Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com Slashfood http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.slashfood.com/media/feedlogo.gif Slashfood http://www.slashfood.com en-us Copyright 2010 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/Let Them Eat ... Horse?http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/11/let-them-eat-horse/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/11/let-them-eat-horse/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/11/let-them-eat-horse/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: cindy47452, Flickr

While it might be OK to eat horse in Europe or Japan, slaughtering horses for human consumption is a no-no in the United States.

But if one Missouri lawmaker has his way, horse-slaughter facilities could re-open in the U.S., a move that has both its supporters and its vocal critics, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and USA Today reported.

Missouri state Rep. Jim Viebrock, R-Republic, introduced the bill earlier this year to allow horse processing plants to open in the Show-Me-State, the papers reported. Pro-slaughter advocates say the move will help the equine industry, hurt by the closure of the country's three horse slaughterhouses. But anti-slaughter groups say it's the recession, not the absence of slaughterhouses, that is hurting horses.

But even if the ban were lifted, would Americans dig in?

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]]>featuredhorsehorse meathorse slaughterhousesJim Viebrockmissouri slaughtering horsesJennifer LawinskiThu, 11 Mar 2010 16:00:00 ESTMore HVP Products Recalled for Salmonellahttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/10/more-hvp-products-recalled-for-salmonella/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/10/more-hvp-products-recalled-for-salmonella/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/10/more-hvp-products-recalled-for-salmonella/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: YouTube

Three more companies are recalling foods that may have been contaminated with Salmonella-tainted hydrolyzed vegetable protein made by Las Vegas-based Basic Food Flavors.

Procter and Gamble is recalling Restaurant Cravers Cheeseburger and Family Faves Taco Night Pringles. Nestle Professional North America issued a recall for about 6,000 pounds of ready-to-eat bacon, and Ruiz Foods is recalling ready-to-eat beef, Food Safety News reported.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a massive recall of HVP products from Basic Food Flavors last week. HVP is a a salty and savory flavor enhancer used in many processed foods.

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]]>Basic Food Flavorsfeaturedhvp recallHvpRecallpringle recallPringleRecallJennifer LawinskiWed, 10 Mar 2010 15:00:00 ESTJack in the Box Fries Get a Makeoverhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/09/jack-in-the-box-fries-get-a-makeover/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/09/jack-in-the-box-fries-get-a-makeover/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/09/jack-in-the-box-fries-get-a-makeover/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Jeremy Brooks, Flickr

Customers asked, and now Jack in the Box has answered: New French fries are on the way, with improvements to crispness, texture and freshness, Nation's Restaurant News reported.

"Fewer menu items generate more polarizing opinions than French fries," Tammy Bailey, division vice president of menu marketing and promotions for Jack in the Box, said in a statement. "So we created our new French fries with a crispier outside texture that enhances the potato flavor and helps them retain their temperature."

The new fries will be available at participating Jack in the Box restaurants later this month. They will come in small, regular and large sizes, costing approximately $1.39, $1.79 and $1.99, respectively, plus tax.

San-Diego based Jack in the Box operates about 2,200 franchises.

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]]>fast foodfrench friesjack in the boxjack in the box french friesjack in the box new french friesJennifer LawinskiTue, 09 Mar 2010 13:00:00 ESTWhat Is Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein?http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/08/what-is-hydrolyzed-vegetable-protein/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/08/what-is-hydrolyzed-vegetable-protein/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/08/what-is-hydrolyzed-vegetable-protein/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: mosabua, Flickr

If you've eaten potato chips or chicken nuggets lately, chances are you had a bite of hydrolyzed vegetable protein -- a salty and savory flavor enhancer used in many foods you may eat every day.

The behind-the-scenes food additive came to national attention last week: the FDA issued a mass recall of processed food products when it was discovered that a batch of HVP coming from Basic Food Flavors Inc. in Las Vegas, Nev., was contaminated with salmonella, the Chicago Tribune and walletpop.com reported.

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]]>basic food flavors food recallfood recall hvphvphvp food recallhydrolyzed vegetable proteinJennifer LawinskiMon, 08 Mar 2010 16:00:00 ESTGun-Control Debate Brews at Starbuckshttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/05/gun-control-debate-brews-at-starbucks/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/05/gun-control-debate-brews-at-starbucks/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/05/gun-control-debate-brews-at-starbucks/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Gun owners and gun-control advocates are duking it out in an unlikely place these days -- Starbucks.

