Corn Sugar Everywhere! - Frosted Flakes

I know what you're thinking. "Dr. Food Chem, of course frosted flakes are going to have HFCS." But these are not just any ordinary flakes, these are frosted flakes from TRADER JOE'S! For trying to stand apart from other megamarts, TJ's is using the stuff everyone is avoiding like the plague. And they're trying to hide it, too!

That's right - glucose fructose syrup. Did they learn the trade secret from Gatorade? I love how the box claims it comes from wheat AND corn, as if that's going to make us feel any better. Looks like I'll have to find another cereal...

Food for thought: October 28, 2010

Since it is the Halloween season, let's start with a few related links:

What's your favorite Halloween candy? What's the worst? And why does everyone always pick on candy corn? Makes me want to make my own...

Want to know where this connection between candy and the Halloween holiday came from? This article helps explain it a little bit.

With all this candy out there, plenty of talk is still out there about the similarities and differences of HFCS and table sugar. And it's not good for HFCS.

News that can make me gag: I'm not a connoisseur of octopus heads, but South Korea is trying to get on top of the issue of how much is too much.

Move over, Turducken. The Pumpple Cake comes in at 1800 calories... a slice!

And to end on a high note, I wonder how long it takes to devour this gummy worm...

LID-ified: Chocolate Cake

This article is similar to my series of "Altering Alton" but with a low-iodine diet (LID) in mind for those who may have had a thyroidectomy. Why LID? For individuals without a thyroid (most likely as a result of removing cancerous nodules), the body no longer has a great need for iodine, but cancerous thyroid cells do. When an individual goes through a body scan, he/she must remove all iodine from the body. Why? In order to determine if there are any cancerous cells, a radioactive iodine is ingested and binds to any cells that need to take up iodine (like thyroid cells that shouldn't be there). With a body scan, the doctor can see if there are any of these thyroid cells that shouldn't be there.

So how hard can it be on LID? It's not hard as long as you avoid iodine, which is near impossible with a typical Western diet! Nearly everything has to be made from scratch, and I mean everything. One thing that has really helped me with figuring out how to make things for LID has been my work with food chemistry and food preparation classes I teach. From my work, I have really learned to enjoy making LID-friendly chocolate cake.

I derive my variation from Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" Chocolate Cake, which can be found on the back of the box for Hershey's Cocoa: Natural Unsweetened. I've been able to make this cake application LID-approved by changing a couple of ingredients. First, for milk, I use coconut milk created from dried, unsweetened organic shredded coconut. For eggs, I only use egg whites. For salt, I use non-iodized salt. For vegetable oil, I use canola oil. And I leave out the vanilla extract.

With these substitutions, I can use the application for creating a wonderfully chocolate cake. And of course, you know how I make the frosting from a previous post. I like to add about 1/2 cup coconut milk with enough confectioner's sugar to get the consistency I want (anywhere from 3-4 cups) for a thick chocolate frosting.

So there you have it. Something that is LID-friendly but has the same consistency, texture, and desired consumption by individuals craving chocolate cake without the iodine. Even on LID, you can eat just as well, if not better!

Food for thought: October 18, 2010

If you don't think the EZ Cracker is a bad idea, then here are some more gadgets for you.

In a food fight, who would win: Alton Brown or Adam Richman?

I thought only "1-900" numbers were adult lines. I guess Ocho Cinco didn't think of that when creating cereal.

Fast food as dangerous as heroin? Australia thinks so.

Bacon Kevin Bacon? Sign me up!

What should Conan call this sandwich? I'm thinking Kitchen Sink.

Could there be a Food Wars war? My money's on Camille taking down the Howie Mandel look-a-like.

Corn Sugar Everywhere! - Kidney Beans

You'd never think you'd find HFCS in beans. Why would they need to be sweetened? Go to your local Super Target store (they could be at regular Target stores, as well), go to the canned vegetable aisle and grab a can of Market Pantry (Target's in-store brand) Dark Red Kidney Beans. If I had a picture, it'd be more convincing, but trust me, there's HFCS in the list of ingredients!

Shame on you, Target.

And this has been another astounding rendition of... Corn Sugar Everywhere!

Altering Alton: S'mores

Another post of Altering Alton, but it's more of a modification of the traditional application of s'mores. A concoction of marshmallow, chocolate, and graham cracker, this fare is typically enjoyed around a bonfire. But I thought you could make it a high-class dessert for cheap (I am a grad student, you know).

So what did I do that was altering the normal application. First, I did use Alton's application for making marshmallows, but I made my marshmallows the size of half of a graham cracker you buy in your local megamart. Nothing deviating from the norm so far.

Second, my initial inspiration for trying to make s'mores inside the apartment came from another Serious Eats recipe for Spicy S'mores. My first attempt at making the chocolate sauce was a huge failure. I had heated up the chocolate to melt it and thought I could add some heavy cream to add volume. Bad idea. When you add cream to melted chocolate, the chocolate will harden quickly. No pictures of this catastrophe (because I threw it out before the SO could grab her camera...whew).

