Did you know that food...

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[summer-dreams]

I'm on a tight budget, so I pretty much eat whatever is on sale at the local supermarket (and isn't pure junk food). But the stuff I tend to eat a lot of is rice (brown rice preferably), any type of pasta, BEANS (I have this weird love for beans *shrugs*), and salmon.

[Lady_of_Eldh]

Oooh, I googled Agedashi Tofu, it looks yummy! Will definitely try it some time!

 
Its spring here, but I am hungry all year round, and we're just starting to get some tasty fruit and veggies again (that aren't horribly expensive)

[LeMoNoGaTaRi]

^If you like Tofu. Try Agedashi Tofu. The Taste isn't strong but the texture is superb!

I'm an Omnivore, More like I eat anything thats edible. Glutton = Me 
I finally lost some weight and now they're slowly coming back.
Now I know why they call Autumn is the season of appetite

[byakushiki]

I haven't had Pocky in ages, so I suppose it's out of my system.
If I ever had the need for Pocky it would be much faster to walk out to the store and buy it too

[Lady_of_Eldh]

The most important thing with tofu is to marinade it well. Plain tofu doesn't taste of anything at all but it soaks up flavours really well if you leave it to soak in the fridge in something tasty. I also like smoked tofu, in a yummy rich sauce, like black bean 

[Lady_of_Eldh]

Hehe, I guess you haven't had the same need for pocky I had yet

[byakushiki]

I haven't tried making these Pocky yet.... mostly because I'm too lazy though....

[Lady_of_Eldh]

Did anyone have a go at making pocky?

I haven't really made any sweets recently, (though i have tried some new cake recipes! chocolate and raspberry pudding cake = heaven) I've never heard of Godiva's, is that a brand of chocolate? Strawberry chocolate does sound nice... I've had chocolate dipped strawberries before, nom nom 

[LeMoNoGaTaRi]

Wow.... McDonalds... the new space food? 

I used to work there and I remember throwing some food that went bad so I know it shouldn't last that long
Although I never did checked if they went bad. Hmm...... I guess it doesn't matter anymore cause I rarely eat it.

[slimmelon]

I still eat from McDonald's despite all the bad media and stuff. It made me feel better eating McDonald's in China since it was pretty high class over there, haha..

[Exent]

Sushi Roll Recipes
A list of sushi roll recipes grouped by their styles. The traditonal Edo style rolls consist of one main ingredient and they are usually rolled inside. The fusion roll recipes consist of multiple ingredients and require to roll the sushi with the rice facing outside (uramaki). There are many types of fusion roll recipes, but they are a combination of many existing ingredients, so the general ones are listed here. These recipes will give you an idea how to make sushi rolls and after getting used to them, you can become creative with the combination of ingredients and create your own sushi roll recipe.
Replied: February 24, 2012, 04:23:10 PMHow to Make Sushi Rolls
How to Make Thin Rolls (Hosomaki)

Thin Roll 1   Thin Roll 2
Cut the nori in half lengthwise. Use one sheet (shiny side down) and place on the edge of
the sushi mat (makisu) and spread the sushi rice as seen in the photo. Leave a strip of
open space (3/4 in) on the top. The thickness of the rice should be about 1/10 of an inch.


Thin Roll 3   Thin Roll 4
Notice the small wall on the edge of the sushi rice on the edge of the sushi mat. This wall
should be about 1/10 inch thick and 1/5 inch high . This area will merge with the open strip
of nori on the top, so the cut section of the sushi roll will have the nori shaped as a perfect
circle and not a helix or a pattern like the number '6' or '9'.  Place the ingredient in the
center of  the sushi rice.


Thin Roll 5   Thin Roll 6
There are two steps of gripping involved in rolling sushi. First, support the ingredient
with your fingers as you merge both ends of the sushi rice. Tuck in the tip of the sushi rice
over the open strip of nori and grip lightly (right image). You should have a small length of
the strip remaining. Release and flatten the the sushi mat with the sushi roll remaining on
top. Now "roll" (by pushing) the sushi roll away from you so the remaining strip of the nori
faces down. Once again use the sushi mat and grip tightly. (See How to Make Thick Sushi
Rolls (image 6) to see position of the sushi roll and the sushi mat for this second grip)


Thin Roll 7   Thin Roll 8
Let the sushi roll rest on the remaining nori strip so it seals. Wet the sashimi knife and
slice into 6 pieces.

