To refrigerate or not to refrigerate- that is the question

Is mayonnaise the real culprit in a picnic food poisoning?  Turns out that is probably not the case - it is most likely the food handling of the other ingredients that was the real reason.
Lee from the Chemist's Kitchen lays out the reasons that some old adages are incorrect:

• Commercial mayonnaise is made in sterile conditions so the mayo itself is not a problem.
• Mayo has a low water content and a high acid content so it is not an ideal environment for bacteria.  
• The main problems with the picnic/potluck potato/chicken salad is the the handling of the other ingredients - the potatoes, the chicken, etc. if left out too long prior to making the salad can begin to go bad or not washing raw vegetables well enough. 
• Also personal hygiene is often a source of bacteria - improper hand washing or a dirty cutting surface can introduce germs.

Typical ingredients in mayonnaise:

Homemade:   egg, oil, spices, vinegar and/or lemon juice
A great simple recipe here: making mayonnaise with a stick blender
Commercial:
Hellman's mayonnaise contains
CANOLA OIL, WATER, LIQUID WHOLE EGG, VINEGAR, SALT, LIQUID YOLK, SUGAR, SPICES, CONCENTRATED LEMON JUICE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA.
The commercial version will use pasteurized eggs so that they are sterilized and will also be made in a sterile environment.

The main preservatives in mayo are the vinegar and the lemon juice and, in the case of the commercial stuff, the calcium disodium EDTA (see below for more info on this chemical as an additive).

Here is an extended excerpt from Harold Mcgee's book, The Curious Cook (1990) with more info that you really need to know on Mayonnaise!
He also has a long section on mayonnaise in his book, On Food and Cooking.
Turns out you should be able to make about 23 litres of mayo using one egg yolk if done properly!!

Maria's Curry Mayo Dressing

My sister-in-law introduced me to her delicious dressing/dip/sauce!

Mix mayonnaise, curry powder (or curry paste), lemon or lime juice, and salt and pepper in a bowl.
All amounts are to your desired taste and texture.

Use it:

• on cooked vegetables such as green beans or cauliflower
• as a dip with rice crackers or french fries (or sweet potato fries - Yumm!)
• in a thinner runnier form  of caesar salad dressing

This a a great substitute for a cream sauce, sour cream or cream cheese in these situations.  You can substitute almost any other flavours as well!

Extra info:
calcium disodium EDTA
FDA regulations as a food additive:
Calcium disodium ethylenediamine-tetraacetate [(calcium ethylenedinitrilo) tetraacetate]; calcium disodium EDTA - AF, REG, 25 ppm - Fermented malt beverages - 172.120; Antigushing agent; MISC, 60 ppm - Spice extractives in soluble carriers; Color & flavor; 100 ppm - Pecan pie filling, promote color retention; 340 ppm - Clams (cooked-canned), promote color retention; 800 ppm - Dry Pinto beans, promote color retention; 310 ppm - Promote color retention in dried lima beans (cooked, canned); 275 ppm -Crabmeat (cooked- canned), retard struvite formation, promote color retention; 250 ppm - Shrimp (cooked-canned), retard struvite formation, promote color retention; 33 ppm -Promote flavor in carbonated soft drinks; 110 ppm - Promote color retention in canned white potatoes; 200 ppm - Mushrooms (cooked, canned); 220 ppm - In pickled cucumbers or pickled cabbage; To promote color, flavor & texture retention; 100 ppm - Promote color retention in artificially colored lemon-flavored and orange-flavored spreads; 100 ppm - Potato salad, preservative; 75 ppm alone or comb with disodium EDTA - French dressing, mayonnaise, and salad dressing; non-standardized dressings and sauces, preservative; 100 ppm alone or comb /w disodium EDTA - Sandwich spread, preservative; 200 ppm by wt of egg yolk portion - Egg product that is hard-cooked & consists, in a cylindrical shape, of egg white w/an inner core of egg yolk, preservative; 25 ppm - In distilled alcoholic beverages - 172.120, promote stability of color, flavor and or product clarity; PRES, REG/MIA, 75 ppm - Oleomargarine - Part 166; 365 ppm - Promote color retention in legumes (all cooked canned, other than dried lima beans, pink beans and red beans) - 172.120

Edible paper for the edible inks

I should have added this to the other post but in addition to the ink you need something to print on - edible paper!
After some hunting on the internet, I did find the ingredient list for the "frosting paper" sold by KopyKakes.

INGREDIENTS: Water, glucose syrup, corn starch, microcrystal cellulose, sorbit, glycerin, microcrystal cellulose & CMC, starch syrup, locust bean gum, titanium dioxide powder, glucose syrup powder solid, methyl cellulose, potassium sorbate.

From http://www.edibleinkpaper.com/otheredibles.htm 

 Basically it is a sheet made up of sugar and water with some other ingredients added to give to flexibility and strength.

