"trans fats" news and stories

• Mmmm...Rosemary Bread Crumbs.
• Boston might be the next city to ban trans fats.
• This caption says "You are watching Meatballs," but it's not the Bill Murray movie, it's a video on how to make them.
• Airline food might be worse than ever, but airport food has gotten much better.
• The secret to a great steak is...
• The price of beer is about to rise.
• This week's recipes: Herb-Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, Fennel, Apple, and Arugula Salad, and Chicken Scaloppine with Lemon, Capers, and Tomatoes.

Of course, a lot of people would say "just avoid fast food altogether!" But sometimes you just need a Wendy's double cheeseburger and fries.

The folks over at A Calorie Counter have looked at the nutritional info for all of the fast food outlets (McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, A&W, Arby's, Hardee's, In-N-Out Burger, Jack in the Box, Little Caesars, Papa John's, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Sonic, Subway, Taco Bell, Wendy's, White Castle, Popeyes, Del Taco, Carl's Jr., and Dairy Queen) and have compiled a list of the 88 worst foods you can buy, in terms of the amount of trans fats. After the jump, the 10 worst. The link above gives you the whole list.

Brookline, MA has voted to stop using trans fats in their restaurants and schools.

The city becomes the third in the country to ban trans fats (used in frying and baked goods), along with New York City and Philadelphia. Boston and Cambridge are thinking about doing it as well.

California has just taken another step towards passing a bill that would ban "the use of oils, margarine and shortening containing trans fats" from all restaurants and other food-serving businesses by 2009. As in the similar New York law, food not made on-site that is served in its original packaging (and therefore indicating the presence of trans fats) is exempt, as are meat and dairy products. California is the first state taking action against trans fats in continuing to pursue this legislation, which has almost reached the state Assembly. New York and Philadelphia, although both have ordinances, are small potatoes compared to the whole of the Golden State.

Predictably, representatives from the California Restaurant Association and the Grocery Manufacturers and Food Products Association say that the change will be detrimental to restaurateurs and will "lead to shortages of oils free of trans fats and force owners of small restaurants to pay higher prices for cooking oil." This has not, as yet, happened in other places with such ordinances and, because the change is to be a gradual one, there is more than enough time for producers to work out sources for trans-free products and for manufacturers of those products to increase their output. Other critics say that this is turning California into a nanny state, while those in favor of the ban say it is simply good sense to prohibit something so unhealthy.

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Dairy and meat products have small amounts of naturally occurring trans fats in them, but they are exempt from the federal laws that require trans fats to be identified on nutrition labels because those laws are aimed at artificially produced trans fats. Some companies, like Starbucks, want to be able to assure their customers that their products are entirely trans fat free and have required their bakers to switch from butter to trans-free margarine and palm oil. The bakers aren't happy about this, but consumers shouldn't notice a difference in flavor because of careful testing.

New York may be far from Texas and the Carolinas, but you can find some great barbecue in the city. This is good news for the millions of barbecue lovers who don't have too much of a problem finding excellent smoked meats, tender and slow cooked chickens, and piles of pulled pork.

Chodorow isn't the only one upset about his restaurants' reviews. Other restaurants have been known to sue critics for simply giving their opinion on their food.

Frank Bruni eats at Sfoglia and gives it 2 stars.

The TurboChef is one impressive - and expensive - oven.

Mark Bittman, the minimalist, makes a thai-inspired Winter Squash in Coconut Milk.

Harold McGee, the curious cook, makes fried fish with vodka and beer batter.

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