Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

theatlantic.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

151–160 of 175 posts

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#151

Post by WillPostForFood »

cmurf wrote: post #56
cooperadymas wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've made apple sauce a few times for near-immediate consumption (over the course of maybe a week). There is a big, notable difference in taste and quality from the store-bought. Might be time to try canning it for longer term consumption. However, stores near here do carry a no sugar added bottle of applesauce. That's all we ever buy, and I can't imagine why they would even consider adding sugar/corn syrup. I like m…

Studies show that sugar and salt increase consumption. So they add these things to increase sales. People aren't making a decision that's in their best interest, this is a biological hack that favors one party disproportionately compared to the other.

Sugar and salt make things taste better. Things that taste better also tend to sell better. If you took all salt and sugar out of food, you'd certainly eat and sell less, because it wouldn't taste good.

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#152

Post by WillPostForFood »

cmurf wrote: post #56
cooperadymas wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've made apple sauce a few times for near-immediate consumption (over the course of maybe a week). There is a big, notable difference in taste and quality from the store-bought. Might be time to try canning it for longer term consumption. However, stores near here do carry a no sugar added bottle of applesauce. That's all we ever buy, and I can't imagine why they would even consider adding sugar/corn syrup. I like m…

Studies show that sugar and salt increase consumption. So they add these things to increase sales. People aren't making a decision that's in their best interest, this is a biological hack that favors one party disproportionately compared to the other.

Sugar and salt make things taste better. Things that taste better also tend to sell better. If you took all salt and sugar out of food, you'd certainly eat and sell less, because it wouldn't taste good.

You can call it biohacking if you want, but it is no more so than when your mom made you dinner.

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#153

Post by throwanem »

colordrops wrote: post #129
throwanem wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To reiterate from my prior comment, I understand exactly what you're saying. The problem I have is that you're not listening to what I'm saying - which, again, is that it doesn't matter what you're saying, because when you use this rhetoric to express it, you piss people off even if in spite of yourself, and the rhetoric is therefore actively inimical to the purpose in whose service you employ it. It's not that compl…

The flowery baroque language you use to obfuscate your words is in contradiction with your point.

I concede that concision isn't my firet skill. That said, if it's obfuscatory, it's not deliberately so, and it sounds as though you took my point regardless.

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#154

Post by torrent-of-ions »

Red Delicious are very sweet without much actual flavour. Granny Smiths are very tart and I can't understand why people actually like them (I have a theory it's because they consider them medicine rather than something to actually enjoy). I do like to use Granny Smith's for cooking, though. They are very flavourful and don't break down, but I add extra sugar, of course.

Cox's Orange Pippin is surely the ideal eating apple. A wonderful, complex flavour without being too sweet or too tart and it has an almost non-existent core. The seeds seem to just rattle around in there.

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#155

Post by maxerickson »

Mathnerd314 wrote: post #141
maxerickson wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you rank them on anything other than taste and texture?

Because taste and texture are obsolete; they don't really affect the outcomes of eating. Taste can be disguised with spices or condiments, and cooking and food processors will produce an edible texture out of almost anything. Nutritional variables are unaffected by these modifications, hence measure more of the underlying reality.

Cooking has a huge impact on nutrition.

The health impacts of antioxidants are also not well established.

I guess there is a pretty good argument for not eating lots of a sweet variety (but 1 a day is meh).

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#156

Post by VLM »

rsync wrote: post #138
VLM wrote: post #24

The article seems oriented toward raw consumption, I like to experiment with food canning and I've made many single variety batches of applesauce to experiment with. Pure grannies are a little acidic to me. My kids like red delicious applesauce, for something thats basically sweet with a texture its not bad. Ida Red results in an extremely pale nearly white applesauce which is interesting looking but the taste is bor…

"Also there are USDA approved low/no sugar applesauce recipes but in the store you can only buy corn syrup or artificial sweetener applesauce." I don't understand what you're saying here ... there are many, many national brands of applesauce that consist of just a single ingredient - apples. Santa Cruz is one, as is Cadia, as is the Whole Foods "365" brand ...

Its one of those single percentage anecdotes don't matter things. My boring regional employee owned chain supermarket does not sell unsweetened applesauce at all, nor do any of the other nearby supermarket chains.

I've heard of Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) and was motivated to pull the stats. Some google work indicates Whole Foods gross sales revenue last year was $15B vs the US supermarket chain stores gross sales of $649B. Of course this doesn't count "superstore" concepts like walmarts and targets (and probably others) selling food, nor online or delivery groceries, independents, organic stores, etc etc. So "much more" than 98% of applesauce is not sold at Whole Foods. Assuming that all applesauce sold at whole paycheck is unsweetened, etc. Assuming goods distribution is similar, from my own experience at whole paycheck most people are buying specialty goods like alcohol, meat, produce not bulk processed goods although they do stock them.

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#158

Post by VLM »

donw wrote: post #75
VLM wrote: post #24

The article seems oriented toward raw consumption, I like to experiment with food canning and I've made many single variety batches of applesauce to experiment with. Pure grannies are a little acidic to me. My kids like red delicious applesauce, for something thats basically sweet with a texture its not bad. Ida Red results in an extremely pale nearly white applesauce which is interesting looking but the taste is bor…

If you haven't tried it, a splash of cognac really makes the applesauce pop.

I greatly enjoy canning with liquor and the classic brandied apple chunks is delicious. I also make a batch of peach rum sauce every year which tastes incredible.

I know the stuff is not good for me from a carb and alcohol standpoint but making it myself is an inherent limiter to consumption and if I'm going to eat junk food its going to be fantastic amazing junk food.

Pork chops taste good. Homemade canned brandied apples as a side dish to pork chops is delicious.

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#159

Post by twic »

Angostura wrote: post #150
phillc73 wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not seen that one, and I don't really "get it." Granny Smiths, doing their own thing, are quite possibly my favourite eating apple.

That and Cox's - again not sure if you get them in the states.

Shout out to Spartan and Discovery too!

Re: The Awful Reign of the Red Delicious (2014)

#160

Post by [deleted] »

VLM wrote: post #156
rsync wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Also there are USDA approved low/no sugar applesauce recipes but in the store you can only buy corn syrup or artificial sweetener applesauce." I don't understand what you're saying here ... there are many, many national brands of applesauce that consist of just a single ingredient - apples. Santa Cruz is one, as is Cadia, as is the Whole Foods "365" brand ...

Its one of those single percentage anecdotes don't matter things. My boring regional employee owned chain supermarket does not sell unsweetened applesauce at all, nor do any of the other nearby supermarket chains. I've heard of Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) and was motivated to pull the stats. Some google work indicates Whole Foods gross sales revenue last year was $15B vs the US supermarket chain stores gross sal…

[deleted]
Post reply on HN