Bearers-of-arms have begun gathering at Starbucks in Northern California after Peet's Coffee & Tea and California Pizza Kitchen put policies in place to ban firearms on the premises, CNNMoney.com reported.

Several gun rights groups have been holding monthly meetings at San Francisco-area Starbucks, but gun-control groups want the coffee chain to ban guns in its stores, ABC News reported in January.

"While we deeply respect the views of all our customers, Starbucks long-standing approach to this issue remains unchanged. We comply with local laws and statutes in all the communities we serve," a Starbucks company spokesperson told Slashfood in a statement.

"In this case, 43 of the 50 U.S. states have open carry weapon laws. Where these laws don't exist, we comply with laws that prohibit the open carrying of weapons."

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]]>starbucksstarbucks gun controlstarbucks gun warsJennifer LawinskiFri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:00 ESTThe "McForce" Is With Ushttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/04/the-mcforce-is-with-us/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/04/the-mcforce-is-with-us/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/04/the-mcforce-is-with-us/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: Stephen Con Worley


How much of America is dotted with fast-food chain restaurants?

Weather Sealed takes a map of America's fast-food joints and views it through the lens of "Star Wars" to show which areas are dominated by the McDonald's 12,000 strong fast-food empire and which are controlled by "rebel forces," a.k.a. everyone else.

The hold-outs?

Los Angeles is a Jack-in-the-Box enclave, and most of Texas seems to be Sonic territory. In the rest of the country, however, the McForce is strong.

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]]>fast foodfast food mapweather sealedweather sealed fast food mapJennifer LawinskiThu, 04 Mar 2010 14:00:00 ESTDid Cooking Make Us Human?http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/03/did-cooking-make-us-human/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/03/did-cooking-make-us-human/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/03/did-cooking-make-us-human/#commentsFiled under:

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Toss a steak on the grill and you may be reenacting an event that helped separate men from apes thousands of years ago.

Cooking, according to a new theory from a Harvard anthropologist, was a key turning point in human evolution, and without it, we would still spend significant chunks of our day chewing heaps of raw foods, BBC News reported.

Humans would need to eat more than 10 pounds of fruits and vegetables a day -- a task which would require six hours of chewing, Harvard Professor Richard Wrangham told BBC News. Cooking, he said, allowed humans to begin eating meat.

"I think cooking is arguably the biggest increase in the quality of the diet in the whole of the history of life," he said.

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]]>evolutionfood theoriesJennifer LawinskiWed, 03 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST'Pioneer Woman' Takes Top Honors in Bloggie Awardshttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/02/pioneer-woman-takes-top-honors-in-bloggie-awards/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/02/pioneer-woman-takes-top-honors-in-bloggie-awards/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/03/02/pioneer-woman-takes-top-honors-in-bloggie-awards/#commentsFiled under: ,

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Oklahoma's Ree Drummond, author of the Pioneer Woman blog and The Pioneer Woman Cooks cookbook, has captured the top award in the 2010 "Bloggie" awards, NewsOK.com reported.

The Pioneer Woman won the 2010 Weblog of the Year award for the second year in a row. Winners were announced via Twitter (of course), and Drummond's blog also won awards for writing and design.

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]]>ree drummondThe Pioneer Womanthe pioneer woman bloggie awardthe pioneer woman cooksJennifer LawinskiTue, 02 Mar 2010 15:00:00 ESTGirl Scout Cookies Recalled for Weird Tastehttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/26/girl-scout-cookies-recalled-for-weird-taste/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/26/girl-scout-cookies-recalled-for-weird-taste/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/26/girl-scout-cookies-recalled-for-weird-taste/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: kiwibug11, Flickr

Some Girl Scout Lemon Chalet Creme cookies have been recalled by the baker for having a weird taste, Consumerist reported.

The cookies in question, made by Little Brownie Bakers, "contain oils that may be breaking down which can result in an off taste and smell," the baker said in a statement.

