Lopez Foods, the supplier of meat for McDonald’s, takes us on a tour of how the meat is ground up, shaped into those familiar patties, and packaged.  Want to know how the meat is prepared?  Watch the video.

healthcentral.com
David Mendosa
Sunday, May 03, 2009

Imagine my surprise when I read a new research report that the healthiest methods for cooking veggies seem to be microwaving or cooking on a flat metal surface without any oil. After all, on the Internet we can find thousands of diatribes on the dangers of microwave cooking. Several of my friends have junked their microwaves or given them away to people they don’t like.
Researchers at the University of Murcia and Madrid’s University of Complutense in Spain examined how six different cooking methods affected the …

Go ahead, play with your food!  I came across a site that features a load of great and fun food art.
I’m really digging the Nike Air Max 90 Burger by Ollie Hemmendorff.  Just eat it.  Get it? Yeah…never mind.

Lots more can be seen at http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2009/04/pasta-monster-and-other-strange-food.html

Well, New York has succeeded in banning trans fats, in making restaurants post calories on menus, and now, maybe in limiting the amount of salt used in food.
New York takes lead in setting salt limits
City confers with restaurants, food makers
By STEPHANIE NANO
Associated Press
NEW YORK — First, it was a ban on artery-clogging trans fats. Then calories were posted on menus. Now the New York City health department is taking on salt.
City officials are meeting with food makers and restaurants to discuss reducing the amount of salt in common foods …

Are dried fruits just as good as fresh fruits?  From WHFoods.com
The answer is simple. When you dry fruits, you lose more than just water. You also lose nutrients. For example, when it comes to berries, much of their uniqueness is derived from their phytonutrients. Flavonoids like peonidin, petunidin, malvidin, and many others found in berries are susceptible to damage from heat, light, oxygen, and time-since-harvest. While some drying processes are harsher than others, no drying process can leave the phytonutrient content of these berries significantly unchanged.
Since fruits lose water …

Well folks, McDonald’s is at it again.  After failed attempts with the Arch Deluxe and the McLean, the world’s number one restaurant chain is banking on the 1/3lb Angus burger.  The new burger is slated for national release this August and will sell for $3.99, which I believe is an acceptable price for Angus beef.
McDonald’s will still be using electric grill-top fryers to cook the burgers, so you can count out on that char-broiled taste.
Source

Anyone with a grill can prepare a sizzling cut of restaurant quality
Wednesday,  April 22, 2009 2:56 AM
By Robin Davis
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
A steak dinner costs upward of $75 at some of the upscale steakhouses in town.
For a fraction of the price, why not treat yourself to the same meal at home?
“The big thing is to start with something good and prepare it right,” said John Williams, owner of Weiland’s Gourmet Market in the Clintonville neighborhood.
Buying a high-quality steak is key, but finding the best cut isn’t always easy. Cuts from …

Amino acids search turns up ethyl formate
Updated: Wednesday, 22 Apr 2009, 9:51 AM CDT
Published : Wednesday, 22 Apr 2009, 9:33 AM CDT
By FRANK CARNEVALE, Special Contributor
kxan.com
BONN, Germany – Scientists searching space for evidence of amino acids, the molecules that are basic to life, found instead a substance called ethyl formate, a chemical responsible for the flavor of raspberries.
According to The Guardian scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy found the raspberry-related substance after sifting through radiation signals coming from the Milky Way galaxy.
“It does happen to give …

What it takes for food to earn that organic label
By Stephanie Wood, Babytalk
Parenting.com
1) Before a food can be labeled “organic,” it must meet certain standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
2) It must be produced without the use of any of the following: conventional pesticides; fertilizers made with synthetic ingredients or sewage sludge; bioengineering; or ionizing radiation.
3) Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products must come from animals that are not given antibiotics or growth hormones.
4) Government-approved certifiers must inspect the farm where the products are grown or raised to …

By Melanie Vanderveer
Pocono Record Writer
April 21, 2009
Stevia has become all the rage. If you don’t know what it is yet, you will soon.
But the question remains: Is it safe for frequent consumption?
The natural sweetener stevia has been making waves because of the lack of evidence proving its safety for frequent long-term use.
A December 2008 press release from the Center for Science in the Public Interest, or CSPI, noted that the Food and Drug Adminstration’s midnight decision to give the go-ahead for rebaudioside A, a sweetener extracted from the herb …