydrox?
posted by chavenet at 10:43 AM on April 5, 2023 [10 favorites]

Hydrox would like a word.
posted by tzuzie

Is that word medicinal?
posted by Splunge at 11:21 AM on April 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

I've been eating HEB's Twisters (their home-grown Oreo substitutes) and it's ruined me for Oreos proper. I tried one again recently and it's just not as good. And that's just the regular ones, not the ones with the cinnamon-chocolate centers.

Having said that I'm all for duplicating these experiments with Twisters.
posted by gentlyepigrams at 1:18 PM on April 5, 2023

Am I the only one who just eats the cookie, without twisting it apart?
posted by evilmomlady at 3:06 PM on April 5, 2023 [1 favorite]

Also for some reason I couldn’t actually open the Oreo?? I know people lose grip strength with age but this is freaking ridiculous

This is why I stopped eating M & Ms. As my manual dexterity declines, they’re getting harder and harder to peel.
posted by caviar2d2 at 3:16 PM on April 5, 2023 [14 favorites]

I made home-made Oreos a few years ago; ended up making custom molds because it was mid-covid and I was _slightly bored_. They were delicious (and fortunately don't need a fancy mold to be delicious). I posted my recipe; I was inspired by Claire's home-made oreo recipe and wanted to try modeling my own. Want to figure out a nice design for a new shape so I can apply the mold-making lessons I learned.
posted by caphector at 4:52 PM on April 5, 2023 [2 favorites]

Would just like to point out that "oreos" means "of the mountain" in Homeric Greek.

I thought the cookie-making elves lived in a tree...?
posted by Greg_Ace at 8:27 PM on April 5, 2023

Thanks to caphector's recipe I learned that organic powdered sugar is the best.
posted by zenon at 7:14 AM on April 7, 2023