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Do You Use Other Cooking Oils?

partysugar — Tue, 26 May 2009 09:15:35 -0700

Burger King Turns Trans Fat Free

YumSugar — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:00:16 -0700

Yesterday, Burger King announced that all of its restaurants in the US and Canada have made the switch to cooking with trans fat free oils. The second most popular fast food chain also announced that all of its menu items, including baked goods, will contain zero grams of trans fat by Nov. 1 - earlier than the company anticipated.

According to a statement issued by Burger King, customers who tried the new trans fat free foods were either unable to tell a difference in the taste of menu items or felt that the products tasted even better. The hamburger chain attributes this to its two proprietary blends of three oils.

The company has fallen under criticism for taking so long to cut out trans fat oils: Both KFC and Taco Bell switched in 2007, and Wendy's a year before that. Number one fast food chain McDonald's is now one of the last to make the complete switch, promising a menu free of trans fats by the end of the year.

Source

Connecticut First State to Tackle Counterfeit Olive Oil

YumSugar — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 03:00:47 -0800

Everyone from health experts to Rachael Ray has touted the benefits of olive oil. As demand for expensive, higher-quality olive oil has grown, however, so has the problem of fraud. Last year, Connecticut officials discovered that some of that state's olive oil was a little too slick. As a result, beginning next month, the state will be the first in the country to set quality standards for olive oil. The state's new regulations prohibit additives and define virgin olive oil as "obtained from the fruit of the olive tree solely by mechanical or other physical means . . . which have not undergone any treatment other than washing, decanting, centrifuging and filtration." California and New York have expressed interest in enacting similar standards because counterfeit olive oil poses a potential health risk to consumers. Some people experience adverse reactions from unscrupulous olive oil, possibly as a result of food allergies to soybeans, tree nuts, and peanuts.

Often, when I'm buying cooking olive oil, I look for bargain prices. Now I'll take more interest in the brands that I choose. Will you do the same? Does this type of criminal activity surprise you?

Source

Disneyland Trains Now Running on Frying Oil

partysugar — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 10:15:43 -0800

Can you imagine a land where you would go to McDonald's to purchase fuel for your car? Well that world might not be too far off. As of last week, all of the trains at Disneyland's Los Angeles theme park run on a biodiesel oil made from discarded cooking oil. Not only is the park saving money by reusing already purchased oil, but they are demonstrating how large corporations can make an effort to go green. Disneyland's five railroad trains are ridden by an estimated 6.6 million people each year using up about 200,000 gallons of fuel. The resort will generate enough cooking oil to provide half of this fuel. Disney's executive chef, Chris Hustesen, loves the idea and hopes the switch will "make more guests hungry for our fries."

Considering that I always reuse my cooking oil, I admire Disneyland's resourcefulness and commitment to being eco-friendly. I can't help but wonder if other companies will follow their lead. What do you think of the news? Do you recycle old frying oil?

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Off to Market Recap: Olive Oil Pourer

partysugar — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 11:55:56 -0800

I recently told you all about my BFF Emily whose birthday recently passed. I promised her a gift in the form of an extremely cool olive oil pourer. I asked you to help me by searching the web for the most artistic, creative, fabulous olive oil pourers around. You saved the chic containers in the Yum Market with the tag Olive Oil Pourer. I'm letting Emily pick her favorite and I'll order it for her and wrap it up in fun shiny paper. Thanks to all of those who participated! Here's the ones that I think Emily might love:

BrunetteSugar found this flower shaped olive oil decanter with stainless steel petals. Emily complained about the olive oil flowing too freely from the bottle so the pourer top is perfect for her daily breakfast of toast drizzled with olive oil.
Two more so read more

Colormesticky submitted this amazingly chic Olive Oil Drizzler (I love how it's called a drizzler, it sounds sexy!) in blue. I think Em would prefer it in green as that matches her kitchen. Either color, I love this one and may have to get one for myself. Way to go, colormesticky!

Rubialala suggested this cute little oil can that reminds me of the Wizard Of Oz. It's stainless steel, pours perfectly, and is simply classic.

I can't wait to see which one Em chooses! To learn how to add your foodie finds to the Yum Market, read geeksugar's how to.