"We have fifteen affected lot codes distributed to 31 of the 81 Girl Scout councils in a variety of states," Little Brownie Bakers spokeswoman Susanne Norwitz told Slashfood. Those with cookies that have an off taste or smell should call 1-800-962-1718 or contact the bakery through their Web site.

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]]>girl scout cookiesgirl scout cookies recalledlemon chalet creme cookieslemon chalet creme cookies recalledJennifer LawinskiFri, 26 Feb 2010 15:00:00 ESTThe Worst French Fries in Americahttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/25/the-worst-french-fries-in-america/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/25/the-worst-french-fries-in-america/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/25/the-worst-french-fries-in-america/#comments

Photo: Mr. Wright, Flickr


If you're trying to trim down, french fries are probably not the best idea, but which fries are a little indulgence and which are downright diet busters?

The authors of "Eat This, Not That!" have ranked some of America's most fattening, unhealthy French fries -- and picked the "Best French Fries in America." And the winner may surprise you, Men's Health reported.

Which are the Worst Fries in America?

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]]>chilisfive guysfrench friesworst french friesworst french fries in americaJennifer LawinskiThu, 25 Feb 2010 17:00:00 ESTMario Batali Heads Back to the Kitchenhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/24/mario-batali-heads-back-to-the-kitchen/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/24/mario-batali-heads-back-to-the-kitchen/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/24/mario-batali-heads-back-to-the-kitchen/#commentsFiled under: ,

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After years of high-profile globe-trotting and television celebrity chef-dom, Mario Batali wants to go back to his roots -- in the kitchen, Time magazine reported.

Batali and partner Joe Bastianich are planning a new Manhattan Italian market and restaurant complex, Eataly New York, that will house six new restaurants: a meat restaurant, a fish restaurant, a pasta and pizza place, a vegetable restaurant, a panino bar and a brewery-gastropub. Batali is planning the menus.

"These are the first really unadulterated [Batali restaurants] we've opened since Otto, seven years ago," Batali told Time.

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]]>eatalyeataly new yorkjoe bastianichmario batalimario batali eatalyJennifer LawinskiWed, 24 Feb 2010 15:00:00 ESTBPA-Free Cans Hard for Foodmakers to Findhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/23/bpa-free-cans-hard-for-foodmakers-to-find/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/23/bpa-free-cans-hard-for-foodmakers-to-find/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/23/bpa-free-cans-hard-for-foodmakers-to-find/#commentsFiled under:

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While the jury is still out on whether BPA -- Bisphenol A, a chemical used in many plastics that may cause health problems -- is safe in food packaging, some manufacturers are looking for alternatives.

But finding BPA-free cans isn't exactly an easy job, as several food manufacturers have discovered, reported the Washington Post. BPA is used as the lining of nearly every can on supermarket shelves, and even if food is canned in BPA-free materials, some of its ingredients may have encountered the chemical.

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]]>bpabpa free food packagingbpa-free cansfood packagingsafe food packagingJennifer LawinskiTue, 23 Feb 2010 15:00:00 ESTQuiznos Launches 'Eat Toasty, Be Green' Campaignhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/23/quiznos-launches-eat-toasty-be-green-campaign/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/23/quiznos-launches-eat-toasty-be-green-campaign/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/23/quiznos-launches-eat-toasty-be-green-campaign/#commentsFiled under:

Courtesy of Quiznos


In an effort to make its restaurants and take-away containers more environmentally friendly, Quiznos has kicked off its "Eat Toasty, Be Green" campaign with the introduction of new biodegradable packaging.

Quiznos is introducing 100 percent compostable wax-coated paper cups, pulp salad bowls made from renewable sugarcane and napkins made from 100 percent recycled material and fibers. Plastic lids will be 30 percent post-consumer recycled PET bottles and catering lunch boxes will be made from 100 percent recycled paperboard.

The company is also outfitting its employees with uniforms made from 100 percent recycled soda pop bottles. One hat keeps six soda bottles out of the landfill. An apron is made from about 25 bottles.

"We first looked at our cups and salad bowls and salad lids. We were using plastic salad bowls and we wound up finding a vendor that has a renewable sugarcane-pulp bowl that's recyclable, biodegradable and compostable," Ellen Kramer, executive vice president of communications for Quiznos, told Slashfood.

