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Produce and Meat's COOL Move

YumSugar — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:00:29 -0700

America is moving one more step closer to awareness of where its food comes from.

The US Department of Agriculture has mandated that all produce as well as meat, fish, and poultry sold in US retail stores will be required to have country of origin labels (COOL) beginning next Tuesday, Sept. 30.

Aside from knowing more about your food's origins, the COOL new system (pun intended) could be helpful in situations such as this year's widespread salmonella outbreak. Since the outbreak was traced to Mexico, if you purchased jalapeno or serrano peppers from, say, California, you could be assured that your produce wasn't from the contaminated source.

For years, COOL has been applied to canned or boxed foods packaged overseas, but this will be the first time the rule is required for fresh foods. There are exceptions, however: meat and fish sold in small butcheries or fish markets; salad bars or packaged mixed fruit and vegetable salads; bacon, ham, and smoked salmon; frozen vegetables; domestically canned vegetables; cooked shrimp; and roasted peanuts. What do you think of this move? Are you glad to learn more about where your food comes from?

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How Long Has That Been In Your Fridge?

YumSugar — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:11:39 -0700

You've probably been here before: you're cleaning out the fridge and you get to that open jar of mayonnaise. You wonder how long it's been there, and when you opened it. Then you realize that even if you could remember when you opened it, you wouldn't know if it was still any good. The labels, if they're even there, are often confusing. So what do you do? Well luckily I've got the tip and the answer to help you out. To find out read more

The folks at ShopSmart were recently on the CBS Early Show and offered some practical advice regarding how long things last once opened.
Here are some of their tips:

Mayonnaise lasts 2 months once opened.
Eggs last 3-5 weeks.
Leftovers should be good for 3-4 days.
Jarred pasta sauce is good for 5 days once opened.

These are just general guidelines, you should just use your best judgement. And as I always say, when in doubt, toss it!

So how do you know how long stuff has been in your fridge? It may sounds ridiculously simple, but all you have to do is label the jars when you open them. Simply put today's date on the labels and then next time, you'll know how long it's been in there. I have a set of adhesive labels that I use, but a set of "Hello My Name Is" stickers could be a lot of fun too.

How about you, do you have any labeling tips?

Source: LifeHacker and CBS News

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Simple Tip: Label Plastic Wrap With Cheese's First Initial

partysugar — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 10:30:05 -0700

Thanks to Say Cheese!, my weekly series featuring different types of cheese, the charcuterie drawer in my refrigerator is full of cheese. However, when the packaging is removed and the cheese is partially grated, many of them look the same. To ensure that I don't confuse the pecorino with the parmesan, I've started labeling them.

Here's how you do it: instead of writing out the cheese's entire name, simply write the first initial, like A for asaigo or R for romano. For easy identification, use a thick, colored Sharpie. Place the labeled cheese in the drawer with the initial facing up.

Are you an avid cheese eater? How do you distinguish one opened cheese from the other?

Do You Read Food Labels?

YumSugar — Wed, 16 May 2007 07:01:18 -0700

The discussion about whether or not soy sauce is actually soy sauce made me wonder about food labels in general and whether or not people actually read them. I'm fortunate enough not to have any major food allergies and have stupidly stopped counting calories years ago, so I rarely look at the actual labels (although I try not to buy too many processed food items, so in theory I wouldn't have that many labels to read). How about you? Do you read food labels?

Who Needs Labels When You Have Lasers

YumSugar — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 08:01:38 -0700

I find those labels stuck on the sides of fruit and vegetables to be somewhat annoying - they don't always peel off and often leave a sticky residue behind. However, I'm not sure I would trade them in for a laser etched carving? A company called Natural Light Technology has invented a machine that can etch barcodes, expiration dates, logos etc. on the skin of soft and hard produce. They claim that since nothing comes in contact with the produce there is no harm.

Because this removal process has been designed not to penetrate the surface or skin of the produce, it does not promote decay, reduce shelf-life, or deform the produce. In fact, if you run your finger across an etched label, you will not be able to feel it at all.

Part of me wants to really like this idea, as it looks pretty cool and makes it easier to read at the checkout (think of all the times you've taken produce to the checkout and they can't figure out the number to key in). However it seems so far from the farm and looks a bit weird. What do you guys think?

Source: Hydroponics and Chew On That via Tastespotting

Happy Hour: BarbaRoja Barrel-Aged Red Ale

partysugar — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:15:27 -0800

While Argentina's not exactly a place known for its beer, it should be known for one beer in particular, the superbly smooth, easy drinking BarbaRoja barrel-aged red ale. Although this beer comes in a Champagne-like bottle with a cartoon pirate label, it's not feminine or cheap-tasting. Rather it's a rich, frothy ale with light body and malty, slight caramel flavor. The red color means it's not nearly as dark and heavy as an Irish stout, but nor is it too light and characterless like an American lager. It's a successful balance of both these worlds. This pleasant brew is the best, most complex beer I've tasted in a long time.

Have you ever tried it? Do you drink Argentine beer?