Replied: February 25, 2012, 09:25:00 AMHow to Make Sushi Rice Vinegar

The sushi rice vinegar is hard to taste when it is hot, so you must aim for a slightly weak flavor while you are adjusting taste during preparation. After it is cooled, the flavors become more evident, so try not to completely depend on your senses while while it is hot. If you do not have sweet rice wine, sugar may be used, but use only small amounts. The sugar is not supposed to be tasted in the sushi rice vinegar.

The amount of the ingredients depends on how strong the rice vinegar is, but here is a guideline:

Ingredients:
Rice Vinegar 1/2 cup
Rice Wine 1 Tbsp
Sweet Rice Wine 2 Tbsp
Kelp 2’x2’ piece
Salt 1 Tsp
Sugar (optional substitute for sweet rice wine) 2 Tsp

Also see: How to Make Sushi Rice

Sushi Rice Vinegar 1  Break a piece of kombu, and lightly rinse it
in cold water. Place the rice vinegar inside a
pot and add the kombu. (It is important to
add the kombu while the vinegar is cold)


Sush Rice Vinegar 2   Sushi Rice Vinegar 3Set the heat on low and wait until it barely simmers. When it starts to simmer,  Wait about
a minute to let the kombu extracts infuse.


Sushi Rice Vinegar 4
Take the kombu out and discard. It does not
take much time to extract the necessary
flavors of kombu.


Sushi Rice Vinegar 5
Add sake, mirin, and salt and simmer for
another five minutes to reduce the alcohol.


Sushi Rice Vinegar 6Let the vinegar cool to room temperature.
(The flavors of all the ingredients become
intact after letting the sushi rice vinegar rest
in the refrigerator for about one or two days.)
Replied: February 26, 2012, 02:28:56 AMTypes of Sushi

After the fermented nare sushi was replaced by quickly prepared sushi rice, many different types of sushi have locally evolved throughout Japan. They are all related in the fact that they use sushi rice, but differ in shapes and ingredients. Unlike the Edo style sushi, most of them use cured or cooked ingredients.


Osaka Style Sushi

Osaka cuisine is known for their light seasoning, and they have a great amount of pride in their food culture. Osaka style sushi use cooked ingredients such as grilled sea eel, egg omelets and simmered dried tofu.

Futomaki (Thick Roll): A thick sushi roll which uses a variety of cooked ingredients.

Hakozushi  (Box Sushi): Sushi pressed in a box. The ingredients are placed on the top. Cured 
                                           mackerel sushi called the battera is  the most famous boxed type sushi.

Nuku Sushi (Steamed Sushi): Sushi rice and ingredients are individually packaged in dried bamboo                                                          leafs and steamed before they are consumed.
Kyoto Sushi

Kyoto is located in inland Japan, and it was difficult to obtain fresh fish in the old days. They only had the option of using cured fish, or fish that did not spoil too quickly. Kyoto is also known for their unique vegetables, and they are often flavored by simmering and used as ingredients.

Saba Sushi(Cured Mackerel Sushi): Cured mackerel and sushi rice are formed in an oval pole and                                                                      wrapped in kelp. They are cut in individual pieces.

Hamo Sushi (Pike Conger Sushi): The pike conger are grilled and formed into an oval pole with sushi                                                                rice. They are garnished with sweet soy sauce glaze and cut into 
                                                               individual pieces.

Temari Sushi (Ball Sushi): The sushi and ingredients are formed into a ball. All ingredients are                                                              cooked or cured. Simmered vegetables are used as ingredients as well.

