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Pretty in Pink?

April 11th, 2012

I heart me some Mark Bittman! He knows how to stir the pot in all the best ways and questions me to think about where food comes from.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/the-pink-menace/

Who doesn’t love a good burger? Hamburgers are one of the most popular foods in America–studies show each of us eats about 150 burgers per year.

Unfortunately, not all hamburgers, or even turkey or veggie burgers, are created equal. Cooking method, portion size, and choice of bread and toppings can mean the difference between a relatively harmless lunch and a day’s worth of calories, fat, and sodium.

Before you take a bite out of that hamburger you’ve been craving, you might want to know whether it contains “pink slime” — the phrase that has become shorthand for the filler also called “lean finely textured beef.”

Add to that the knowledge the so-called pink slime is composed of mechanically-separated beef trimmings — parts of the cow that once were only used for dog food, not human consumption. And those trimmings are whipped together in a centrifuge and then treated with ammonium hydroxide (ammonia combined with water) to eliminate possible pathogens, particularly E. coli and salmonella, and you have cooked up a perfect stew of controversy.

DON’T ALWAYS COUNT ON LABELS

If you examine a label at the grocery store, it is unlikely to tell you whether a package of ground beef contains the filler as an additive. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has not required such labeling. The USDA also does not require manufacturers to include ammonia treatment on labels, because it says it is a “process,” not an ingredient.

After a major backlash, the whole “pink slime” thing has done a number on ground-beef processors nationwide — causing one to suspend operations at three out of four plants and another to seek bankruptcy protection.

The nation’s leading fast-food chains and supermarkets spurned the product, even though U.S. public health officials deem it safe to eat. Hundreds of U.S. school districts also demanded it be removed from school lunch programs.

WHERE’S THE BEEF?

What people may not have known is that ammonia – often associated with cleaning products – was cleared by U.S. health officials nearly 40 years ago and is used in making many foods, including cheese, baked goods, and chocolate products. Now that little known world is coming under increasing pressure from concerned consumers who want to know more about what they are eating.

SO WHAT TO DO?

Next time you crave a burger, create a healthy one at home. Use 4 ounces (quarter-pounder) of 95 percent lean beef and grill or broil. Enjoy on a whole wheat bun, for fiber, and top with fresh vegetables such as tomato and romaine lettuce leaves. Skip the mayonnaise, but top with low-calorie pickles, ketchup and mustard. Make your own baked fries for a side dish to satisfy your cravings without all the fat and calories.

A hamburger isn’t, by itself, a terrible nutritional choice. Topped with some lettuce and tomato, ketchup and mustard, and a relatively small bun, a burger is a high-protein treat that shouldn’t pack too much fat or too many calories. Unfortunately, the good, old-fashioned American burger has evolved from lean and simple to very fat and very complicated. Stay away from the 1,000+ calorie burgers like the six dollar burgers (some of these burgers has as much as 62 grams of fat or about 560 calories from the wrong kind of fat). Get a regular burger for 300 – 500 calories and add extra lettuce and tomatoes on your burger. The worst part of a burger is actually the bun, the white bread. Try it with a whole wheat bun or even without the bun wrapped in a lettuce leaf “protein-style”.

March 17th, 2011

Hello! Thanks for stopping by to get the inside scoop of Top Chef All-Stars! We are down to the final 3!

As the supervising culinary producer, executing my job in the Bahamas was a big one! The cast and crew were staying at the Atlantis hotel in Nassau and while the property is enormous and full of amenities, we were still on an island . . . on as they say “relaxed Island Time.” Getting ingredients on-the-fly often proved challenging and expensive. Thankfully our friends at GoodFellow Farms made regular trips to Miami via private plane to procure specialty ingredients for their market; conch notwithstanding. More on conch later.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE – BAHAMAS FIRE

I cannot talk about my experience on Top Chef without mentioning the major grease fire at Twin Brothers restaurant. I’ve been producing food television for over 10 years and this was the first time I have withstood a kitchen fire, either on-set or off. A very scary experience to be sure.
Twin Brothers fish fry
The Culinary Department is in charge of all equipment and food so before every challenge, we test every appliance both small and large. When we arrived at Twin Brothers earlier in the day, we filled the fryers with clean oil and tested the thermostat to be sure it was calibrated correctly. When I dropped a frying thermometer into the basket, the oil registered 375-degrees F, exactly the temp. I set it to. Great! The chefs enter the kitchen and let the games begin.

The fryers and flat-top griddles are all cranked up while the chefs prep their food. After about 15 minutes, I’m alerted over walkie that one of the deep fryers is smoking and to rush into the kitchen immediately. As I swing open the kitchen door, the fryer bursts into flames before my eyes. The flames were intense and got so high they licked the kitchen ceiling! Without hesitation, our exceptional Assistant Director, Paul Hogan, locates the source gas valve and shuts it down. Safety is a very big deal to Hogan and his team; they really are the best of the best. Even with the gas line contained, the fire continued to escalate, blackening the walls and threatening to blaze the adjacent fryers as well. 911 were called, the building evacuated, and firefighters arrived.

