You'll be relieved to hear that FOMO related to food may soon be history because of the development of a remarkable gadget that can produce any flavor you want.
If you watch the show frequently, you probably already know how annoying it is to be unable to sample every amazing dish that the amateur bakers produce.
Imagine being able to taste all the pies, cakes, and biscuits at the same moment as Paul Hollywood, rather than just selecting the same varieties at the shop afterward.
With the assistance of a breakthrough technology that can replicate any food's flavor characteristic in liquid form, it might become a very real prospect.
Currently, Professor Alan Chalmers of Warwick University in the United Kingdom is testing the device.
Chalmers said: "On The Great British Baking Show, you're watching these judges enjoying themselves, but what does it taste like? You could have those recipes on your home device. And when the judge tries it, you can a little squirt of it yourself."
"The flavor that goes in their mouth has got a number, you simply recreate that number on your device," he explained.
Chalmers described the operation of the gadget and said that people perceive flavor through five senses: sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami (savoriness), in addition to mouthfeel and fragrance.
"Every flavor is a point in flavor space," Chalmers said.
"And you can describe that point by its taste, its aromas, and its mouthfeel," he added.
Imagine it as a color wheel. You could move your cursor over it to see the color change, but if you were to click on a certain spot, you would get a single color that was composed of a specific combination of the other colors.
Rather than colors blue, green, and red, we have flavors that are composed of sweetness, saltiness, bitterness, and so on.
Chalmers emphasized that each component can then be represented by food-safe chemicals that have been certified by the food agency, creating the precise flavor you desire.
The device could serve you a three-course dinner in a few drinks by adjusting the chemical concentrations, giving you flavors like chocolate cake, Fettuccine alfredo, shrimp cocktail, etc.
It wouldn't exactly fill you up, but it may at least give a sense of what you're craving when it comes to dinner preferences.
As usual, developing such incredible technology takes so much time, so Chalmers is currently devoting his efforts to testing the device's potential for early Alzheimer's detection.
He explained: "Basically if you've got any form of neurodegeneration, it affects your ability to taste or smell."
"So if we can give you two flavors, and a person of your demographic - your age, your sex, and your ethnicity - can tell the difference, but you can't, you may have a problem," Professor Alan Chalmers added.
Flavor testing can detect potential Alzheimer's issues years before memory tests, potentially allowing early treatment and potentially delaying the disease with new drugs.
Chalmers suggests that flavor devices could become as common as printers or smart speakers in a year with just a bit of investment.
"It needs a bit of work to go from a proof of concept to commercial prototype, to a product, but if we get the money we'll do it," he said.
The device can prevent food FOMO and waste by allowing users to taste-test foods before buying. By scanning a QR code on a product, users can experience the food's makeup via their mobile phone and avoid disappointment.
"If you imagine you've got your mobile phone, you just zap the QR code and you have a little device which sits in your mouth, [and you'll know] okay, yeah, I might like that," he said.
"You can effectively virtually try any product in the store to make sure you like it before you buy it; taste before you waste."
Chalmers joked: "If anyone's got any money out there, I'd be happy to work with them to make this happen."
