Cutlery influences how we taste food, research shows

Our perception of how food tastes is influenced by cutlery, research suggests. (iStock)

Next time you set the table for your next dinner party, consider this: How we taste food is influenced by the cutlery.

The BBC reports that a team of researchers at the University of Oxford found that cheese tastes saltier when eaten from a knife rather than a fork; Spoons made yogurt taste yummier.

But it's just not the choice in cutlery.  Size, weight, shape and color all have an effect on flavor, as the brain makes judgments on food even before it goes in the mouth, says the report.

For example, the research --released in the appropriately named journal Flavour -- showed that a white spoon, in particular, make yogurt taste better.

Researchers found out that when the weight of the utensil conformed to expectations — for example, small spoon = sweet — that had an impact on how the food tastes, as well.

This isn't the first time research has been done on how the presentation of food is altered by how it's served. Previous research has shown people generally eat less when food is served on smaller plates.