"cool" news and stories

Last week the new COOL (country of origin label) labeling went into effect. The legislation was actually created years ago but faced stiff resistance from the food industry. However, the recent salmonella outbreak in the US and the Listeria outbreak in Canada have made it impossible to hold it back anymore, and the labels have to be implemented within six months.

Some lawmakers and consumer groups are worried about the loopholes, though. According to Bloomberg.com, loopholes in the legislation allow foods of mixed origin to be exempt. That includes things like mixed vegetables, Spam, processed meats, and mixed nuts.

Some lawmakers are looking into making changes to close the loopholes, but of course the industrial food lobby's are against that. They're worried about how much all of the new labeling is going to cost. I understand that, but are their up front costs worth risking the health of consumers?

[Via Coldmud]

In spite of a 2,000-year-old tradition, sake is declining in popularity in Japan. Consumers there are opting for wine, beer and cocktails -- Western drinks -- at home, at bars and at restaurants, causing a 10 percent drop in sake's alcohol market share in the last year alone and an almost 50 percent drop in total sales in the last decade. The home sales are particularly flagging, something attributed to the increasing popularity of Western cuisines and the desire of cooks to match them with appropriate drinks. This trend works in reverse in countries where Japanese cuisine is still seen as hip and trendy, like in the US.

To renew interest, brewers are turning more and more toward premium sakes and cutting-edge ad campaigns, not unlike the ones commonly seen for beer or luxury spirits, to attract younger drinkers to their products. They don't want the trendsetters of the nation to see sake as "what grandma and grandpa drink" or as "what your boss forces you to drink in a smoky pub in a sticky glass." In pursuit of hipness, they are also touting the drink as being low in calories and a good stress reliever.

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After making a batch of doughnuts this morning, it struck me that I was getting quite hot as I worked over the stove. Of course, the high humidity played a part, but there was no doubt that much of the heat was radiating out of the 370°F vat of oil. The reason that I took particular notice is that, over the weekend, I had a discussion with a friend who attempted to convince me that frying was a better way [than baking] to cook in the summer, since it didn't heat the house up.

I beg to differ.

The oven has to preheat and bake whatever it is you want to eat, but the oven door is open for very little time during the baking process and releases only a small amount of heat into the room. The oil, on the other hand, is a constant and long-lasting source of heat, not to mention the fact that the cook (me) has to stand over the hot oil and supervise whatever is being cooked.

If you've heard that frying is cooler, do you fry in the summer? Frankly, if I'm worried about heating up the house, I'm more likely to make a salad or a batch of ice cream - neither of which heats up the kitchen in the slightest.

Breyers released their Double Churned ice cream this week. If it sounds like something you've had before, you're probably confusing it with the Dreyers/Edy's Slow Churned variety. In any event, more churning in commercial ice cream is supposed to make it creamier (though there are proponents of homemade ice cream who aim to keep their churning to a minimum no matter what), so the ice creams should be a hit.

Breyer's just did a survey on American ice cream eating habits. From their "Real Dish on Ice Cream" study, they learned that 87% of Americans have ice cream in the freezer and 71% have at least two kinds or more. A very crafty 20% try to hide their favorite flavor where other family members won't find it. They also said that men and women are equally likely to crave ice cream when they are happy.

The only question left to answer is whether the happiness was ice cream based, or whether being happy just made them want ice cream.

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I recall once reading a book where the main character liked to choose unusual sundae toppings. She might have pineapple, butterscotch and whipped cream on top of two scoops of chocolate fudge and blueberry ice cream. Inevitably, the staff would cringe as she ordered, but I couldn't help but wonder if she was on top something. Is there a certain point at which more flavors just taste better? The number of ingredients is probably a matter of personal preference, and the ultimate sundae might even be defined by its price tag, but these are eight of our top sundae combinations and you won't go wrong with any of them:

A classic sundae starts with vanilla ice cream and is topped with hot fudge sauce, whipped cream, chopped nuts and a cherry. Don't forget to put some sauce on the bottom, too!

A peanut butter cup sundae should begin with chocolate ice cream, followed by swirls of softened peanut butter, lots of hot fudge and a topping of crushed Butterfingers, for added texture and crunch.