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How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

smithsonianmag.com

81–90 of 193 posts

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#81
post #26
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ghee is quite cheap and easy to make by yourself, so long as you use a good butter. A lot cheaper than the ready made stuff, I’ve found.

I saw that, I may have to try it sometime! Out of curiosity, how much Ghee can you make out of butter (I.e. start with 16 oz of butter, get approx 8 oz? Or how much?)

Butter is 80-85% fat, and that's the part you want for the ghee.

I know I can start with a pound and fit it in a pint jar, just below the line.

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#82
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder whether people think they're aiding communication with it.

I managed to get a refined version of the comment I didn't understand. The refinement helped me understand it, so I'm happy.

Apologies. My post was too harsh and impersonal—dealing in generalities when a human whose concerns and actions are particular was involved. Sorry about that. Have a nice holiday season.

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#83
post #31
post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I saw that, I may have to try it sometime! Out of curiosity, how much Ghee can you make out of butter (I.e. start with 16 oz of butter, get approx 8 oz? Or how much?)

This is how Ghee is made in my house. 0. Be from a family line that consumes gallons up gallons of curd/yogurt weekly. 1. Curd Process - Boil whole milk, let it cool down a bit, and add some older curd, let it sit overnight in your oven with the light on. 2. The next morning, put the container in the refrigerator. 3. At night, you'll notice a think layer of creamy butter on top of the curd. Scrape that layer off the…

Interesting. What's the point of leaving the ove light on? is it to keep the stuff at a mild temperature?

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#84
post #74

quick rule of thumb I developed - if product has long shelf life and does not require refrigeration - it is probably unhealthy. fruits and veggies get optimized for heavier weight per piece and longer shelf life, instead of taste. Same thing for every other grocery product.

exceptions: nuts, olive oil, pasta, flour, water, rice, potatoes, apples, etc. But i like the idea

And pretty much all pulses

Regarding olive oil, it will store fairly well if kept in sealed in the dark, however it definitely loses its kick after the first 6 months

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#85
post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is how Ghee is made in my house. 0. Be from a family line that consumes gallons up gallons of curd/yogurt weekly. 1. Curd Process - Boil whole milk, let it cool down a bit, and add some older curd, let it sit overnight in your oven with the light on. 2. The next morning, put the container in the refrigerator. 3. At night, you'll notice a think layer of creamy butter on top of the curd. Scrape that layer off the…

Do people really need Ghee specifically? Or do people need "clarified butter" If you just want "butter that doesn't burn", here's what I do. 1. Melt butter in a pot. This separates butter into its three fundamental parts: solids (floating at the top), oil (in the middle), and water. 2. Heat until all the water at the bottom vaporizes. 3. Pour remaining mixture through a coffee filter. This removes the solids (which e…

To be honest, I didn't know there was a difference.

I was more looking for a substitute for shortening, which I think clarified butter can do? Or just ghee?

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's OK if there's not a universal definition of every concept. Some things in life are culturally subjective - especially cuisine. However, I think an intelligent person can look at string cheese and say that's fake food. I've started realizing that there is very little space for nuance and subjectivity in discussing things on HN

String cheese is another great example. Most people would identify it as a clear example of "fake food", but it's literally just mozzarella stretched in a particular way. I have no objection to nuance and subjectivity. There's nothing wrong with someone saying "I like fresh salads and fish and tofu, but string cheese and Big Macs aren't for me". Certainly I wouldn't say that you must eat string cheese unless you have…

The ingredients for mozzarella are: buffalo milk, salt and rennet (and a bit of leftover whey for the bacteria). I’m sure there is far more in a packet of “cheese strings” than that

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#87

quick rule of thumb I developed - if product has long shelf life and does not require refrigeration - it is probably unhealthy. fruits and veggies get optimized for heavier weight per piece and longer shelf life, instead of taste. Same thing for every other grocery product.

"if product has long shelf life and does not require refrigeration - it is probably unhealthy"

There are a lot of exceptions though: dried lentils and pulses, pasta, ground spices (and to a less extent whole spices). Tinned fruit, vegetables, beans and pulses are often fine too. Some vegetables, like onions and potatoes, can be stored for many weeks in a cool environment (not in the refrigerator).

Also, UHT milk has a long shelf life and is not unhealthy, although it tastes awful.

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#88
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're trans fats: https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-s...

> The primary dietary source for trans fats in processed food is “partially hydrogenated oils." Look for them on the ingredient list on food packages. Crisco ~removed (FDA lets you state 0 trans fat if it's less than .5g per serving) trans fats, and partially hydrogenated vegetable oil is no longer an ingredient. Hydrogenating oils saturates them. According to Wikipedia, > Partial hydrogenation of the unsaturated fat…

Thanks for clarifying that :-D

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#89
Not being American and unfamiliar with both Crisco (1) and Ram Dass (2), I thought two unrelated but top stories on HN were connected. I somehow thought Chrisco Church (3) that was founded in Kenya by a certain Harry Das was international and what the unconnected stories were about. Poor me.

(1) this thread (2) https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21861986 (3) https://www.nation.co.ke/counties/nairobi/Apostle-Harry-Das-...

Re: How Crisco Made Americans Believers in Industrial Food

#90
post #46
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is “real food?” Are sausages, for example, “real food?”

I think it's a spectrum of realness rather than real or not real - I also really dislike the title of this article as it connotes stuff that isn't literally conveyed. Industrially produced food is what nearly all of us eat, our sausages, our kale, our milk... all produced on an industrial scale. That said, I think I value food that has fewer steps in preparation as being "more real" so I'd prefer something like a mea…

You're worried about industrially produced kale? Or is your point that everything is industrially produced because it has to be?
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