Kaki No Ha Sushi (Persimmon Leaf Sushi)

Kaki no ha sushi are local to Nara or southern central Japan. They are box pressed sushi using cured salmon, or mackerel wrapped in persimmon leafs. Persimmon leafs are known to have anti bacterial properties, and sometimes they are salted to increase the effects.

Sasa Sushi (Bamboo Leaf Sushi)

Sasa no ha Sushi (sasazushi) are local to northern Japan. They mainly use cured trout and wrapped in bamboo leafs before they are boxed and pressed. Bamboo leafs are known to have anti bacterial properties.

Shima Sushi (Island Sushi)

Shima sushi (shimazushi), or island sushi are local to the Izu islands (mainly Hachijyo Island) located south of the Tokyo bay. It most likely derived from the Edo style sushi, and they use raw ingredients. The only difference is that they immerse all the sashimi in soy sauce infused with green chili peppers and use hot mustard instead of wasabi. The sushi are prepared into nigiri or a chirashi. Shima sushi is also called bekko (amber) sushi since the ingredients become dark brown after immersing them in soy sauce.

Inari Sushi

Inari sushi is also a Edo (Old name for Tokyo) cuisine, but not a Edomae sushi. It is sweetly flavored fried tofu pouches stuffed with sushi rice. The inari sushi gets its name from a messenger from god in the form of a fox which loved to eat tofu pouches.

[tinaliuyifei]

After decades of steady progress, improvements to the safety of the nation's food supply fell off in the mid-2000s. Recalls of tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach that sickened thousands of Americans led major food makers to join consumer advocates in demanding stronger government oversight.

During the 2010 lame-duck Congressional session, the Senate and the House both approved a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s food-safety system. Because of a procedural glitch, the food safety bill was passed a second time by the Senate on Dec. 19 and sent to the House in the waning days of the congressional session.

The legislation came as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  released new figures that lowered its estimate of the number of people who get sick or die from food poisoning each year in the United States. Officials said the revision was the result of changes in method and data analysis and not vast improvements in the nation’s food system.

According to the new estimate, about 48 million people get sick and more than 3,000 die each year from food poisoning in the United States. While those are big numbers, they are lower than an earlier estimate of 76 million illnesses and 5,000 deaths a year that came from a 1999 study frequently cited by lawmakers and advocates seeking to pass new food safety legislation.

The new numbers don’t necessarily mean there is less food poisoning. They simply mean that scientists think they can now do a better job of guessing how many illnesses actually occur. Government scientists said the new estimate should be viewed as the more accurate guess based on better information. The revision means that one in six Americans gets sick each year from tainted food, not one in four, as the old study had it.

Roughly 76 million people in the United States suffer foodborne illnesses yearly, 300,000 are hospitalized and 5,000 die, according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Children younger than 4 are sickened by food more than those in any other age group, but adults over age 50 suffer more hospitalizations and death as a result of food-related infections.

In response to reports like that one, and to incidents like the contaminated peanut products that are believed to have killed nine people and sickened over 20,000 starting in 2008, Congress and the Obama administration have moved to reshape the nation's food safety system. The Senate legislation, which passed by a vote of 73 to 25, would greatly strengthen the Food and Drug Administration, enabling the government to crack down on unsafe foods before they harm people rather than after outbreaks occur.

The House had passed its own version in 2009, but in the effort to get the bill turned into law before Republicans take control of the House in 2011, Democrats passed the Senate's version in December.

The bill would grant the F.D.A. new powers to recall tainted foods, increase inspections, demand accountability from food companies and oversee farming. But neither version would consolidate overlapping functions at the Department of Agriculture and nearly a dozen other federal agencies that oversee various aspects of food safety, making coordination among the agencies a continuing challenge.

While food-safety advocates and many industry groups preferred the House version because it includes more money for inspections and fewer exceptions from the rules it sets out, most said the Senate bill was far better than nothing.

Health advocates are hoping the legislation will rekindle the progress — now stalled — that the nation once enjoyed in reducing the tens of millions of food contamination illnesses that occur each year. In the case of toxic salmonella, infections may be creeping upward.

