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When you twist an Oreo, why does the ‘cream’ always stick to one side? MIT has the answer.

One of the world's greatest mysteries has finally been solved.

oreo cookie, oreo twist, how to eat oreo

via Mike Mozart/Flickr

Delicious Oreo cookies.

There are a lot of snack foods people eat ritualistically. When I get a Twix bar I like to eat the caramel or peanut butter topping first and then the cookie wafer second. The cookie part is so delicious that I have to savor it by itself.

Some folks have a ritual with Reese's peanut butter cups where they eat the top layer of chocolate and then swipe out the peanut butter center with their tongue.

When it comes to Oreo cookies, few people eat the cookie all at once. Many prefer to deconstruct the cookie by twisting the black wafer sides and then licking out the creme off of each side. Part of the fun is attempting to twist the cookie and have an even amount of creme on each side of the wafer—a feat that is nearly impossible.

(Note: The white center of an Oreo cookie is made with what Nabisco refers to as “creme,” not cream because it isn’t made with any dairy.)

People have been perplexed for decades over why almost all of the creme always ends up sticking to one side of the separated cookie. The phenomenon is so mysterious that the brilliant minds at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) took up the monumental task of pursuing the answer.

“When I was little, I tried twisting wafers to split the cream evenly between the wafers so there’s some on both halves — which in my opinion tastes much better than having one wafer with a lot of creme and one with almost none. This was hard to do when I was trying it by hand,” Crystal Owens, lead author of a study published Tuesday in the journal American Institute of Physics and a researcher in mechanical engineering at MIT, said according to CBS Boston.

“There’s the fascinating problem of trying to get the creme to distribute evenly between the two wafers, which turns out to be really hard,” says Max Fan, an undergraduate in MIT’s Department of Mechanical Engineering.

To figure out why the creme always sticks to one side, researchers developed the Oreometer, a device that rotates and splits the cookie with an identical amount of torque on each wafer. Researchers found that the amount of torque needed to split a cookie was equivalent to the pressure needed to twist a doorknob.

via Physics of Fluids

The team subjected the cookies to standard rheology tests and found that the creme center almost always stuck to just one side of the cookie. The only time they could get the creme to be distributed evenly is when the box of cookies was older.

The researchers realized that the dominant wafer is determined when the cookie is manufactured.

“Videos of the manufacturing process show that they put the first wafer down, then dispense a ball of cream onto that wafer before putting the second wafer on top,” Owens said. “Apparently that little time delay may make the cream stick better to the first wafer.”

Mystery solved.

The good news is that if you‘ve been trying for years to master the perfect twist that results in evenly distributed creme and failed, you’re not the problem, it’s the cookie. The odds were stacked against you and you didn’t know it.

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'We must, we must, we must increase out bust!'

Since it was first published in 1970, Judy Blume’s “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” has been a literary rite of passage for young girls. Though written decades ago, the book has remained timeless for its authentic portrayal of that exciting, yet horrifying chapter of female adolescence and all the milestones that come with it—including, but not limited to, that first period.

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Oh, the joys of a stern teacher talking about blood flowing from the vagina at school. Maybe sex education has evolved over the years, but the awkwardness of anatomy conversations at a young age seems to be everlasting.

2. Margaret’s prayers to God that accurately sum up preteen girl angst

Even the nonreligious can relate on some level to just not being the weird one, to please, please, please, please just this once be normal while growing up, and wondering if this discomfort will ever go away. This is an essential part of the preteen experience for many, until we realize, of course, that we are much better off just celebrating who we are. And Margaret's earnest prayers are obviously a major aspect of the book, given the title. Duh.

3. Margaret asking mom for a bra

Margaret and other girls can be seen clumsily experimenting with hairspray, curling irons and other grown-up beauty products in order to “fit in.” But the most coveted, most revered item of all, of course, is the bra.

4. Buying pads for the first time at the local drug store

The utter humiliation at finding out the clerk is a boy. Perfection.

5. And of course, the iconic line…

“We must, we must, we must increase our bust!”

That's right, diehard Blume fans. The trailer has all that and more. Watch below:

Comments to trailers can be fairly mixed. However this one received a mountain of positivity.

"I lost track of how many times I read this book while growing up in the 70s. It’s amazing that it’s taken this long for it to be made into a movie!" wrote one person.

Another added, "I'm honestly surprised that a movie version of this book doesn't already exist. But I guess it's time. LOL I'm here for it. I remember reading this in fifth grade. Such a good book for young girls to read and realize that all the weirdness they are going through is normal. It will definitely be a good film viewing for today's middle schoolers and for all the millennials, Xillennials and gen-Xers who grew up with the book."

Perhaps Margaret’s story is so universal because it was inspired by a real-life experience. On her website, Blume shared that as a sixth grader, she did all the things—like stuffing her bra, doing exercises, lying about getting her period—because she yearned to develop into adulthood the way her classmates were (relatable). Blume put her longings to paper, and the rest is history.

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Bates indicated that the book’s original intention would be kept intact as she told People that “I think women throughout history have been taught to feel negatively about their bodies and about the processes that their bodies go through. I think this film will help young women feel better about their bodies."

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