But I wasn't turned away, not just yet. I thought I could try making the chocolate sauce I made for the SO when she was on the low-iodine diet (LID), which involves the recipe for Hershey's "Perfectly Chocolate" chocolate frosting on the back of the container for Hershey's Cocoa: Natural Unsweetened. In place of milk, I made coconut milk from dried, unsweetened organic shredded coconut and water. In place of butter, I used canola oil. And I skipped using vanilla. The key to this is adding more coconut milk and less confectioner's sugar than the recipe, er, application calls for. This will make the frosting more like a sauce, which is great for dipping graham crackers.

I covered a cookie sheet with parchment and placed the dipped graham crackers on the sheet and put the cookie sheet in the freezer for an hour. Once the chocolate hardened, I put the crackers in a Tupperware and into the fridge until I needed them.

From here, I pre-heated the broiler and put my marshmallows on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. With the cookie sheet near the top of the oven, I waited about 40 seconds and the marshmallows had that burnt crispy layer on top. With two chocolate-dipped graham crackers placed on top of one another, I put the marshmallow on top and drizzled chocolate sauce to make everything look professional.

The verdict: perfection. I would love to make my own graham crackers, and that will be my next experiment. But everyone who had them wanted more, so I must be doing something right.

Corn Sugar Everywhere!

So I've decided I would try pointing up places where you'd least expect to find high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or corn sugar, as the Corn Refiners Association wants this unnatural stuff to be known. This time, I'm pointing it out in something I never thought would have HFCS: ice. That's right, ice. Where might you find HFCS-laden ice? Dunkin' Donuts.

Take a look at the ingredients list of the ice used in making Coolattas, and you'll find the culprit.

Hiding in a place we thought we'd never find, the second item under "Neutral Base". Why would you need to sweeten the ice, D-squared?

Last I checked, ice was needed to keep things cool, not add 10 pounds to my waistline. Shame on you, D-sqaured.

And this has been another astounding rendition of... Corn Sugar Everywhere!

Altering Alton: Caramel Apple Bread

So this isn't exactly altering a recipe of AB's but I did learn a thing or two when changing up this application. Instead of creating the caramel for the swirl inside the bread, I decided to go with a cinnamon/sugar mix with apple shavings to create something that I like, the SO likes, and hopefully once I have it perfected, everyone will like.

So I found this recipe for Caramel Apple Bread on one of my favorite sites, Serious Eats. And it sounded delicious! But I wasn't really feeling the caramel swirl. I'm more of a cinnamon-swirl-kind-of-guy. Call me weird but I love cinnamon. And ever since Panera destroyed what once could be called Cinnamon Raisin Bread for that abomination they obviously no longer bake in-house, I've been searching for a bread with a yummy swirl of cinnamon and sugar. The ooey-gooey mixed with a crunch just makes a bread go from good to gone in a flash...in my belly!

Only substituting the caramel for a cinnamon/sugar/apple swirl, I followed the recipe as it was. I did have to add more than 1/4 cup Bread Flour in Step 3. I probably added 1.5 cups, possibly due to atmospheric humidity, possibly due to the dough just kept staying sticky!

For the cinnamon/sugar/apple swirl, I first added in a bowl equal parts cinnamon and granulated sugar, probably around 4 to 5 Tbsp. I mixed the two together, and then shredded a peeled apple into the sweet concoction. I tried coating every possible shred of apple with cinnamon and sugar.

I continued with rolling the dough out to a large rectangle, somewhere around 9" x 16". I placed the swirl in the rectangle, making sure to leave enough dough without a cover of the swirl so it wouldn't leak out when rolling the bread into a loaf. Once the loaf was rolled, it was placed in my bread pan and I waited the 40 minutes for it to double in size.

That's where I noticed moisture in the pan, probably due to the apple's moisture not being soaked up by what would have been the caramel. I baked it anyways and had an almost great loaf of cinnamon apple bread. Because of the excess moisture, not all of the dough was cooked. It was still pretty good, but I have an idea for soaking up the excess moisture: confectioner's sugar. I'm thinking shred the apple into confectioner's sugar because it contains cornstarch, which is great at soaking up water. If I pat the apple's dry after this step and throw them in the cinnamon and granulated sugar, maybe I'll avoid this dilemma of excess moisture. What do you think? Is this a great next step in the evolution of what is an extremely yummy bread? Or will my idea fail, leaving me with trying another way to avoid an undone loaf?

Can I get corn sugar with that?

I'm no expert on high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) but I have read plenty of peer-reviewed articles that study its effects on a number of issues important to all of us, mainly will we be better with or without HFCS in our diet?

The Corn Refiners Association has its opinion about the matter, that HFCS is the same as table sugar, that there are no differences in the amount of fructose and glucose (two simple sugars) between the two. Because it's getting a negative view in the media, consumers aren't consuming it. They even have a website displaying their views, even so much to say that a name change is needed. They would like to call it "corn sugar" (which they do use in their ads) and need the FDA's approval to put the new name on labels.

Important figures in the world of food safety and politics are speaking up on the topic, those like Marion Nestle. Others' opinions can be read here and here. But rather than focus on opinions, I'm going the more scientific route with this rant on the subject. Here are seven peer-reviewed articles on the topic, some that are meant to argue for one side of the argument, but hopefully all are objective about the research that is out there for us, the public, to read and learn.