Thankfully, no one was hurt and the restaurant kitchen only had minor damage. After investigation, it turns out that fryer in particular had a faulty regulator, something I could have never foreseen when I fired up the fryers and tested the oil temperature. So, without a regulator, the oil temperature continued to rise above the set temperature of 375-degrees F. and ultimately got up to around 500-degrees F, which is a dangerous degree to be sure.

Remember, even in your own home always consider safety first and to keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen.

ELIMINATION CHALLENGE – FISHING FOR CONCH & ISLAND FEVER

I got a first-hand education on opening conch from Bahamian locals immediately when I arrived on the Island. I have eaten conch salad and conch fritter before, both in Miami and in the Bahamas. The meat is tender and delicious and tastes very similar to calamari and abalone. I never had any experience with conch fishing or releasing the snail from its shell. I love my job!

To be sure, there is a real skill to shelling conch. Along the docks you’ll see men young and old tapping away at the shell with barbaric-looking chisels, hitting it in just the right spot, and releasing the whole conch within seconds. They made it look so easy! I watched these guys for a good 30 minutes before I got up the nerve to try it myself.

Conch is basically a large sea snail that holds onto its shell with a muscle. The first things to understand is that you don’t just go to town and smash the thing into pieces; that can make the meat tough and destroy the beautiful pink conical shell. There is a spiral-looking horn on the end and that is sweet spot to get inside the shell to release the tendon. You need to make a hole in the horn, then carefully push the snail out the opening using a knife or screwdriver. Check out this video to see a local in action!

Cracking Conch

The island where we shot this “Gillian’s Island” challenge was super remote, about 45 minutes away from the Atlantis. The crew had to be up and out at 4:00am to catch a boat and load all of the equipment and food onto the island. While getting out of bed at that early hour was a struggle, I witnessed one of the more breathtaking sunrises of my entire life.
bahamas top chef
As challenging as it was for the chefs to cook on a deserted island, it was equally difficult for the culinary team. 1 dozen coolers, 5 cases of water jugs, 200 pounds of ice, and barge of ingredients later, we were ready for the chefs to arrive.

Antonia, Tiffany, Isabella, and Blais did an amazing job cooking five-star food without running water or electricity. Sadly it was Tiffany who did not prevail. I gotta say, that girl has an effervescence about her and always has a smile on her face. I’m certain she will continue to shine!

‘Top Chef All-Stars’ airs Wednesdays at 10PM et/pt on Bravo.

June 30th, 2009

THE NEW CULINARY COMPETITION SERIES PREMIERES TUESDAY JULY 27 ON FOX

Gordon Ramsay stars in MASTERCHEF, the new series that takes amateur chefs – many of whom simply cook as a hobby – and attempt to turn one of them into a culinary master. Contestants on MASTERCHEF will be put through the paces with various challenges as they compete head-to-head to create delicious dishes. The series will serve as a unique platform for people from all walks of life who want to follow their dream of working as a professional chef. These contestants will have the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to show their passion and excitement for food as their skills and palate are tested with the hopes of becoming the winner of MASTERCHEF.

Gordon Ramsay announced that restaurateur wine maker Joe Bastianich and four-star chef Graham Elliot will join him as judges on MASTERCHEF, premiering Tuesday, July 27 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. Bastianich is a partner of Mario Batali and has established some of New York’s most-celebrated restaurants, including Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, Lupa Osteria Romana and Del Posto. Graham Elliot is the youngest four-star chef in the U.S. and the mastermind behind Chicago’s first “bistronomic” restaurant, Graham Elliot. With Ramsay at the helm of the competition, Bastianich and Graham Elliot will coach and judge the contestants along the way.

I’m hugely excited to have Joe and Graham join me as judges on MASTERCHEF,” said Ramsay. “Both bring a phenomenal wealth of expertise and professional experience to the show.”

Joe Bastianich opened his first restaurant, Becco, with his mother, Lidia, in 1993. Soon after, he partnered with Mario Batali, and together they have established some of New York’s most-celebrated restaurants, including Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, Lupa Osteria Romana, Esca, Casa Mono, Bar Jamón, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria and Del Posto. Expanding their horizons beyond Manhattan, Bastianich and Batali opened Enoteca San Marco, B&B Ristorante and Carnevino in Las Vegas and Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles. The duo also purchased a vineyard in Italy with the goal of creating the world’s finest wines and olive oils. Their latest venture, a revolutionary retail food concept called Eataly, will be debuting this summer in New York. Eataly will be a resto-market featuring the best of Italy – from Italian products to Italian dining. Bastianich is an accomplished author whose passion for the culinary arts has been recognized with professional awards from Bon Appétit magazine and the James Beard Foundation.

Chef Graham Elliot is the culinary mastermind behind Chicago’s first “bistronomic” restaurant, Graham Elliot, which tempers four-star cuisine with humor and accessibility. In a very short time, the 33-year-old chef has accrued accolades, including Best New Chef in 2004 from Food & Wine magazine and three James Beard Nominations. At age 27, Graham Elliot was the youngest four-star chef in America. In May 2008, he opened the aptly named Graham Elliot, a restaurant that would not only bear his name, but become an extension of his passionate personality embodying his core principles of humility, courage, vision, respect and focus. He is also the chef/culinary ambassador for Lollapalooza, a three-day music festival, in which he cooks for bands backstage as well as oversees all of the restaurants at the Lollapalooza Chow Town.