Off to Market: Olive Oil Pourer

partysugar — Fri, 12 Jan 2007 12:36:11 -0800

Next week it's my dear friend (I've known her since the fourth grade!) Emily's 26th birthday. She comes over to my house practically everyday, and aides me in my culinary experiments and party plans. Six months ago, when we were whipping up dinner in my kitchen, she said to me, "For my birthday, will you get me a chic olive oil pourer?" At the time, she was coveting my fun olive oil holder, a gift from a Spanish exchange student from the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. I laughed and said I would get her one for her half birthday since it was a few days away.

However, Emily preferred the gift for her 26th birthday to allow me enough time to find an incredibly cool olive oil holder. I just remembered this conversation today and with her 26th less than a week away, I am on the verge of an anxiety attack. Readers, please help me!

I need you to scour the internet for the most artistic, creative olive oil pourers and add them to the Yum Market. Having a stylish olive oil elevates the level of your kitchen from that of recipe rookie to domestic diva. Over the past year Emily's skills as a cook have improved tremendously and it's time I reward her with an awesome olive oil holder. Tag your finds with Olive Oil Pourer. If you stumble across a must have accessory to pair with the pourer, don't hesitate to save it in the Yum Market with the same tag. I can't wait to see all of your amazing finds!

Don't know much about the Yum Market? Take a quick glance at geeksugar's guide that explains how to save on TeamSugar.

Toxic Olive Oil Remains A Mystery

partysugar — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 01:38:30 -0700

On today's date, June 28, in 1988 the Spanish toxic olive oil trail ended after 15 months of investigation. In what is known as one of the worst records of food poisoning in history, an epidemic broke out in May of 1981. Hundreds of Spaniards fell severely ill with pneumonia like symptoms that doctors were unable to treat correctly. Although the judges concluded that the cause of the sickness was bad olive oil, there is much speculation about the epidemic which is commonly known as the Toxic Oil Syndrome. Doctors and government officials who believed it was not bad olive oil, but something else - like fertilizer contaminated tomatoes - were immediately fired from their positions.

The secrecy surrounding the epidemic, and the fact that the majority of breakouts were located near a US military base in Spain, lead many to think it was a conspiracy. This reminds me of the last year's spinach scare and makes me wonder, are you afraid of food poisoning?

Ming Oil & Vinegar Set: Love It Or Hate It?

partysugar — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 01:08:22 -0700

At first glance you may think, wow what's with the up-side-down wine glasses? But look a little closer and you'll notice that these are not, in fact wine glasses. No that's not a ruby Pinot Noir and a yellow-y Chardonnay; it's actually red wine vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. The bottom of the wine glass shaped bottles slide off to create a steady slow streaming pour of oil or vinegar that is super easy to measure. I think these are quite stylish and would look lovely sitting on a sleek black granite marble-top or rustic wooden stove end, but then I think about the hassle of actually filling them. Even though they come with a handy dandy filling funnel, images of an olive oil mess instantly come to mind. I can't decide whether I love them or hate them, maybe I would love them as a gift...what do you think, Ming oil and vinegar set: love it or hate it?

Scoop Your Own Olive Oil and Pine Nut Ice Cream

YumSugar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:15:32 -0700

On the hot days of Summer, there is nothing like a scoop of ice cream to cool down. While I've enjoyed my fair share of store-bought ice cream, it was finally time to start making my own, so I recently purchased the ice cream attachment for my Kitchenaid. I was nervous about making ice cream (the custard can quickly curdle) and unfortunately, my nerves got the best of me: when I turned up the heat too high my first batch curdled at the very end of cooking!While I was disappointed with my first go, I had to give it another shot and I am glad I did. With a little more patience, I kept the heat lower and the second custard batch was a complete success. Intrigued by David Lebovitz's interesting ice cream combinations in Fine Cooking, I decided to make his unique roasted pine nut and fruity olive oil ice cream. The flavor definitely caught my guests off guard, but once they took a bite, they loved it! The pairing of olive oil and pine nuts is actually reminiscent of the more traditional butter pecan. If you are screaming for ice cream this Summer, keep reading.

Yummy Link: Chocolate Vanilla Olive Oil Cupcakes

YumSugar — Tue, 29 May 2007 14:31:10 -0700

This morning I told you about bacon cupcakes and now I'm telling you to check out Andrea's no-longer-secret recipe for chocolate vanilla olive oil cupcakes. Yum! - Neverbashful with Butter