cristaleo's Profile

That's a hot topic!

I'm writing from Brazil, where lots of people like to cook and very few eat processed foods (ok, maybe in big cities this is no more the case, but let's keep the big picture). And not so many have received food safety training or information whatsoever.

So I'm a Food Engineer in this Universe. Have come a long way to train my own family to cook and handle food properly, but much more, to take my word on the issue.

And then I married. I hate being married sometimes.

The problem is not my husband, who loves, supports and listens to me (and doesn't cook at all). The problem is in-laws. Traditional italian family. With small garbage bins over the counter. And cooking Xmas meals long before serving (and keeping them at room temperature for long long hours in our Brazilian 35°C summer). And not always washing hands. And people bringing down their own food to share from other cities - things like roasted chicken and potato salad.

Don't fool yourselves, food is delicious and the party memorable (much better than my own familiy's).

But I've still have to come a long way as to be listened.

And what's better - I'm a Food Safety Coordinator at work.

Go figure.

I loved the idea

if you take chunks of cheap meat and use transglutaminase (TGA) to bind them, you'll get a cheap reformed meat

if you take chunks of an expensive meat, such as filet mignon, and use TGA to bind them, you'll get a much better product.

in no way can the industry take a cheap chunk of meat and transform it into a "pricey cut".

the whole idea behind using TGA is to use the meat chunks that are a by-product in the trimming process, in which the meat gets its rounded shape. lots of perfectly good meat are waisted or otherwise processed into cheaper products solely by the reason of getting a perfectly round filet mignon.

i pretty much perfer the industry to be more efficient and use meat wisely than to just get rid of such a highly nutritional food, in a world where so many have no meat (or anything, for that matter) to eat.

and please - TGA by no means is a NEW additive. It has GRAS status in the USA since 1999 and is approved by the USDA for use in meat products since 2001.

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/oppde/rdad/FRPubs/01-016DF.htm

will do this tonight!

@fishhooks and @alice.radley
yes, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureusand other bacteria (or fungi) will be delighted to be kept in the refrigerator for such a ling time as a week or so in rice and other foodstuff.

I'm amazed that The Kitchen is suggesting that we should keep food at the refrigerator for so long, considering the number of cases (and public attention) of foodborne disease in the recent years in the media.

I'm a food engineer and I do keep cooked food in the refrigerator - for 2 days at most, only reheat it once, and just SOME foods. Any leftovers I have that won't be eaten in the next day are freezed.

Information on that for the consumers are available:

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Food/ResourcesForYou/HealthEducators/UCM109315.pdf
http://www.fightbac.org/storage/documents/coldstoragechart_fnl.pdf
http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079667.htm

I'll probably just be the first in a long line to ask you: why bother with your mother-in-law opinion????

I have a 2-month girl and totally hate the pink-purple scheme that is all around nowadays. So I went for a blue-lime-chocolate-cream palete instead, and, when told about my plans, guess what she ask another member of the family, right in front os my bare eyes: "I dont like it, do you?".

grrrr

Anyway, I went for it and glad I did it - it's super chic and completely unique for my little girl.

Go for your colors. It's your house. Maybe your spouse's opinion is worth hearing.

But I say just maybe (rsrsrsrrs).

In Brazil, small tapioca pearls are called sagu (maybe sago and sagu are the same...) and italian descendents (my mom included) use to make red wine sagu - a popular dessert in the southern states.

My mom's recipe is heavy in wine, so it's really tasty!!! Something like this:

1 cup tapioca pearls
1 bottle wine
1/2 bottle water
2 cups sugar
cinamon stick and clove to taste (my mom doesn't use)

Put all ingredients in a pan, in low fire, and cook until boiling, always stirring (so it wouldn't stick in the bottom). Then cool down until warm with closed lid and start cooking again. Repeat the process at least three times, so that all pearls are completely cooked and translucent.

Eat cold, usually alone or in combination with some english cream.

I guess I'll give it a try tomorrow evening!!!!

looks nice, but that bed must be hard to get in to...

I'm so happy about this post... but so happy you couldn't imagine!!!

I've just picked a very bright turquoise to paint two large walls at my 2-store living room and was kind of scaring myself from the color (even before having it applied).

But then I saw the same color being used in the home office above and now I'm breathing again... rsrsrsrs

it's widely used in dairy products because of it's unique interation with the casein (protein from milk).

In my case, working with food ingredients for the meat business, i'd use carrageenan for reducing cooking loss in emulsified product such as frankfurters, bolognas and to improve yeld and sliceability in ham.