Could Microwaves Be Better for the Environment than Ovens?

Posted Mar 26th 2009 4:00PM by Emily Matchar
Filed under: Food News

My mom likes to tell stories about how, when she was pregnant, she would always put her food in the microwave, press the "start" button, and run away as fast as she could so as to not irradiate the fetus.

Of course microwaves do not actually irradiate anything (even my mom knew that, on a rational level), but a lot of people still consider them vaguely evil. At the very least they don't enjoy the best reputation for producing healthy or delicious food.

But they may be better for the environment, at least in certain circumstances. As an interesting Slate story found, using a microwave for cooking small portions is much more energy efficient than using an oven. Making a single baked potato in an oven took 9.5 times as much energy as it did in a microwave; making four portions of baked potato in a microwave took 2.5 times the energy. The efficiency ratios are skewed depending on whether you have a gas or electric oven -- gas ovens produce fewer carbon emissions per units of heat than electric ovens.

Good to know, though until they make microwaves that can brown the top of a half-eaten casserole, I'm going to have to stick to my oven for certain reheating jobs.

How often do you use your microwave versus your oven?

I'll Take a Tube of Wine, Please

Posted Jan 1st 2009 2:00PM by Gretchen Roberts
Filed under: Wine, West Coast, Trends, America

A few weeks ago I listed my 2009 wine predictions, including one under "wishful thinking" about box wine, PET bottles, and lighter, alternative forms of packaging becoming mainstream. Now it seems we're one step closer: a California wine company is bottling (or would that be "bagging") a Cabernet Sauvignon in a cardboard tube.

According to the company, Four Wine reduces carbon footprint by 50 percent and reduces landfill waste by 85 percent compared with traditional glass packaging. The packaging is 100 percent recyclable.

As far as I can tell, this wine is boxed wine of a different shape, an attempt at marketing to people who want to be green but don't want the stigma of serving from a box. It has a bag and spigot, but the packaging is a bit more upscale than your generic box brand. And hey, if wine snobs latch on, who cares if the cardboard packaging is a rolled tube or a rectangular box?

I haven't tried the wine, but it's supposed to be a premium brand with lower prices since you're not paying as much for shipping. A 3-liter tube (the equivalent of four bottles) retails at $39. Tried it? What do you think?

Get Green Beer Without St. Patrick's Day

Posted Nov 23rd 2008 11:00AM by Mike Pomranz
Filed under: Beer, East Coast, Health & Medical

Whether bleeding heart or staunchly red, most people agree there's nothing wrong with going green. Sure, we might be able to argue the science behind global warming, but eco-minded products aren't going to harm anybody (unless you've stumbled upon some crazy conspiracy theory I haven't heard about.) So if some brewers want to join the fray of environmentally friendly foodstuffs, I say relax, grab an organic beer and try what the other 364 days of the year call a green beer.

What actually makes a beer "green" is a subject of some debate. Planet Green states, "There are a few ways a beer can be considered green: It can be brewed via environmentally friendly processes, or made with green ingredients like pesticide and chemical-free organic barley and hops." Also important to consider are packaging and shipping. (Planet Green suggest choosing glass and local micro-breweries, respectively.)

Since minimizing fossil fuel usage goes into the eco-equation, drinking regional brews becomes all that more important if you want to be as green as possible. Therefore, Planet Green is suggesting green beers (such as Orlio, pictured here) by region starting with the East Coast. I'm sure other areas are to follow (though they don't say when).

As an unrecommened alternative, if you're seeking a less eco-friendly way of "getting as green as possible," try drinking about 20 of any beer in one sitting (toilet bowl not included).

[via Huffington Post] [Photo Credit: orlio.net]

Mint - To green, or not to green

Posted Nov 11th 2008 9:57AM by Monika Bartyzel
Filed under: Dessert

As soon as I hear the word "mint," my ears perk up. The dish could be green, white, orange, purple, or red -- I wouldn't care. (I might be intrigued why a mint dish was orange, purple, or red, but it wouldn't necessarily deter me.) But it seems some people do.