Part of the problem is the growing industrialization and globalization of the nation’s food supply. Nearly a fifth of the nation’s food supply and as much as three-quarters of its seafood are imported, but the F.D.A. inspects less than one pound in a million of such imported foods. The bill gives the agency more control over imports.

And as food suppliers grow in size, problems at one facility can sicken thousands all over the country. The Peanut Corporation of America’s contaminated paste was included in scores of cookies and snacks made by big and small companies. The legislation would raise standards at such plants by demanding that food companies write plans to manufacture foods safely and conduct routine tests to ensure that the plans are adequate.

The bill would affect about 80 percent of the food supply, including fresh fruits and vegetables, eggs, dairy products and processed foods that do not contain meat, which are under the jurisdiction of the agriculture department.

Industry organizations backed the legislative push because of the high costs for many companies of the food scares of recent years. Egg sales fell nationwide after the massive egg recall in 2010, even though only two producers were implicated. Several years ago, contaminated spinach from one small producer led the entire industry’s crop to be destroyed.

The CDC estimates, old and new, rely heavily on the idea that most cases of food poisoning never get reported. The symptoms may be too mild for a person to see a doctor. Or, even in more severe cases, testing may fail to uncover a pathogen.

So researchers take data on reported cases and make educated guesses on how many more illnesses actually occur.

The new estimate, published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases, says that only about a fifth of all foodborne illness is the result of pathogens that scientists have been able to identify.

Several of those have become household names and the stuff of headlines. Salmonella, the bacteria behind the big egg recall in the summer of 2010, is now estimated to be responsible for more than a million illnesses and 378 deaths a year. Less common but far more deadly, listeriawas estimated to cause 1,591 illnesses, with 255 fatalities. Various forms of toxic E. coli, a bacteria that has tainted hamburger meat and leafy greens, were estimated to cause about 176,000 illnesses and 20 deaths a year.

The most common pathogen was norovirus, which is more commonly passed along in person-to-person contact. It was estimated to cause 5.4 million foodborne illnesses and 149 deaths a year.


Source: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/subjects/f/food_safety/index.html

[antonus]

Yes it does. I'd like to make some too.

[byakushiki]

It looks good!

[antonus]

Lady was desperate to make some at the time...

[byakushiki]

But homemade pocky! This is the first I've ever seen

[antonus]

OMG! Homemade pocky? How did I miss this thread?

There are a lot of threads on this forum. It is easy to miss it.

[byakushiki]

OMG! Homemade pocky? How did I miss this thread?

[MintiNF]

Ah yes I remember that

[amazonas348]

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I actually ate that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
  I utterly hate Mcdonalds "food" but I used to eat it when I waas little. Omg, OMG OMG -washes mouth with soap-

Well but it is expected if not, Why would it be so cheap and cause so much damage?
I recommend a documentary for anyone who doubts Mc Donalds is bad for your health; Its name is "Super Size me" Its pretty famous. My mom showed it to me when I was about 10 years old and I hate Mc Donalds ever since then.

[retysugh]

Your homemade pocky looks more delicious than real pockies :O

Have you tried other chocolates, like Godiva's strawberry flavor?

[valkangel]

I totally feel you B. we don't have enough budget ourselves. XD

[timeforplanB]

meh, i'm not really a kitchen person and try to avoid cooking as much as possible. although, at times i feel like i want to learn how to cook some stuff properly. too bad we're kinda short these days, can't buy stuff and experiment on cooking...

[valkangel]

you're probably a better cook than me b. :)

[timeforplanB]

i'm not a fan of tofu since i find it bland, but i guess it's time to sharpen my cooking skills (though, in reality, i have a four-to-two rating in a scale of ten when it comes to cooking)

[soyguysoy]

i can eat pretty much anything, but one thing i can never stand is pepperoni. i hate it with all my life xD
@timeforplanB you know if you buy tofu and cook it in awesome ways(?) you can save money AND eat like
a boss

[timeforplanB]

I am an omnivore, but I mostly eat bread since I'm a poor student who's always trying to save up some money. At home, I usually eat stuff my mom cooks, good dishes. I also try to eat fruits as much as possible.