An Afternoon at Argentina's Flichman Vineyards

partysugar — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:50:48 -0800

This story was written by member Eleuthera and comes from the Wine Cellar group in the YumSugar Community.I recently had a chance to attend a wine tasting for Flichman from Argentina. I especially enjoyed the experience because I had a chance to chat with the winemaker, Luis Cabral de Almeida. From my standpoint, it didn't hurt that he was pretty hot also. We began with a bottle of their Chardonnay for $8. Frankly, I didn't want to taste a bottle of $8 Chardonnay as I hate that overly oaked buttery flavor of vanilla predominating, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was delightful and easily equal to wines I have enjoyed at twice the price. In fact everyone of the wines' price points was spectacular.

To learn more about these amazingly priced Argentine wines read more.

Although there were some I preferred more than others, I enjoyed all of them. All the others, with the exception of an interesting and delightful champagne (for about $8!!) were red. In fact, even the champagne was made in part from Malbec also! The biggest surprise of the afternoon was how much I enjoyed Malbec.

Several years ago a friend tried to tell me how great the Argentinian (and Chilean) Malbecs were, but I wouldn't even taste them. However, the grape I knew from living in Bordeaux was a far cry from the one I finally tasted in South America: Malbecs from Argentina are rich, jammy, and luscious with some surprising complexity. Malbec thrives in Argentina, Luis explained, because of the low humidity. This explains their ability to get the delightful jammy qualities which I thoroughly enjoy.

One I liked is called Gestos (2007) (gestures in English) and it was made from Malbec at two different elevations. You have to be careful because there are several varieties of Gestos, including one with Cabernet. The first thing one notices was the lovely aromas, like blackberries and maybe blueberries. The taste was even richer with jammy qualities mixed with the French oak and the earthy background.

Luis was kind enough to explain to me at length that he uses two different elevations of Malbec in order to achieve an extremely well-rounded wine. It is somewhat interesting that Argentina seems one of the few places where this combination can be exploited, although to a lesser degree, California winemakers have been touting mountain grown fruit for years. I rated this wine at least 88 points and perhaps even 89 out of 100. It was $12 or 13 and worth every penny.

Another wine I liked and purchased was the 2007 Expresiones reserve which was 60% Malbec and 40% Cabernet. I would rate this slightly better, perhaps 89-90 points as it had a lingering finish. The complexity reminded me greatly of a Bordeaux style wine and it had the great structure of the Cabernet with the luscious sweet berry qualities of the Malbec. Personally I think this will do better with a few years of patience, although it is delightful now.

The last one I tasted was called Dedicado (2004) and it was clearly the top of the line. At almost $20 it was hitting my price point, but rarely have I had a wine this good for this money...so I bought two. The bottle weighs a ton and it is a mixture of Cabernet, Syrah, and Malbec (30%,10% and 60%). It spends 12 months in new French french oak and 12 months in the bottle according to the label, but I thought Luis told me this one spent 2 years in wood. In short, I thought the result was stunning, perhaps even 91-92 points. The deep intensity and aroma of the berries and black pepper is wonderful and its opulence is nothing short of amazing with a lovely lingering finish. It will benefit from a year or two more in my estimation but it's fantastic just the way it is, at least with an hour or two of breathing.

Because of the high inflation in Argentina and the fact that they are tied to the Euro which is strong (the owners are a Portuguese group) the wines get the benefit of great prices on oak barrels. As far as price point is concerned, I thought each of these wines was wonderful and they certainly impressed me a great deal. Luis wasn't all that bad either!

Have you been to an amazing winery? Join the Wine Cellar group, upload your photos and a description of the experience, and it could be featured on YumSugar! If you are new to the YumSugar Community, here's a detailed guide to posting to groups.

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7-Eleven's Newest Plug? Wine

YumSugar — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:30:39 -0800

Two Buck Chuck better watch its back - it's about to face some stiff competition. On Tuesday, 7-Eleven announced its plans to release value wines in the United States and Japan.

7-Eleven will launch two proprietary California wines - a Chardonnay and a Cabernet Sauvignon - to roughly 15,000 outlets under the Yosemite Road label. They will each retail for $3.99.

The Chardonnay is described as having notes of apricot and peach, while the Cabernet will have "juicy plum overtones." So if you're missing your favorite stone fruits from Summer, perhaps it's about time to reach for some Yosemite Road wine. Would you fork over $4 for convenience-store vino?

Do You Judge a Wine by Its Label?

partysugar — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 10:15:12 -0700

Happy Hour: 2005 Bad Boy Bordeaux

YumSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:15:02 -0800

When I first received this bottle of Bordeaux in the mail, its Bad Boy name and whimsical label, which features a black sheep and an arrow labeled "garage," meant little to me. But after doing some research, I discovered the whole thing makes quite a bit of sense.

The inky red wine, which is 95 percent Merlot and 5 percent Cabernet Franc, hails from the famous French region of Bordeaux, which is known for its style of highly tannic, collectible wines. But this bottle is different: It's the venture of Jean-Luc Thunevin, a leader in what's known as the garage wine movement, an effort that's focused on developing bolder, fruitier Bordeaux wines that can be enjoyed right away.

Wine critic Robert Parker deemed Bordeaux's black sheep, Thunevin, a "bad boy," which explains how the wine's name came to be. It may be a silly name, but the wine is satiny, with earthy plum notes, and the subtlest hint of smoke. And, at $17.50, it's priced rather affordably. Are you familiar with this wine and Bordeaux's garage wine movement?

Care to share a recent wine experience with the rest of us? Post your tasting notes in our Wine Cellar! If you are new to the YumSugar Community, here's a detailed guide to posting to groups.