Eating eggs in summer.
.I've been AWOL from this blog for a while. So much so that Joy Vazapully, who posted the following question, has disappeared from the blogland. I hope the eggs didn't get her.Joy's question was:...
View ArticleOf camels and straws and chocolate
.Really, the picture is just there because it is pretty.This post has nothing to do about camels, a little to do about straws of the sort that worry camels but nothing to do with drinking straws but a...
View ArticleThe Mayo Clinic
.Don says:"I had the wonderful privilege of touring Mullins Food Products, Makers of mayonnaise.. "(Mayonnaise) doesn't even have to be refrigerated. No harm in refrigerating it, but it's not really...
View ArticleOf meat and fridges...
.The Intolerant Chef asks: "How long can raw meat be kept in the fridge before being harmful? I remember my mother washing slightly bluish looking chops in vinegar and water to remove the stickiness...
View ArticleSmells dead, must be dead.
.Chairman Bill asked: "How about trassi? I've heard some hideous stories about it, although I've eaten plenty of it in my time (both as a Dutchman and when in Indonesia/Malaysia)"This is an amazing...
View ArticleSunscreens, SPF 50
.Much excitement in Australia this week with the granting of permission to sell SPF 50 sunscreens.Got to be 66% better than all those SPF 30 ones, mustn't they?Well, hold you horses. Could it just be...
View ArticleSteak Tartare
.Celia, of Fig Jam & Lime Cordial, asked "Does the traditional food rule apply to dishes like steak tartare?"Yes, is the short answer.Steak Tartare is a traditional food.Despite the rantings of...
View ArticleThe Hormonal Cow
..Celia asked: Lee, do you have any thoughts about growth hormones in Australian beef and what they're doing to us?Well, yes, I have thoughts. Mixed thoughts. I don't have too many facts, though, as it...
View ArticleStamps. And the perils of licking them.
.Stamp commemorating all that was left standing after the US 'liberated' Iraq?Xink asks: Is it possible to die from licking stamps? As in the Seinfeld episode when George Costanza's fiance dies after...
View ArticleNot ducking the question.
....Celia of Fig Jam & Lime Cordial, asks"I've been making confit duck, and keep it for a short time in the fridge.1. As instructed, I've been reheating the used duck fat to clarify it and then...
View ArticleTake it with a pinch, no, a bag of salt!
.Food Australia, who should know better, published an article earlier this year titled "Contaminated reusable grocery bags pose health risks" (63 (5) - May 2011). It was based on an article by Gerba...
View ArticleCancer and spices.
. Anonymous asked: "Do ginger, curry powder and cumin powder help reduce risk of any cancers? "Disclaimer: I am a food chemist and any medical comments are those of a food chemist. Will anything...
View ArticlePotomatatoes & Acidity
Anonymous asked "Do totatoes can acidity in the body?"Well, that is not an easy question to answer, as such.Are we talking potatoes or tomatoes?Are we talking cancel or cause? Never mind - I'm guessing...
View ArticleA load of old rhubarb
. I made mention on my home blog that my rhubarb was green and that I was adding elderberries to it to make it look more 'normal'. I have seen recipes that added strawberries to give colour. A few...
View ArticleAnticancer Spears
. Kevin Bell asked: "Any info on the email going around that Asparagus is good for curing cancer? This also seems incredulous, the pharma industry are not stupid and would be onto it quickly enough if...
View ArticleCoffee, Tea...
. Peter Bryenton asked "I was wondering how much caffeine there is on average in an ordinary cup of instant coffee?"Not an easy question as the consumer is in control of how strong they make the coffee...
View ArticleNuts to that!
Reading an article in Food Quality New I was a bit confused about the about photo (above), said to be of pecan shells. Well, there may be pecans there at the back but the foreground is all almond and...
View ArticleAt last, a different onion question!
Anonymous asks:"Would like to know if you can get sulphuric acid poisoning from rotting onions? Had a bag of onions in my cupboard for months and they had rotted now all I can smell is onions. Really...
View ArticlePast its 'Use-By'.
Don asks "How important are the 'sell by' dates on food? Clearly something like milk gets nasty. Bread can easily mold. But what about something like canned beans? Would that be more a textural issue;...
View ArticlePass the Butter
A friend forwarded me a post on Butter and Margarine, for my comment. My comments, in blue, are interspersed with the original item, in black.Margarine was originally manufactured to fatten turkeys....
View ArticleMasala Chai.
KM asks: I am used to having (strong) tea that is made by boiling black tea, milk, sugar, and spices all together. I hear that it robs tea of all its benefits. Is that true? I have tried switching to...
View ArticleVinegar
KM asks: my friend and I had quite a discussion on white vinegar the other day. She insisted that it's absolutely necessary to buy it from an organic store while I could not be sure if there is a whole...
View ArticlePermeate
JCN asks: What the story behind permeate in milk?Well, it is simple enough but the marketers have had a field day with it, as if it is something evil and noxious. Admittedly the name does conjure up...
View ArticleA Rum Ball Rumble
We made rum balls on the weekend. Well, I didn’t as much as the grandkids did and I provided technical advice here and there, but it reminded me of a former work colleague who warned me of her...
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