Archive for the ‘Musings’ Category

Bittman Makes Cover of Time!

November 7, 2014
Time Magazine, October 20, 2014 did a cover feature “The Truth About Home Cooking” by Mark Bittman. I love this guy, so down to earth and straightforward with his comments. I do have to admit that it was my wife that introduced him to me. She heard about him online, then got one of his smaller cookbooks that she used as her primary cookbook for two years while she was going to school and working away from here. We have since acquired more of his books and use them frequently.
 
His current focus is getting us back to our kitchens and actually cooking our on meals. He and others, Michael Pollan comes to mind, are perplexed by the American obsession with all things cooking, cook books, gadgets and 24×7 cooking shows. But are people really cooking? Considering how unhealthy we have become as a nation, and the shear numbers of fast foods meals sold everyday, perhaps not. 
 
I would like to dig a little deep on his claims. He says the stores and farmer’s markets are filled with good stuff if you would just take advantage of it. I say if they are full of good stuff people are taking advantage of it. We had a recent experience here where all the suppliers of one of our local grocery store chains went on strike. I went into one of the stores about a week later just to see what it was like. I did not expect to see what I did. The shelves were stripped bare. So that stuff does not just sit there. True, fresh stuff spoils and gets thrown out, but a lot of it goes home with someone.
 
Sometimes I watch what is coming out of other’s grocery carts at the check out counter. Sometimes I wish I could go home with them just to see what yummy things they will make of that. At times the clerks ask if they can go home with me. So I know some are cooking up some good meals. But over all I think Bittman is right. Some are enthusiastically cooking up good meals, many are just observing. 
 
The great thing about Bittman is that at every opportunity he encourages you to get creative. Start simple, then embellish a bit if you like. 
 
I recommend you find this article, read it and let me know what you think.

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When is hummus really hummus?

May 29, 2014
I got a chuckle out of this. Why hasn’t someone gone after those who are applying the name of the dish made with meat and chiles for such things as “Vegetarian Chili” which hardly a hint of any actual chile in it.

 

whitneyinchicago / Creative Commons

A bowl of homemade hummus.

by Dan Bobkoff[1] Wednesday, May 28, 2014 – 05:56

Sabra has spent millions of dollars making hummus mainstream in the U.S. Now, it wants the Food and Drug Administration to rule on what is and is not hummus.

The word “hummus” means chickpea, and Sabra wants the FDA to rule that new, chickpea-free dips like black bean hummus and edamame hummus should not get to use the name.

Instead, the company wants the FDA to define hummus this way: “The semisolid food prepared from mixing cooked, dehydrated, or dried chickpeas and tahini with one or more optional ingredients,” says Greg Greene, Sabra’s director of marketing.

If it succeeds, the FDA will issue what’s called a Standard of Identity. Lots of foods have these, determining what can be labeled juice, or mayonaise, or this one for milk: “The lacteal secretion of an animal.”

The National Milk Producers Federation has been fighting names like soymilk and almond milk for years now. To milk producers and Sabra, these FDA definitions help avoid customer confusion.

It’s also, of course, about money: If you’ve invested a lot marketing milk or hummus, you don’t want some newcomer stealing your identity.

Featured in: Marketplace Morning Report for Wednesday May 28, 2014[2]

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