Over at the Accidental Hedonist, Kate Hopkins recently posted about the world of green food coloring and mint. While mint oil might be clear, we've all seen the waves of green that are often linked to the flavor. But why? In a discussion with a representative from Rogers' Chocolate, she learned that at least in their world, sales dictate the green = mint philosophy. When Rogers' offered a regular mint ice cream without food coloring, the sales were okay. When they colored it green -- "sales for their mint ice cream increased twenty-fold."

Is the world overrun by leprechauns? I could see green ice cream behing handy for St. Patrick's Day, but would you really ignore a mint-flavored product if it wasn't green?

The power of "green" wine

Posted Oct 7th 2008 3:01PM by Gretchen Roberts
Filed under: Wine, Science, Farming, Trends, America

There's a lot of talk about greening in the wine industry, from sustainability to carbon neutral wine to a Green Wine Summit for industry players this year. Well, it turns out there really is no such thing as waste when it comes to wine: Canadian winemaker Vincor Canada has announced that it will produce clean electric power from leftover grape skins and pulp at its three Niagara wineries. The energy company will convert about 3,500 tons of waste per year into clean power.

Other "green" wine efforts include making bottles lighter for transport, switching to alternative packaging like Tetra-paks, PET bottles, and boxes, using solar panels to generate electricity to run the winery (in sunny California, wineries who invest in this kind of passive energy usually end up with a surplus), and composting old vines to make a healthy soil additive for the vineyard. As the green wine movement gains steam, industry experts wonder: will consumers buy because it's green, or are they still all about taste?

To which I say, why not both? Some of the best wines I've had were sustainably produced. Frog's Leap Zinfandel, Grgich Hills Chardonnay, and Torres Priorat Salmos come to mind. Do you think "green" wine tastes better?

Extreme Grilling: Grill green

Posted Jun 27th 2008 10:30AM by Emily Matchar
Filed under: Barbecuing, On the Blogs, Lists, How To, Grilling, Meat, Summer

In the era of "green" mink coats and "green" toenail polish, it's no surprise that there's a ton of advice out there on how to grill green this summer. Here are some of the top hints from across the wide, wide Web.

AOL Food has a whole slew of green tips. Try using a chimney starter rather than lighter fluid to get your briquettes going - it puts off way less CO2.

The Green Daily suggests buying a hybrid grill, so you can use the more efficient electric or gas element for the main source of heat and burn just a bit of wood for that charred aroma.

Char your burgers with environmentally-friendly charcoal: Nature's Grilling all-natural charcoal has no added chemicals or fillers, just pure carbonized wood. Their briquettes, they say, burn hotter and longer with less ash and no acrid aftertaste. Plus, they're made from wood harvested from region's that meet strict "resource management practices" and the company claims to plant 1,000,000 trees a year to lower their carbon footprint. Cowboy Charcoal also promises all-natural charcoal with no petroleum taste.

The Sierra Club lists their favorite environmentally-friendly grills. Consider a solar grill, like the Sport Solar Oven. At just ten pounds, you can carry it on picnics, on your boat and to the beach. On a sunny day, it can reach temperatures up to 260 degrees in the United States, up to 300 degrees in equatorial regions.

Lastly, use a non-toxic cleaner, like SoyClean BBQ Grill Cleaner, a soy-based product which is biodegradable, easy on your hands, and doesn't emit caustic fumes. Orange Plus cleanser is phosphate free and biodegradable, but promises to get the touch greasy bits off the grill.

You can even buy completely biodegradable disposable plates made of sugar cane and cornstarch, from Simply Biodegradable. Throw it all away in their compostable eco garbage bags, and Al Gore will come paste a gold star on your forehead.