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]]>eat toasty be greeneat toasty be green campaigngreengreen fast foodquiznosJennifer LawinskiTue, 23 Feb 2010 12:30:00 ESTShould Hot Dogs be Redesigned to Stop Kids from Choking?http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/22/should-hot-dogs-be-redesigned-to-stop-kids-from-choking/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/22/should-hot-dogs-be-redesigned-to-stop-kids-from-choking/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/22/should-hot-dogs-be-redesigned-to-stop-kids-from-choking/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: ricardo-pereira, Flickr


Hot dogs are the most common culprit when kids choke on foods, USA Today reports, citing a new policy statement on children and choking issued today by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

In the policy statement, which was published today online in Pediatrics , the academy says it wants foods like hot dogs to have warning labels or be "redesigned" so that they are less likely to be lodged in the airways of children. Choking on food brings more than 10,000 kids age 14 and under to emergency rooms each year, and approximately 66 to 77 children under 10 die from choking on food every year, the policy statement says. Hot dogs are behind about 17 percent of these food-related asphyxiations, the paper reports.

"The hot dog is the leading type of food that causes death due to choking on food, and the reason is because the hot dog is round, it's roughly the diameter of the back of a child's throat and so it will slide down behind the tongue and will completely block the airway making it impossible for any air to pass," Dr. Gary Smith told Slashfood. "If you wanted to design to the perfect plug for a child's airway, you couldn't do better than a hot dog."

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]]>choking hazardhot dogshot dogs choking hazardredesign hot dogsJennifer LawinskiMon, 22 Feb 2010 15:00:00 ESTFood Network Seeks Teams for New Reality Showhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/19/food-network-seeks-teams-for-new-reality-show/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/19/food-network-seeks-teams-for-new-reality-show/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/19/food-network-seeks-teams-for-new-reality-show/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: needlessspaces, Flickr

If you and a friend or family member have what it takes to run a restaurant, the Food Network might be looking for you.

The network is holding an open casting call in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 22 for its newest team reality show -- "24 Hour Restaurant Battle," the Herald-Mail reported.

Producers are looking for two-person teams with existing relationships -- mothers and daughters, sisters and brothers, husbands and wives, best friends -- who think they have the skills to run a restaurant. One team member will run the front of the house and the other will be in charge of what happens in the kitchen.

Food Network aired a sneak preview episode of "24 Hour Restaurant Battle" in late 2009 and will run 8 new episodes beginning July 2010. In each episode, hosted by chef Scott Conant, two teams of would-be restaurant owners will have 24 hours to dream up a restaurant concept, plan and open it for one night.

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]]>24 hour restaurant battle casting call24 restaurant battlefood networkfood network 24 hour restaurant battleJennifer LawinskiFri, 19 Feb 2010 16:30:00 ESTKit Kat: Huge in Japan?http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/18/kit-kat-huge-in-japan/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/18/kit-kat-huge-in-japan/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/18/kit-kat-huge-in-japan/#commentsFiled under:

Photo: kelvin255, Flickr



Nestle announced it will be launching 19 different flavors of Kit Kat to appeal to Japanese audiences, the Independent reported. In Okinawa, they'll have sweet potato. You can find melon in Hokkaido, soy sauce in Tokyo and green tea in Kyoto. Other flavors include: wasabi, apple, chili, miso, cherries and strawberry cheesecake.

The company hopes its exclusive Japanese line of Kit Kat candy will be popular souvenirs and gifts. It has teamed up with the Japan Post to create packages that can be mailed like post cards, the paper reported.

"Giving gifts is an important part of Japanese culture and we like to travel, so we wanted to combine these two things together," spokeswoman Miki Kanoh told Relaxnews, a leisure news wire.

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]]>japanese kit katsjapanese line of kit kat candykit katkit kat flavorsJennifer LawinskiThu, 18 Feb 2010 15:30:00 ESTContinental Upgrades Meals for Front-of-Plane Passengershttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/18/continental-upgrades-meals-for-front-of-plane-passengers/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/18/continental-upgrades-meals-for-front-of-plane-passengers/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/18/continental-upgrades-meals-for-front-of-plane-passengers/#commentsFiled under:

Chelsea Food Services

If you're flying on Continental Airlines, paying extra for that roomier seat in BusinessFirst class, you'll also be getting higher-end meals designed by Continental's executive chef, Siegfried Lang.