[xlilx]

Well I'm an omnivore, but I would say that I eat meat more than veggies. Actually I'm not to fond of vegetables especially if they are the main dish. They're okay to eat if they are accompanied by some kind of meat dish because they give different textures to the dish. The only veggies I actually really like as a main dish are asparagus and zucchini but they have to be cooked soft. Also, my favourite "veggie" to go along with a meat dish would have to be tomatoes.

[sukia48]

im an omnivore, but i rarely eat me, mostly snacks im into

[valkangel]

hahahahah then go eat pasta! :D

[timeforplanB]

As a poor student entering college, I just eat whatever I can get. I'm trying to get into better habits, but it's hard to break habits you've built up over your life.

i feel for you, though it's not entirey impossible to watch your diet, given your circumstances. it's really good though, that you're trying to go healthy. you have my respect for that.

well, I guess I could say I'm an omnivore.. but i dont eat fish though.

and i love pasta! :)

somehow, reading this made me crave for pasta.

[antonus]

That's not a good enough reason. Then what's the explanation for the fires?
Looks like everyone went there to play anyway  .
Of course, it's not like anyone ever washes those balls. But you were a kid, played in dirty places all the time so you didn't care. I know I didn't. 

No one cared... it was paradise...

[Love-chan]

That's not a good enough reason. Then what's the explanation for the fires?

My friends and I would play in the ball pit until they kicked us out.

Looks like everyone went there to play anyway  .

at least until I heard about the stories of how unsanitary it was.

Of course, it's not like anyone ever washes those balls. But you were a kid, played in dirty places all the time so you didn't care. I know I didn't. 

[Entmore]

As a poor student entering college, I just eat whatever I can get. I'm trying to get into better habits, but it's hard to break habits you've built up over your life.

[weedkiller]

Life is short, so eat everything you want in moderation and remember to exercise.

[weedkiller]

According to J. Kenji Lopez from SeriousEats, the reason that McDonald's burger doesn't rot is because the small size of a McDonald's hamburger is allowing it to dehydrate fast enough that there is not enough moisture present for mold to grow; it's kinda like jerky and pemmican which can last up to decades.

If you guys are interested please go here
The author did a month experiment following the progression of several McDonald's and homemade burgers.

[antonus]

Oh yes, the ball pit. I really used to enjoy playing in there, at least until I heard about the stories of how unsanitary it was. Now, I just avoid the place.

But wow though, I knew the food had chemicals and all, but I never knew it would last for years without going bad. Yet another reason to not visit McDonalds.

So true. I also liked to play in the ball bit. My friends and I would play in the ball pit until they kicked us out. 

[valkangel]

well, I guess I could say I'm an omnivore.. but i dont eat fish though.

and i love pasta! :)

[Entmore]

Oh yes, the ball pit. I really used to enjoy playing in there, at least until I heard about the stories of how unsanitary it was. Now, I just avoid the place.

But wow though, I knew the food had chemicals and all, but I never knew it would last for years without going bad. Yet another reason to not visit McDonalds.

[kcal9]

Interesting...  Seitan.  I've heard of TVP but I haven't tried that one either.

I have had some good seitan and some really disgusting seitan. You could actually make it yourself, but it takes forever and the ending result may not what you wanted. I also love TVP. I use it instead of ground beef to make tacos. Yves makes by far the best. But Morning Star, is edible if you can't find Yves ground fake meat.

Btw, Isa chandra moskowitz is like a goddess in the Vegan community with her Post Punk Kitchen cooking website and her cookbooks.

I love eating vegan and vegetarian food!. And no, I'm not vegan or vegetarian.

[Love-chan]

Wahhh!!! I'll try your recipe!
Since I get to eat pocky only at anime related festivals and the prices there are ridiculous.
Thank you! 

