the bisquick challenge (aka yao's first paper)

abstract:
this document uses empirical evidence to compare two leading biscuit mix brands, bisquick and jiffy. the intricacies of each type of biscuit mix is discussed as well as the implications of the results. areas for further research will also be explored.

method:
the oven was first pre-heated to the biscuit temperature specified by both baking mixes, 450 degrees fahrenheit. two biscuits of each brand of mix were made using 2% milk. an olive oil spray was applied to the bottom to ensure a non-stick surface for baking. the biscuits were shaped using a measuring cup and placed in a single baking dish. however, the amount of milk added to the bisquick mix was more than necessary and made the dough too sticky to be properly shaped by the measuring cup. baking time for the four biscuits was determined by the brownness of the biscuit tops.

testing:
the two types of biscuits were tested under several different conditions. the first test consisted of using the biscuit to sop up marinara sauce. the second test was a simple taste test without any type of additives. the final test was a taste test with a butter substitute. between each sample for each test, two to four ounces of water was consumed to clean the palate.

results:
in the spaghetti test, the jiffy biscuits were slightly more prone to crumbling. bisquick was slightly less so. however, this might be attributable to the added milk in the bisquick biscuit. the normal taste test revealed that bisquick had a slightly more complex flavor compared to jiffy's unassuming taste. the bisquick also had a slightly fuller and more moist texture, but that could also be a result of the extra milk in the mix. the final test with butter substitute resulted in a deadlock as the butter substitute overpowered any differences that could be discerned between the two types of biscuits. even after discounting possible advantages gained from the extra milk, bisquick obtained slightly better or equal results to jiffy in each test conducted.

possible areas for further research:
in future research, interesting results would probably be found from documenting the relationship between the ratio of mix to milk and whether more milk really means better texture and liquid absorption. different liquid bases (water vs. milk) can be also tested for tastiness and texture. finally, a blind experiment where the taster is unaware of the brand of each biscuit would go a long way for further verifying the results found here.

references:
1. the back of the bisquick box
2. the side of the jiffy box