Chicago Tribune Food section in 60 seconds: farmers' markets, leftovers, and grocery savings

Posted May 15th 2008 6:00PM by Sarah J. Gim
Filed under: Grains, Vegetables, Nuts/seeds, Midwest Cities, Fruit, Newspapers, In Sixty Seconds

The feature story this week is on the "greening" of Chicago, with farmers' markets returning to new locations with sustainable produce. The Tribune shares some tips for shopping at the farmers' market, as well as recipes from cookbooks that focus on market fresh produce: Scallops with three peas and prosciutto from Blue Eggs and Yellow Tomatoes, Savory mashed potatoes with garden herbs from Rosalind Creasy's Recipes from the Garden, Butter Lettuce Salad from Fresh, and Watercress, snow pea and shiitake mushroom stir-fry from The Farm to Table Cookbook: The Art of Eating Locally.

Food prices are rising, so shop smartly at the grocery store, and take a hint from the Leftover Queen.

Earth Day: What's your plan?

Posted Apr 22nd 2008 3:36PM by Ellen Slattery
Filed under: Celebrations, Holidays

So..what are you doing today to honor the Earth?

Are you baking Earth Day-themed cookies? Making an organic fruit salad? Walking to the grocery store (with your reusable bag, of course)? Finally starting your own compost pile?

Check out this What Shade of Green are You? quiz on sister site Green Daily, and then read more of their green food coverage.

Tell us, we want to know: what are you doing today (or what do you do everyday) in celebration of the earth?

GrowAGreenKitchen.com will help you make your kitchen eco-friendly

Posted Mar 25th 2008 5:31PM by Sarah J. Gim
Filed under: How To, America, Real Kitchens

Here at Slashfood we occasionally provide you with "green" information, whether that's an alarming statistic about how much energy it requires to get your food to your table or a new eco-friendly food or kitchen product. If, however, you are interested in going all out and want all the information in one place, kitchen appliance manufacturer Sub-Zero (and Wolf) have launched a website for just that.

Granted, GrowAGreenKitchen.com is a microsite on their own manufacturer's site, so it can be construed as marketing, but still, the information is there. The site is divided into three main sections: energy, construction, and everyday tips, all intended for consumers, builders and kitchen enthusiasts alike. Likely, you aren't going to tear out your old kitchen right now just to build a brand new one, but the every day tips could help you help the environment.

Reusable ways to wrap your sandwich

Posted Mar 12th 2008 2:03PM by Marisa McClellan
Filed under: Culinary Kids, On the Blogs, How To

When it comes to packing up a sandwich, what do you use to keep that sandwich fresh and unscathed until lunchtime? I imagine that the majority of you use some sort of disposable plastic bag (whether it be zip or fold top). Assuming that you toss those plastic bags at the end of your lunch hour (or that your kid tosses it out when it's time to head out to recess) it begins to amount to quite a few plastic bags. There are reusable plastic container options out there, but what about checking out a reusable sandwich wrap?

If you want to make your own, check out out how this Australian mom made a sandwich wrapper for her daughter out of some fabric, a zip top bag and some old velcro (via Green Daily).

Last year at the Vegan Lunch Box, Jennifer posted instructions from a reader on how to make a reusable sandwich wrapper out of polyurethane laminate coated fabric.

If you're not feeling crafty, you can buy a ready-to-go wrapper at Wrap-n-Mat.

Colorful cauliflower might be healthier

Posted Feb 21st 2008 11:01AM by Sarah J. Gim
Filed under: Vegetables, Health & Medical

We're taught that in general, color is more desirable than white in food. This hasn't necessarily been the case for cauliflower, which belies its white color with a nutrition profile similar to its cruciferous siblings, broccoli and cabbage. Cauliflower is high in vitamin C and cancer-fighting antioxidants.

However, thanks to selective breeding (not genetic engineering), cauliflower in different colors are available. They taste the same as white cauliflower, but are just, well, more fun on the plate. Scientists are also claiming that they might be healthier for you than white cauliflower because of the benefits from the compounds that give the vegetables the color.

Healthier than white or not, if its being colorful makes you and your family eat it, that's all the better!

Coca Cola going from red to green

Posted Feb 20th 2008 11:01AM by Shayna Glick

Everyone nowadays is concerned about the environment. Big business is especially concerned with its image. It wants the valuable consumers that a good green image can bring.