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/139/6/1253S

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/139/6/1257S

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/139/6/1219S

http://ebm.rsmjournals.com/cgi/content/full/234/6/651

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/88/6/1738S

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/full/88/6/1716S

http://jn.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/139/6/1242S

I went with articles that are free to the public, so please don't be afraid to step out and look for articles that try to objectively explain the debate. My favorite place to look is PubMed, which is one of the best scientific sources for peer-reviewed papers.

My personal opinion, there are differences between HFCS and table sugar. First off, table sugar is a solid, while HFCS is manipulated and ultimately is in the form of a liquid. That is a huge difference! And with a manufacturer of HFCS near my residence, the smell that emanates from the factory is disgusting, something between rotting potatoes left in sweaty socks and human excrement shoved in my nose, but what I really think...

Moral of the story: become educated on the subject and make the decision for yourself.

Food for thought: September 7, 2010

Hey everyone. Hope your Labor Day Weekend went smoothly. I had a good time trying out some new concoctions and not so good time with melting chocolate. But that's for another time. Let's check out some food chem in the news.

Modernist Cuisine may be the evolution of food chemistry in the everyday kitchen, and now we get a chance to peek into what it takes to be a modernist cuisine cook. I love the panoramic shot!

With the FDA's report on egg safety not too appealing, some are trying to find out if there truly are better eggs out there for us to eat.

Speaking of FDA, soon you might find out just how much fat and calories you're consuming in your meal... or not.

The SO loves chili cheese dog, so I'm really hoping that this can be the best tasting chili to top my frankfurter.

It is rough out there for consumers. First it was eggs, now we have to worry about food security. And to top it all off, trying to read a label these days can sometimes take a degree in chemistry.

Well, I knew it. Eating too much meat off the bone can kill you... sooner. But eating arugula? I hope there's an endless supply of buffalo sauce out there...

And on a lighter note: Wendy's may be taking the advice of eating less meat by taking the hamburger off the menu.

Science in the Kitchen: AB's Blueberry Buckle

So you're probably wondering why you can use AP flour in place of cake flour and why that would involve a longer baking time at a lower temperature. Well, let's break it down.

1. AP flour substituted for cake flour

As you can tell from your local megamart, there is more than one kind of flour, meaning that there are different functions for each of them. Cake flour for cake, bread flour for bread, and so on. Many of the differences are determined by the protein content of the flour. Bread flour has a lot of protein, which is why you can knead the hell out of it when making your dough. Cake flour, on the other hand, has very little protein and AP flour is somewhere in the middle. Cake flour will provide a much lighter product that won't brown as much (we'll get into that at some later date). So when using AP flour, it's going to provide a slightly "heavier" product with the capacity to brown quicker at higher temps, which leads to

2. Lower temperature from 375 to 350F

The more protein in the product, the easier to brown and if you have a high temperature, that browning could occur before the inner part of the buckle cooks completely. It's like nuking a burrito in the microwave. You know, where the outside is burnt to a crisp with the inside as cold as ice. Well, if the temperature is lowered, that browning will take a little bit longer, which leads to

3. Extending baking time from 25 to 45 minutes

To account for proper browning and a consistent product texture, the time will have to be extended since we lowered the temperature. But you still want it cooked all the way, so at the lower temp, you can cook it longer to get that nice browning on the outside with a fluffy texture on the inside that gives you an oh-so-delicious blueberry buckle.

Hope you enjoyed this little bit of science in the kitchen. Enjoy!

Altering Alton: Blueberry Buckle

I realize it's past season for blueberries, but for those of you lucky enough to freeze a supply for the upcoming months, I have something you can try without having to venture far from your kitchen.

Alton Brown (all praise the almighty AB!) has a Good Eats episode on blueberries that I recently caught on Food Network, and he had a recipe I just had to try for a blueberry buckle. Well, I didn't have any cake flour in the cupboard but I really wanted to try my luck with this delectable treat. Ultimately, I ended up replacing the cake flour with all-purpose (AP) flour, lowered the baking temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and placed it in the oven for 45 minutes near the top of the oven.

Needless to say, Dr. Food Chem's significant other (SO) thoroughly devoured a square of blueberry buckle in record time. So, there's hope for my cooking/baking skills. And as a treat, here is that episode:

Food for thought: August 30, 2010

Here are some fascinating stories I've read today.

Sounds like the iPad is invading everywhere and everything, even restaurant menus.

My pet rabbit isn't fond of them, so why are baby carrots being touted as sexy?

Sound waves to cool my food? How about I start with Lady Gaga's music? That stuff sends chills down my spine (not the good kind, either).

I've heard of the Soup Nazi, but is there a Sushi Nazi?

Obesity may be tough to battle (both at home and in governmental policies), but who can resist Birthday Cake French Toast?

A new food world begins...

Hi, Dr. Food Chem here. Thought I'd try something new and create a blog that includes links to fascinating stories of food, food and science, food and... more food! So here comes a new and very exciting venture!