• Titanium dioxide powder sounds ominous but it is used as a whitening agent (often used in toothpaste as well)
• Sorbit is a sugar substitute
• microcrystal cellulose & CMC and methyl cellulose are used in pills and such stuff since makes the material compressible into either pills or, in this case, paper 

There are also edible ink markers for free hand creating!

Everything you didn’t want to know about Cool Whip from Alltop

I don't usually "do" Cool Whip but it has been known to happen - maybe not anymore?

Everything you didn’t want to know about Cool Whip [infographic]

and here is a recipe to tempt you anyway!!

Berries in a Cloud Jello Dessert

I need this too! A molecular cuisine kit

A reader sent me this link to a most awesome kit for doing some of the most basic molecular gastronomy tricks:
http://www.molecule-r.com/0-13-promotion-products-cuisine-r-evolution.html
Order from Molecule-R, a Montreal, Quebec company!
check out this video:

Ok, so I ordered it... I'll let you know how stuff came out once I get it!!

I did look at the ingredients list included and it has a number of the chemicals that are included in so many of the products on the store shelves:

• Sodium alginate
• Agar agar
• Xanthum gum
• Soy Lethicin

Should be fun finally understanding why these items are added to everything!!

Putting photos on cookies and cakes

Found these neat cookies on one of my blogs and followed the link to the Bridget the baker at her "Bake at 350" blog. She uses edible inks and paper on an inkjet printer.

So what the heck are edible inks and how does they work?

Well, if you want to know what the ingredients are of anything involving chemicals there is probably an MSDS for it. MSDS stands for Material Safety Data Sheet and is US government mandated for any chemical products produced or sold in the United States. It is a way that purchasers, suppliers and their employees will know what is in the products and be able to handle it safely and dispose of it appropriately.  You can usually google  "productname  MSDS" and something will pop up if it is easily available. Even stuff that is basically harmless will have an MSDS (try: "maple syrup MSDS")

So I searched for the MSDS for edible inks and found the ingredient list for Candymark edible inks

FD& C Yellow No.5 (21 CFR 74.705)

FD& C Red No.3 (21 CFR 74.303)

FD& C Blue No.1 (21 CFR 74.101)

FD& C Red No.40 (21 CFR 74.340)

Deionized Water* (No 21 CFR references exist for water)

Propylene Glycol* (21 CFR 184.1666)

Ethyl Alcohol* (21 CFR 184.1293)

*Volatile components that could remain present in small quantities after printing, depending on the absorptivity of the food product and the drying mechanisms used once the inks have been applied.

Since edible inks are made up of a number of chemicals, you would have to search for an MSDS for each one since the MSDS's are usually for a chemical not a mixture.  Here is a link to the MSDS for FD&C Yellow no. 5: http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9924021

Section 3: Hazards Identification

Potential Acute Health Effects: Very hazardous in case of inhalation. Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion.

Potential Chronic Health Effects:

Very hazardous in case of inhalation. Hazardous in case of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion. CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available. DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available.

Section 4: First Aid Measures

Eye Contact:

Check for and remove any contact lenses. Immediately flush eyes with running water for at least 15 minutes, keeping eyelids open. Cold water may be used. Do not use an eye ointment. Seek medical attention.

Skin Contact: No known effect on skin contact, rinse with water for a few minutes.

Note that the dangers may seem exaggerated in some cases but that the warning is for the purest form and often in bulk.  A tiny bit of food colouring (which is already diluted in water) is not going to hurt you or else there would be greater warnings on the packaging as well.


The numbers in brackets are Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) references that cover these chemicals. The regulations determine how much of these chemicals are allowed in food in the United States.

TITLE 21 - FOOD AND DRUGS

• CHAPTER I - FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: SUBCHAPTER A - GENERAL: PART 74 - LISTING OF COLOR ADDITIVES SUBJECT TO CERTIFICATION:subpart a - FOODS: 74.705 - FD&C Yellow No. 5.

(a) Identity.

1. The color additive FD&C Yellow No. 5 is principally the trisodium salt of 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-4-[4-sulfophenyl-azo]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid (CAS Reg. No. 1934210). To manufacture the additive, 4-amino-benzenesulfonic acid is diazotized using hydrochloric acid and sodium nitrite. The diazo compound is coupled with 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid or with the methyl ester, the ethyl ester, or a salt of this carboxylic acid. The resulting dye is purified and isolated as the sodium salt.
2. Color additive mixtures for food use made with FD&C Yellow No. 5 may contain only those diluents that are suitable and that are listed in part 73 of this chapter as safe for use in color additive mixtures for coloring foods.

(b) Specifications. FD&C Yellow No. 5 shall conform to the following specifications and shall be free from impurities other than those named to the extent that such other impurities may be avoided by good manufacturing practice: Sum of volatile matter at 135 C (275 F) and chlorides and sulfates (calculated as sodium salts), not more than 13 percent.