Last month, the airline upgraded its BusinessFirst menus on international flights, the Houston Chronicle reported.

The airline even customizes its menus for each major overseas market, including an Israeli kosher kitchen for flights to Tel Aviv.

"We have two Japanese chefs making authentic Japanese food every night so we're not having a Western concept of what a Japanese meal should be," Gerry McLoughlin, Continental's food and beverage development manager and corporate executive chef, told the paper.

Houston chef Bryan Caswell, owner of Reef, Stella Sola and Little Big's, designed one new menu item -- a seafood medley of turbot fish and grilled shrimp served over spiced green lentils and topped with lobster sauce, the paper reported.

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]]>airplane foodcontinental airlinescontinental airlines foodfeaturedJennifer LawinskiThu, 18 Feb 2010 14:00:00 ESTLooking for Green Fast Food? Greenopia Can Helphttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/17/looking-for-green-fast-food-greenopia-can-help/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/17/looking-for-green-fast-food-greenopia-can-help/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/17/looking-for-green-fast-food-greenopia-can-help/#commentsFiled under: ,

Photo: Greenopia.com


Greenopia has made being green a little easier with the launch of its updated Green Fast Food Guide.

The guide uses Greenopia's 4-Leaf rating system to evaluate the environmental impact and healthy dining characteristics of 23 fast-food restaurant chains including Chipotle, McDonald's, Starbucks, Taco Bell and Sonic.

At the top of the list, the only to get 4-Leaf ratings, are burger joint EVOS, Le Pain Quotidien and Pizza Fusion. Chipotle got two leaves and McDonald's got one, the only major international fast-food burger restaurant to receive any leaves.

"A really good proxy for the overall greenness of a fast-food chain is really what type of food they're serving - if they have organic products or if they try to incorporate local into their products or use fair-trade coffee," Doug Mazeffa, research director for Greenopia, told Slashfood.

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]]>chipotleeco friendly fast foodgreen fast foodgreen fast food guidegreenopiamcdonaldsstarbucksJennifer LawinskiWed, 17 Feb 2010 16:00:00 ESTSmoke-Flavoring in Some Foods May Be Toxichttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/17/smoke-flavoring-in-some-foods-may-be-toxic/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/17/smoke-flavoring-in-some-foods-may-be-toxic/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/17/smoke-flavoring-in-some-foods-may-be-toxic/#commentsFiled under:

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One of the flavorings used to give a smoky flavor to meats and cheeses (in lieu of traditional smoking) may be hazardous to your health, Food Safety News reported.

The European Food Safety Authority examined 11 smoke flavorings used in the European Union and found that several of the flavorings had chemicals in them that could cause cell damage in high quantities.

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]]>european food safety authorityfeaturedsmoked flavored foods toxicsmoked foodsJennifer LawinskiWed, 17 Feb 2010 14:30:00 ESTFerran Adria Denies Reports of El Bulli Closing Permanentlyhttp://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/16/chef-denies-worlds-best-restaurant-el-bulli-closing-permanent/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/16/chef-denies-worlds-best-restaurant-el-bulli-closing-permanent/http://www.slashfood.com/2010/02/16/chef-denies-worlds-best-restaurant-el-bulli-closing-permanent/#commentsFiled under: ,

elbulliPhoto: loremipsum, Flickr


While Catalan chef Ferran Adria will be shuttering his world-famous El Bulli restaurant for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, the father of avant garde cooking denied reports the restaurant was closing for good, the Associated Press reported.

Adria denies a report in the New York Times that he was closing El Bulli permanently and replacing it with an academy for advanced culinary study.

El Bulli, about two hours north of Barcelona, is considered by many to be the world's best restaurant. However, even for the best, the restaurant business can be tough.

The Times reported the restaurant, known for its creative approach to molecular gastronomy with creations like Parmesan ice cream sandwiches, was losing half a million Euros a year.

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]]>el bulliel bulli closingel bulli not closingElBullielbulli closingelbulli not closingferran adriaJennifer LawinskiTue, 16 Feb 2010 12:30:00 EST