[Love-chan]

And yet McDonalds is full of people, not only in the USA, but in the world also. When buying a pizza costs 20 euro and buying a happy meal only 5 what do you think moms would choose?
Sad....
I eat there 2-3 times when I was little and wanted to go there to play in the "balls room" or something like that.
I also eat it one time last year when I was in a trip and after half an hour I felt sleepy and hungry again.  
They even use some stuff that make you addicted to the taste and it seems that all this is legal...*sigh*.

[dygkstprl]

Actually, they tried this with other fast food chains too, so its not just Mcdonald's.  All fast food is bad.      

[Kickz]

Lol, I saw this in "Supersize Me". Quite disgusting.  

A bit offtopic, but is the ribwich in the Simpsons based on the Mcrib? (Edit: nvm, I just finished reading the mcrib article XD)

"Supersize Me" is how such experiments with McDonalds'...food...came to my knowledge as well.

  I remember begging for a happy meal when I was younger (I loved the toys!), and am happy to say that my parent's rarely gave in. However, it makes me think of all the people that still purchase from McDonalds out of ignorance or necessity.

Thanks to Silverado for the post!

[strayblack]

Even ants know not to each the french fries. It's true. They'll just avoid the fries left on the ground.

[Lady_of_Eldh]

I have pocky! It may not be quite as perfect as pocky out of a packet, but it was fun to make (and surprisingly easy)

Here is a picture of my pocky, i gave them an apricot yoghurt icing coat, and some of them have sprinkles   


Here is the recipe i used for the sticks, courtesy of notquitenigella.com, italics are my notes.

Make 65

    105g/3.7 oz strong baker’s/bread flour
    80g/2.82oz  plain all purpose flour
    1/4 teaspoon salt
    13g/0.46oz icing sugar sifted
    6g/0.21oz dried yeast
    65ml/2.20 fl oz milk, lukewarm
    16g/0.56oz tahini
    25g/0.88oz honey
    zest of 1/2 mandarin or 1/4 orange
    25g/0.88oz butter at room temperature

1. Combine the yeast and lukewarm milk in a small bowl and stir to combine. Fit a dough hook in an electric mixer and mix the dry ingredients on a low speed.

You don't need an electric mixer, i don't have one

2. In another bowl, mix the honey and tahini together. Add this mix and the milk and yeast mix to the dry ingredients. Mix together on medium speed to form a dough. Add zest and butter and 60ml water and continue mixing until the dough is firm and elastic. I needed to add a bit more flour to make the dough come together after the addition of the butter as it was a little too wet.

I only added half this much water and still needed to add more flour

3. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

4. Preheat the oven to 180c/350F. Divide hte dough into two and knead the dough until smooth then roll it out into a rectangle. Roll it out to 4mm thick (1/4 inch). With a ruler and a sharp knife,  cut 5mmx15cms strips and carefully transfer these onto a lightly greased baking tray or greaseproof paper lined baking tray.

I started off cutting beautifully even strips, and then the perfectionist in me got bored and wandered off and the rest of them ended up all different sizes 

5. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes (watch it, it may take a bit longer or shorter). You want it golden brown, not light yellow as it will not “snap” properly.

Getting the pocky out of the oven at the exact right moment is probably the hardest bit, keep an eye on it!

And thats it. Now i just need to eat them all before they go stale... it is a hard life... 

[hotcurrents]

Well if it doesn't work, I'm sure the results will still be tasty!

Can't wait to see the fruits of your labor! 

[Lady_of_Eldh]

pocky dough is resting... dum-di-dum... 
Replied: July 21, 2011, 06:28:54 AMI have pocky sticks! they are so tasty... i need to stop eating them or i will have none left to cover with tasty sweet things...

Will post up photos after i've coated them (probably tomorrow), and the recipe too

[Xojex]

I couldn't go without meat, even if I tried. I do respect people that can as long as they aren't doing it for a dumb reason. I personally enjoy most kinds of food (Fish is probably my favourite.) So yeah I guess I'm in the omnivore section.

PS: you should have added a "Carnivore" option just for the lols.

[Lady_of_Eldh]

I've never even heard of vegetarian prawns! but it does look scrumptious