• Water-insoluble matter, not more than 0.2 percent.
• 4,4-[4,5-Dihydro-5-oxo-4-[(4-sulfophenyl)hydrazono]-1H-pyrazol-1,3-diyl]bis[benzenesulfonic acid], trisodium salt, not more than 1 percent.
• 4-[(4,5-Disulfo[1,1-biphenyl]-2-yl)hydrazono]-4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, tetrasodium salt, not more than 1 percent.
• Ethyl or methyl 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-4-[(4-sulfophenyl)hydrazono]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate, disodium salt, not more than 1 percent.
• Sum of 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-phenyl-4-[(4-sulfophenyl)azo]-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, disodium salt, and 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-4-(phenylazo)-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, disodium salt, not more than 0.5 percent.
• 4-Aminobenzenesulfonic acid, sodium salt, not more than 0.2 percent.
• 4,5-Dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylic acid, disodium salt, not more than 0.2 percent.
• Ethyl or methyl 4,5-dihydro-5-oxo-1-(4-sulfophenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxylate, sodium salt, not more than 0.1 percent.
• 4,4-(1-Triazene-1,3-diyl)bis[benzenesulfonic acid], disodium salt, not more than 0.05 percent.
• 4-Aminoazobenzene, not more than 75 parts per billion.
• 4-Aminobiphenyl, not more than 5 parts per billion.
• Aniline, not more than 100 parts per billion.
• Azobenzene, not more than 40 parts per billion.
• Benzidine, not more than 1 part per billion.
• 1,3-Diphenyltriazene, not more than 40 parts per billion.
• Lead (as Pb), not more than 10 parts per million.
• Arsenic (as As), not more than 3 parts per million

All of the info I found above is freely available on the internet. So if you are interested or suspicious about what you are cooking with or eating - do some browsing!

Product ingredients labels - sugars

We have all heard the sensational headlines about this or that additive to food that is suddenly thought to be unhealthy or the latest magic bullet!  I thought I would include an occasional set of posts on some of the ingredients that are in the processed foods we buy.  I'll try to explain simply why they are added and if necessary link to some studies about their health effects (although remember everything is hazardous to your health if taken in too large a quantity - even water*)

Since I recently posted on making brittle, I will briefly discuss sugars.

Many food products have either sugar, glucose or fructose as added ingredients.  Sucrose is often made from sugar cane or sugar beets and is the most commonly found ingredient in soft drinks and foods.
Fructose is the sugar produced by fruits and lactose is the sugar found in milk.

Sucrose and lactose have similar structures as do glucose and fructose.

Sucrose and lactose (as well as many starches) are broken down into glucose in our digestive tract. We need a steady level of glucose to remain healthy - the body produces insulin to control the amount of glucose - extra glucose is turned into fat which can be changed back to glucose when needed.  Diabetics have problems producing insulin in their livers and end up with too much glucose in their bloodstream which makes them hyperglycemic.  They need to either very strictly control their intake of sugars and starches and/or take insulin to make up for what their body is not producing.

A healthy body balances our sugar intake with insulin production - and if we eat too much sugar (my bad..) we create fat!

We eat via food and drink tremendous amounts of sugar - sugar is added to almost everything since it tastes so good!

One hundred and fifty-six pounds. That's how much added sugar Americans consume each year on a per capita basis, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Imagine it: 31 five-pound bags for each of us.

That's not to say that we get most of the sugar in our diets directly from the sugar bowl. Only about 29 pounds of it comes as traditional sugar, or sucrose, according to The Sugar Association, a trade group of sugar manufacturers. The rest comes from foods.

Of course, those foods include things like candy, soda, and junk food. But plenty of sugar is hiding in places where you might not expect it.

Some types of crackers, yogurt, ketchup, and peanut butter, for instance, are loaded with sugar -- often in the form of high-fructose corn syrup, or HFCS. Use of this sweetener has increased 3.5% per year in the last decade, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). That's twice the rate at which the use of refined sugar has grown.   

From " The Hidden Ingredient That Can Sabotage Your Diet: Do you know how much sugar you're eating?" John Casey 

A 12 ounce (355 mls) bottle of soda has typically 35-39 grams of sugar!  Would you sit down and eat 7 teaspoons of sugar?  But you would drink a can of Coke (actually I don't - I find it way too sweet!) but even one of my favourites is root beer and it is just as sweet.  Fruit juices are not much better even when they are pure juice (with no added sugar) - the fruit just contains fructose instead of sucrose.
Here is a video that shows just how much sugar this really is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F10EyGwd57M

So read the labels!




* Disclaimer: the link is a hoax - dihydrogen monoxide = water H2O

Refs
http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2747/does-giving-sweets-to-kids-produce-a-sugar-rush