Can You Identify These Foods By Their Close-Up Images? 

By Arielle Weg
September 26, 2018
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Teeny microscopes are taking Youtube by storm, so we brought one to the test kitchen to experiment. How many of these foods can you identify from their microscopic images? Scroll to find out! 
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Our test kitchen mom Nicole McLaughlin can take on anything. She's the queen of cooking, mom extraordinaire, and laugh out loud hilarious. This week on Mom Versus, Nicole got her hands on a microscope to investigate how foods look super up close and personal. Do you think you can tell what these microscopic images of foods are? Just remember, things aren't always as they appear.
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Can you guess what that is? 

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Almonds

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At a microscopic level, an almond looks almost like the crust of a good bread. But it's really just a brown skin covered in little salt crystals.
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Can you guess what that is? 

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Moldy Lemon

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There was nothing moving in the rotten part of this fruit (thank goodness!), but it looked almost like the view of Earth from another planet. Nicole tossed that one right away.

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Pineapple

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It might look fine on your counter, but pineapples have a lot of hiding places for bacteria. Believe it or not, this close up image is revealing a very dirty situation. Wash your pineapples, people.

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Sweet Potato

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We're going to make sure we peel these babies well next time. That flaky skin does not look appetizing.
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Can you guess what that is? 

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Rotten Onion

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This one is pretty gross on the regular, but close up it's even worse. Nicole found through the microscope little bugs were crawling all over the moldy part of the onion... Yeah, not cute.

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Cooked Bacon

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Nicole isn't a big fan of the way cooked bacon looks this close up, but she has no problem with it on her plate at breakfast. She thinks it looks "grossly like skin," and you can really see the oily residue. Moral of the story: We'd rather just eat some than take a close look.

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Celery

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The little bits of green on this watery veg might have given it away, so grab your tub of peanut butter and get dipping.
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Can you guess what that is? 

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Strawberry 

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Look at those hairs! Yes, it's a strawberry. A favorite summer fruit.

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Basil

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It's obviously some kind of leafy green, but did you know that's what basil looks like on a super small scale?

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Apple

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Nicole says this "looks like skin that has rosacea," but it seemed clean of any bugs or tiny moving bits. We'd bite right into that for sure.
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Can you guess what that is? 

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Mushrooms 

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The gills on this fungi are pretty clear, but it's definitely not a fish.

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Cut Apple

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The inside of an apple is exactly how you would expect it—juicy and watery. Even browner parts seemed to be safe to eat.

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Can you guess what that is? 

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Raw Bacon

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Nicole describes the raw bacon as resembling "an old person's skin." And yes, you can really see the fat trapped in there. Better get cooking!
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