February 28, 2013
What Causes Beef Rainbows? Beef rainbows aren’t a sign of spoiled, tainted, or (sorry) magical beef. There’s enough speculation over the integrity of rainbow beef that the USDA’s website has a section on“Iridescent Color of Roast Beef” near similar topics like “What does ‘natural?’ mean” and “what is beef?” According to the USDA, “When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors like a rainbow.” This is something called a “diffraction grating,” essentially what happens when light waves bend or spread around a surface and create a pattern. It’s the same thing that happens to make rainbows on the surface of a DVD.  Read more. [Image: Tim Dustrude/Friday Harbor, WA]

What Causes Beef Rainbows?

Beef rainbows aren’t a sign of spoiled, tainted, or (sorry) magical beef. There’s enough speculation over the integrity of rainbow beef that the USDA’s website has a section on“Iridescent Color of Roast Beef” near similar topics like “What does ‘natural?’ mean” and “what is beef?” According to the USDA, “When light hits a slice of meat, it splits into colors like a rainbow.” This is something called a “diffraction grating,” essentially what happens when light waves bend or spread around a surface and create a pattern. It’s the same thing that happens to make rainbows on the surface of a DVD. 

Read more. [Image: Tim Dustrude/Friday Harbor, WA]

11:17am
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  8. smamsblog reblogged this from flyygoldbikini and added:
    They really had to explain this
  9. flyygoldbikini reblogged this from findingmybalance-v2013 and added:
    BEEF RAINBOWS I HAVE ALWAYS WONDERED this is the main reason why I wont eat at Subway
  10. findingmybalance-v2013 reblogged this from the-butchers-wife
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  13. handschuhschneebalwerfer reblogged this from theatlantic and added:
    the sauerbraten at work does that!
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  24. madladyrandom reblogged this from scinerds and added:
    I propose using the term beef rainbow to also refer to an ethnically diverse group of delectably hunky guys.
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  30. strana-metric-ton reblogged this from ycobb and added:
    I put my beef sandwich in my DVD player and it’s not working