Earlier quoted context omitted.
What makes you file it as click bait, exactly? I thought the headline gave me a very clear idea of what the article's contents would be. How would you improve it? Edit: Wait, the actual article says secret and on HN it says chemical. Hmm.
It's click bait because the most important information is missing from the title. It could be improved by changing it to "Tonka beans: delicious and toxic".
Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
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Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#72Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yes, that part about his cooking experiment was rather ridiculous. It marries very well with vanilla and chocolate. By itself it has a bit of a sweet nutty flavor that is rather complex. To be slighlty flippant, it's kind of the shitake (or msg) of desert, it enhances the rest of the flavors.
The writer is a woman.
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#73>“I was talking to a vanilla purveyor recently and he offered me tonka bean paste,” says Raquel. “I was like ‘If I want to use tonka bean, I’ll use tonka bean.’” One of my biggest issues with mislabeling foods. Sell me vanilla at the market price, sell me tonka at the market price, but don't sell my vanilla that is actually tonka at vanilla market prices. Same with scallops and stingray, crab and surimi, calamari and…
This is a big problem in the USA, but much of Europe is far stricter about food labeling.
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#74Can someone who's a better cook than this author tell us their opinion of the taste?
It tastes delicious and has a fantastic aroma. It's quite complex. I'd put it somewhere between vanilla, marzipan and cinnamon. I've tried it with chocolate, almond, vanilla, fruit, cream, custard with good results. It also apparently goes well with fish (haven't tried it yet).
Thanks for the suggestion about fish
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#75>“I was talking to a vanilla purveyor recently and he offered me tonka bean paste,” says Raquel. “I was like ‘If I want to use tonka bean, I’ll use tonka bean.’” One of my biggest issues with mislabeling foods. Sell me vanilla at the market price, sell me tonka at the market price, but don't sell my vanilla that is actually tonka at vanilla market prices. Same with scallops and stingray, crab and surimi, calamari and…
> scallops and stingray Ray and skate is nothing like scallops. > calamari and pork Again, nothing alike. > chocolate and flavored vegetable oil Chocolate contains more elements than just cocoa butter, so you can't just replace it with vegetable oil. I'm sure there's some chocolate out there that cuts vegetable oil into the cocoa butter, but I've personally not come across it.
You should come to Poland. :-(
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#76Earlier quoted context omitted.
It's click bait because the most important information is missing from the title. It could be improved by changing it to "Tonka beans: delicious and toxic".
Missing? I'm confused. All of those words are in the title.
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#77Earlier quoted context omitted.
Missing? I'm confused. All of those words are in the title.
Only in HN's edited title, not the original BBC title.
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#78>“I was talking to a vanilla purveyor recently and he offered me tonka bean paste,” says Raquel. “I was like ‘If I want to use tonka bean, I’ll use tonka bean.’” One of my biggest issues with mislabeling foods. Sell me vanilla at the market price, sell me tonka at the market price, but don't sell my vanilla that is actually tonka at vanilla market prices. Same with scallops and stingray, crab and surimi, calamari and…
It sort of makes one stick with whole ingredients. If you want flour that is relatively bug free, grind your own wheat. No packaged goods. Certainly shrinks one's choices but it might be the right thing to do to encourage more transparent suppliers.
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#79>“I was talking to a vanilla purveyor recently and he offered me tonka bean paste,” says Raquel. “I was like ‘If I want to use tonka bean, I’ll use tonka bean.’” One of my biggest issues with mislabeling foods. Sell me vanilla at the market price, sell me tonka at the market price, but don't sell my vanilla that is actually tonka at vanilla market prices. Same with scallops and stingray, crab and surimi, calamari and…
> scallops and stingray Ray and skate is nothing like scallops. > calamari and pork Again, nothing alike. > chocolate and flavored vegetable oil Chocolate contains more elements than just cocoa butter, so you can't just replace it with vegetable oil. I'm sure there's some chocolate out there that cuts vegetable oil into the cocoa butter, but I've personally not come across it.
Re: Tonka beans – A delicious flavour with a toxic chemical
#80I was surprised the article didn't mention nutmeg, which is widely used despite its toxicity, so I tried to figure out how their LD50 compares (i.e. how much tonka nut you need to eat to have a 50% chance of death, and how nutmeg stacks up). I couldn't find any clear answers for tonka beans and the exact dose of course depends on body weight but the lethal doses for nutmeg were an order of magnitude higher: for nutme…
> for nutmeg the doses are given in thousands of grammes per kg body weight Is it really fair to call something toxic if the LD50 is more than your bodyweight? I suspect you might have your LD50 value off.