Food is a subject we know plenty about – just look at all of the dietary information on items at the grocery store. But there is also plenty of mystery surrounding it. Will my head really explode if I eat Mentos and drink a Diet Coke? Does gum really hang out in my stomach for seven years if I swallow it?

Food Network

'I thought it was more my style to have a humor angle and a cultural angle than to be actually making food,' says Ted Allen in distinguishing his new show from other food shows.

For those seeking the answers to such questions, Ted Allen's new show on the Food Network checks into some of the myths out there about food. Mr. Allen, the former co-host of Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy , is launching his own show, Food Detectives, in an effort to explain the science behind what we eat. And rather than lecture his audience like some boring chemistry teacher, Mr. Allen plans to inject plenty of humor into the learning.

Tuesday's episode, which also aired as a sneak peek after Sunday night's finale of The Next Food Network Star, explores how to best quench the burn of a hot pepper, the most effective way to keep a refrigerator smelling fresh and if there is any validity to the "five-second rule" concerning dropped food.

"I was looking for something that had a funny edge," Mr. Allen, 43, says by phone from New York. "And I think when you try to explore the five-second rule, it's pretty clear that you are probably not a candidate for the Nobel Prize. Although we would take it, gladly."

Mr. Allen wrote for magazines for 15 years, most notably for Esquire , before the opportunity with Queer Eye came along in 2003. On Queer Eye, he served the "fab five" mostly as the sophisticated base to high-strung Carson Kressley and Thom Filicia's acid. In addition, Mr. Allen has also guest judged the cooking competition shows Iron Chef and Top Chef.

But things have changed now that he is front and center with his own show. While he was certainly no wallflower on Queer Eye, the one-liners come much quicker on Food Detectives and the verve is at an all-time high.

"When I was working with those guys, Carson and Thom particularly have a fast wit and a loud sense of humor, and it's very hard for anybody to come out on top of that. I think my sense of humor is a little more droll," he said. "At the same time, I'm also finding that when you're hosting the show, I have to bring a lot of energy to it. I don't like Red Bull, but I do like Starbucks. I'm drinking a lot of that."

Many of the Food Network stars – such as Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and Rachael Ray – host multiple shows but are grounded in their signature cooking programs. Mr. Allen says hosting a similar show is not of much interest to him, though he does perform cooking demonstrations across the country, including a recent stop at Taste Addison, as a spokesman for Robert Mondavi wines.

"There's so many of them out there already, and I wanted to do something that was a little more unique," he said. "There are people who are doing such a great job of instructional work – the Barefoot Contessa, Giada De Laurentiis – that I thought it was more my style to have a humor angle and a cultural angle than to be actually making food."

Which is not to say that he wouldn't consider a possible guest spot on one of those shows. When asked whose cooking he would most like to eat, Mr. Allen took no time in naming the Barefoot Contessa, a.k.a. Ina Garten.

"I love her because she has great style, she has fresh, original food ideas, and she has a beautiful house in the Hamptons, which I would love to be invited to."

It would seem that a guy with a show on the same network could probably secure an invite, no?

"You know, the second I said it, I thought, 'Wow, that kinda sounds like I'm dropping a hint,' " he said with a laugh. "But I wouldn't say no."

Tuesday at 8 on the Food Network. 30 mins.