Coca Cola is no different, of course. The soft drink giant has already taken a number of steps to green-ify its image. The beverage maker has already pledged to recycle all of its plastic packaging in the US. Now it's time to tackle aluminum. Coca Cola has now decided that it will recycle 100% of the aluminum cans produced in the US.

To coordinate everything, the drink maker even created a whole division dedicated to collecting and recycling all of its waste packaging. Coca Cola Recycling just built a plant in South Carolina. The division says that the aluminum recycling initiative will use 95% less energy and reduce carbon emissions by 95% than creating new cans.

So here you go; another big company working to beef up its green image. I think it's great. A company as big as Coca Cola recycling all of its waste can make a huge impact on what goes in the landfills. It also makes a lot of business sense. So this kind of thing is a win-win for everyone.

This cup is not a paper cup

Posted Jan 19th 2008 6:31PM by Sarah J. Gim
Filed under: Teas, Coffee, New Products, America, Europe

If you pay any attention at all to celebrities or fashion or celebrity fashion, then you might know something about Anya Hindmarch's "I'm Not a Plastic Bag" bag that created quite a mad rush when they hit US stores. Many designers took advantage of the cheeky eco message, some simply creating more re-usable shopping bags, and others taking and tweaking the "I'm not a ___" message, like Decor Craft Inc., which has created the "I Am Not a Paper Cup" cup. Naturally, coffee mugs are reusable, but DCi's "I Am Not a Paper Cup" reminds coffee drinkers that even when taking coffee to go, you can help the eco cause by not using the disposable paper cups that will end up in landfill somewhere. The cups are porcelain with a silicone lid

Bakery supplier is honored for green makeover

Posted Jan 12th 2008 2:29PM by Shayna Glick
Filed under: Business, Bakeries

The rush to go green is on for big industry (well, a lot of them). The food industry is no different. Brill is being awarded the 2007 Energy Saver Award by the U.S. Department of Energy's Industrial Technologies Program. The company has saved more than 2.2 million kilowatt hours by upgrading a couple systems at their Tucker, GA plant. The upgrades resulted in about a 50% reduction in energy consumption for that plant.

For those readers who don't follow industrial food manufacturers, Brill one of the largest bakery suppliers in the U.S. I personally am not a big fan, preferring instead to either make my own frosting or get a cake from a high-end bakery that wold not use Brill. There are, however, many people who do enjoy Brill products, or at least the bakeries which use those products. Now the bakeries that use Brill products can be proud to support such an eco-friendly manufacturer.

You can read more about it here. The best part is that the actual award, presented at a 2008 industry even, is made from 100% recycled glass!

[via Modern Baking]

Tater Ware: Potatoes change the way we look at carbs and coffee lids

Posted Oct 19th 2007 6:25PM by Sarah Gilbert
Filed under: Coffee, West Coast, Vegetables, Coffee shops

I was getting off the bus on my way to a craft swap, and I was mind-numbingly sleep-deprived. I needed coffee immediately and almost cried with happiness when I saw the sign outside the new electric car dealership. "Hip Drip Cafe," or something. Whatever. They had coffee.

I bought a cup and started feeling guilty when I got to the airpots to fill up. There was a sign encouraging patrons to bring their own cups -- you'd save 25 cents -- and I've been really working to reduce my waste lately. I mentally reminded myself to bring the cup home, so I could compost it and recycle the plastic lid. I grabbed the lid and... discovered Tater Ware.

Tater Ware is, as the cup lid indicates, made of potatoes. They are 100% biodegradable and, if you're worried about those things, GMO free. In addition to the to go cup lid I had on my coffee, the company makes clamshell takeout containers, deli trays, cutlery, and hot/cold cups. The products are "microwarmable" (you can use them to reheat food and beverages in the microwave) and, yep, they can go straight in the compost pile.

Most importantly, my coffee did not have a potato-ey aftertaste. My next campaign: convincing my neighborhood coffee shop to switch to Tater Ware. Someone's got to keep Idaho in business!

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