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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

California Restaurants Free of Trans Fats Beginning Friday

YumSugar — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 11:45:39 -0800

With a new year come healthy new resolutions - and one key state is hoping to give its residents a jumpstart. This Friday, Jan. 1, a new California state law takes effect; it mandates that all restaurants in the state must be free of trans fats. Despite their connection to coronary heart disease, trans fats, or solidified fats that contain added hydrogen, have been favored in many establishments that claim they add flavor and have a longer shelf life than other oils. While select cities like New York have passed ordinances against trans fats, California will become the first state in history to do so. The bill, which was passed in July 2008, bans restaurant oils, margarines, and shortenings containing more than 0.5 grams of trans fat per serving. This will be enforced by local health departments, who could fine establishments up to $1,000. The one exception? Bakeries, which have until Jan. 1, 2011 to comply.

While I'm generally happy to hear about the health improvement, I can't help but wonder how different restaurant food will taste. Do you foresee other states soon following suit?

FDA Requires New Labeling on Numerous Packaged Foods

YumSugar — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:00:12 -0800

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued violations to a number of food companies - among them, Nestlé, POM, Gorton's, and Diamond Foods - demanding they make changes to their product labels. The government agency is cracking down on health assertions, issuing letters to 17 companies for 22 products, alleging they violate the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

Among the offenders? Dreyer's Ice Cream for a zero-gram trans-fat claim, Spectrum organic vegetable shortening for the term "cholesterol free," and other items for use of nutrition claims such as "healthy," which have stringent definitions. The FDA also said it will lobby for calorie and nutrient labeling on the front of food packages.

I'm glad the FDA is invested in honest health and nutritional claims for consumers. Have you ever been wary of the words on certain packaged foods?

What's Yummy This Week - YumSugar Weekly Recap

YumSugar — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 10:10:38 -0800

Try your luck with a Southern New Year's tradition, hoppin' John.
Food trend predictions for the year 2010.
Do you belong to the complicated cocktail camp?
Food Network star Anne Burrell dishes on her new reality TV show.
All California restaurants are now free of trans fats.
What do you know about New Year's foods?
A nod to our most beloved reader recipes.

Know Your Ingredients: Shortening

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 05:50:13 -0800

While baking apple pie, I enlisted the help of my boyfriend, who took notice of the substantial amount of Crisco that was going into the pie dough. What exactly is shortening? he wanted to know. When I couldn't give him a solid answer (no pun intended), I decided it was time to find out.

The term shortening generically refers to any baking fat that's solid at room temperature, like butter and margarine. But more often, it describes a semi-solid fat made from hydrogenated vegetable oil that's used in baking to achieve a "short," or flaky, texture.

By adding hydrogen gas to vegetable oil at a high pressure and temperature, the flavorless substance goes from being a liquid to a solid at room temperature.

Although shortening has fallen out of favor in recent years because it contains trans fat, the ingredient remains a staple around the world for many reasons. It has a higher smoke point than butter or margarine, meaning it won't burn in a sauté pan. It also requires no refrigeration, and can lengthen the shelf life of baked goods. What do you use shortening for?

Source: Flickr User VirtualErn

Do You Bake With Shortening?

YumSugar — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:00:04 -0800

This morning, I set the record straight on the baking fat known as shortening. Although it's a nice vegan alternative to butter or lard, a number of you are disgusted with its trans fat content. I can relate to both perspectives - although I recently became enamored with the flaky texture it lends to pie crusts, like the one in traditional apple pie.

Source: Flickr User tellumo

All the News That's Fit to Eat

YumSugar — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 13:57:14 -0800

A Wednesday food section roundup for March 7, 2007.

Uh oh, has the trans fat ban gone too far? After all, natural trans fat is found in many normal products. Will this change the way we bake? - New York Times - Photographs by Lars Klove for The New York Times. Sources: Department of Agriculture; National Dairy Council; NutritionData.com; Mindy Herman, registered diet
This year's rising star chefs are young (24-28). Is their youth and energy reflected in their dishes? - San Francisco Chronicle
Fact or Fiction? Find out how much you really know with this nutritional quiz. - Chicago Tribune
Cooking for one doesn't have to mean take out and frozen food. - Boston Globe
Talk about timing! This week I declared banana as the Secret Ingredient and now I see I'm not the only going bananas for bananas. - Seattle Times
What did I tell you? Flavored waters are in. - Houston Chronicle
New wine guys are selling us more than wine, now they're selling us a wine lifestyle too.- Los Angeles Times

Yummy Links: From Mark Bittman to Three Desserts

YumSugar — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 12:03:49 -0700

One of my favorite food personalities, Mark Bittman, is getting a new show. It should start this week on PBS stations near you. - Serious Eats
If you want to eat locally, why not start with a garden in your own lawn? You won't be the only one, urban gardening is on the rise. - Chow

Remember how I told you about the state egg debacle? Looks like I really should have clicked on them all, apparently I missed artist Penny Smith's Louisiana's egg featuring a miniature Emeril. - Food Network Addict
Warm weather is arriving and that means it's time for ice cream! Don't miss out on this sweet/salty Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream. It's not even 11am here and I am drooling. - David Lebovitz
You might want to pay more attention when reading nutrition labels. The math doesn't always add up when counting fat and trans fat. - The Ethicurean
And finally, here are a few desserts for you to try: Berry Brioche Pudding (beautifully put together by La Tartine Gourmande - Arborio Rice Pudding (scroll down to the end of this Smitten Kitchen post) - Ultimate Lemon Pound Cake (a treat for us from Tartelette).

All the News That's Fit to Eat

YumSugar — Wed, 28 Feb 2007 12:55:12 -0800

Did you know that Paula Deen used to suffer from agoraphobia (fear of people & public places)? - Image by Stephen Kroninger. New York Times
Beware, if you enter that food competition, you may be entering into a whole new world of passion and culture that belongs to cooking contestants. - Chicago Tribune
Just what you've been waiting for, Crisco with zero trans fat has arrived. - Seattle Times
What does your fridge say about you? Here's a fridge breakdown from several different households. - Boston Globe
Ten years after the ban on wild abalone, eco-friendly aqua farmers are bringing it back to menus in the Bay Area. - San Francisco Chronicle

Introducing verrines, the hottest food trend from Paris. It's basically a well constructed/laid out appetizer or desert whose components are artfully layered in a small glass. Photo courtesy Pierre Herme. - Los Angeles Times
Take a minute and learn all about the foods that shaped Texas. Outside of bbq, chili and chicken-fried steak, what is there? - Houston Chronicle