We have a 6-month old daughter, and we've just started her on solids. The wife and I decided to make her food whenever possible. For her baby shower my wife received a Beaba Babycook baby food maker. The Beaba is a steamer and blender in one. Place food into basket, add water, wait 10-20 minutes, dump the contents into the blender with some water, blend, and voila, fresh baby food.
Being of plastic construction, the first concern of many parents is whether it contains BPA. After some confusion and ambiguity on the part of the manufacturer, it seems models produced after 2005 are BPA (Bisphenol A) free--although this is not part of their marketing anywhere. It's worthwhile, however, to read the entire story behind the controversy.
We used organic baby carrots as our first food in the Beaba. Our first mistake was using only a handful of carrots. This small amount really doesn't yield much baby food. But our mistake led to an interesting discovery. We washed the machine thoroughly before use, but while blending the first batch of carrots, we noticed some black residue leaching into our food from the exposed rubber gasket the sits between the blade and base. We tossed the carrots. Dismantled the blade from the base. Removed the gasket. Rewashed all pieces. Reassembled.
For our second batch, we used a whole bag of organic baby carrots. Steam time took about 20 minutes. I would recommend using the Beaba under your cooktop or range hood as a noticeable amount of steam does escape. And be careful, parts of the machine do get hot. During the blending phase no leaching of black residue into the carrots occurred.
As far as taste, homemade baby food obviously is much better than the jarred stuff. Just make sure you buy and use food that's as fresh as possible. For instance, carrots can turn a little bitter. Make sure they are on the sweet side.
At $150.00, I don't consider this an essential item for baby food making--especially if you know how to steam vegetables and use a blender or mixer. And the taste is no better than food steamed and blended using more traditional devices. Being an all-in-one device, it offers some convenience. Cleanup is also relatively quick and easy. If you're lucky enough to get one as a gift, it's definitely worth keeping and using.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
A Friendlier Farmed Salmon?
I consume salmon about two or three times a month. Here in southern New England, we don't have too many wild salmon options, and what we do have at $25.00+/pound can be cost prohibitive even for me. As for farmed salmon, a 2004 study found that it contains higher levels of toxic carcinogens like PCB and dioxins than wild salmon. Farmed salmon has also been criticized for being raised in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions that are harmful to the environment and the fish. As for sustainability, the 2007 San Francisco Gate article titled Domestic farmed fish go under the microscope sources the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch Program calculation that it takes between 2-10 pounds of food to yield 1.5 pounds of salmon.
The reality is that all over the world people want salmon, and wild salmon alone can't supply the demand. There are, however, a few independent farms that claim to engage in healthier, more humane, and more sustainable practices.
Last Saturday while perusing the meats at the local butcher shop, I discovered Loch Duart salmon. Loch Duart salmon is salmon farmed in the waters off the Scotland coast. According to the Loch Duart fact sheet from their U.S. distributor Cleanfish, their salmon contain no hormones or growth promoters, grow in an environment that is 98.5% water to 1.5% fish, and are fed a diet taken from sustainable sources and contain no GMOs.
According to Nick Joy, managing director and one of three owner-managers, Loch Duart not only tests toxin levels among the fish stocks that go into the fish meal but also the meal itself and later the salmon. The result, he says, is that "I can confidently say you can eat our salmon every main meal of every day of every week" without any health issues. (For an alternative consumption recommendation see the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Smart Fish Calculator which they claim is based on EPA guidelines.)
So of course I decided to try it. Not bad. Definitely a cleaner and lighter taste than the salmon from the grocery store. At $15.00/lb. would I buy it again over the $5.00-$8.00/lb. salmon I can get at the supermarket? Probably.
After doing more research on the company, the consensus across multiple online sources seems to be that while it is still farmed salmon and it hasn't clearly solved the sustainability issue, the company is making a good faith effort to be responsible to the environment; to raise as high quality fish as possible; and to continue to work towards solving the sustainability problem. And to me the difference in taste was noticeable enough.
The reality is that all over the world people want salmon, and wild salmon alone can't supply the demand. There are, however, a few independent farms that claim to engage in healthier, more humane, and more sustainable practices.
Last Saturday while perusing the meats at the local butcher shop, I discovered Loch Duart salmon. Loch Duart salmon is salmon farmed in the waters off the Scotland coast. According to the Loch Duart fact sheet from their U.S. distributor Cleanfish, their salmon contain no hormones or growth promoters, grow in an environment that is 98.5% water to 1.5% fish, and are fed a diet taken from sustainable sources and contain no GMOs.
According to Nick Joy, managing director and one of three owner-managers, Loch Duart not only tests toxin levels among the fish stocks that go into the fish meal but also the meal itself and later the salmon. The result, he says, is that "I can confidently say you can eat our salmon every main meal of every day of every week" without any health issues. (For an alternative consumption recommendation see the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Smart Fish Calculator which they claim is based on EPA guidelines.)
So of course I decided to try it. Not bad. Definitely a cleaner and lighter taste than the salmon from the grocery store. At $15.00/lb. would I buy it again over the $5.00-$8.00/lb. salmon I can get at the supermarket? Probably.
After doing more research on the company, the consensus across multiple online sources seems to be that while it is still farmed salmon and it hasn't clearly solved the sustainability issue, the company is making a good faith effort to be responsible to the environment; to raise as high quality fish as possible; and to continue to work towards solving the sustainability problem. And to me the difference in taste was noticeable enough.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Because It Just Tastes Better
This blog is simply about better quality and better tasting food. It's not about discovering gourmet and eccentric dishes. It's not about measuring and monitoring portions to control and manage weight gain. It's not about promoting some diet or routine that happened to work for me. It's about finding and sharing better quality ingredients to make better tasting food.
Hell. I love hamburgers. I love nachos. I love chicken fingers, but there's something about offering these items for under $1.00 that's simply offensive. It offends my sense of justice and taste that an $.89 burger or burrito can really exist. There simply has to be something better out there. And if there is, does it really taste that much better? As Americans we value--well--value. We want as much as possible for as little as possible. However, as with anything, there are trade offs. And that trade off is usually quality. When it comes to food, my values are different. I'll accept less for more without sacrificing quality.
But does quality really equal better taste? Quality is ambiguous. Taste is subjective. I offer this blog simply to catalog and share my discoveries with those who value quality over quantity. Freedom is about choice. My goal is to provide alternatives to what we see advertised on TV and the Internet. Feel free to try them and then decide for yourselves whether the quality and taste is better.
Hell. I love hamburgers. I love nachos. I love chicken fingers, but there's something about offering these items for under $1.00 that's simply offensive. It offends my sense of justice and taste that an $.89 burger or burrito can really exist. There simply has to be something better out there. And if there is, does it really taste that much better? As Americans we value--well--value. We want as much as possible for as little as possible. However, as with anything, there are trade offs. And that trade off is usually quality. When it comes to food, my values are different. I'll accept less for more without sacrificing quality.
But does quality really equal better taste? Quality is ambiguous. Taste is subjective. I offer this blog simply to catalog and share my discoveries with those who value quality over quantity. Freedom is about choice. My goal is to provide alternatives to what we see advertised on TV and the Internet. Feel free to try them and then decide for yourselves whether the quality and taste is better.
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