What is this colored fiber in my chicken? • Hacker News Board

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#221

Post by JoeAltmaier » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:11 PM UTC

the_gastropod wrote: post #217

d0lph wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you do assume animal life is equivalent to plant life, all you're saying is that consuming animals is less efficient. It would be like saying we shouldn't consume icecream because drinking milk directly saves more milk (not sure if this example is true).

The assumption I pose is that (given the very generous notion) if plant life is equivalent to animal life, and destroying life is undesirable, then eating animals is worse (in this regard) than eating plants because it destroys _more_ life.

Its pretty complex. For instance, growing plants means essentially sterilizing the ground under them, killing tens of thousands of small rodents. Millions of insects. Billions of soil microorganisms.

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#222

Post by edoceo » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:12 PM UTC

finid wrote: post #202

meddlepal wrote: post #139

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I strongly prefer chicken and turkey breast because it's easy to deal with because it does not have bones or cartilage. When it's cooked it usually doesn't have any weird colors and the taste is relatively boring but consistent. Thighs, wings, drumsticks etc all have problems I just don't want to deal with as an eater.

...because it does not have bones or cartilage. So eat the meat and throw away the bones or cartilage. Then go grab the calcium caps afterwards.

No, boil those after and make soup

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#223

Post by js2 » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:12 PM UTC

magic_beans wrote: post #208

mywittyname wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I won't forget the first time I served a perfectly cooked breast to my sister-in-law. Her reply: "it's too juicy."

That is just... sad. Don't know if she's American, but Americans have a HUGE problem with food. The US was never a country with any unified culinary history. The culinary traditions that came with immigrants and slaves largely stayed in those communities and didn't leech out into the culture at large in their original and tasty forms. We've ended up with a culture of bastardized and homogenized factory foods.

You can find good food in most medium-sized and larger cities but you have to seek it out. And the local treasure may surprise you. Food trucks have been great for finding tasty fare the last decade or so.

That said, I do think there are two standout foods that are ubiquitous in America although they vary by region. 1) bbq; 2) the sandwich. Behold the great American sandwich in all its varied forms:

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/14/dining/field-...

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#224

Post by dclowd9901 » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:13 PM UTC

aklemm wrote: post #160

Hexcles wrote: post #118

Animal welfare aside, I find people in North America really in favour of chicken breast, much more than other parts, say chicken thigh. Yet I myself think chicken thigh tastes much better, especially with the skin (yet again it is usually skinless in supermarkets here, unfortunately). Is it because of nutrition (percentage of fat/protein etc.)? On top of that, chicken feet are considered unacceptable by many...

The preference for white meat is almost pathological. Constantly I hear (I cook and teach people to cook) people complain that they can't get chicken right, that it's dry or rubbery. And then they REFUSE to cook or try thighs instead, which are forgiving and tasty.

Well, you can make breast meat juicy and awesome, but it's just much more difficult, especially with the ridiculous size pieces you get nowadays.

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#225

Post by problems » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:19 PM UTC

enraged_camel wrote: post #24

Larrikin wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

America is the only country I've ever been to where white meat cost more than dark meat. For me it was an early lesson I learned in cooking, thinking I was improving a recipe by using breast when a recipe called for thigh simply because skinless boneless breast was more expensive.

>>America is the only country I've ever been to where white meat cost more than dark meat This is because legs and thighs are fatty, and Americans have come to associate animal fat with health problems. White meat is leaner, and is therefore perceived to be healthier and more expensive.

Not just health problems really - it just tastes gross, a much less pleasant texture and consistent flavor.

Especially when prepared in a sandwich or in chicken nuggets the white meat is much nicer - chicken nuggets the ooze fat and leave your mouth and hands greasy have horrified me too much.

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#226

Post by problems » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:20 PM UTC

jerguismi wrote: post #125

hellofunk wrote: post #117

People just eat way too much chicken. The numbers of chicken consumed every year in most western nations is astounding. And those poor birds, the way they are packed to the point of not even being able to walk while they are raised, it's really a lot more disgusting than the final product shown in this article.

Do you think red meat is better? I've been trying to avoid red meat lately for health reasons, and it is very difficult because for many restaurant major of the items seem to contain red meat. I end up eating lots of chicken and fish. Going vegetarian would be probably best...

Chicken is also significantly better from a carbon emissions perspective too I believe.

Going off http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/Greenhouse... chickens are far better than almost all other animals.

So if you're going to eat meat, chickens are a good choice in this way at least.

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#227

Post by eric_h » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:21 PM UTC

jasonellis wrote: post #199

keehun wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I prefer chicken thigh myself, but the best chicken I've tasted to date comes from the hands of an experienced chef who made the chicken breast the most tender and delicious chicken I've ever tasted. The dish also included the thigh, but it didn't come close to the breast. It's as if the thigh is much more forgiving but has a lower potential ceiling than the breast which is much less forgiving but can be insanely del…

After drying out breasts using a number of other cooking methods, I've found sous vide to produce breasts that are unbelievably juicy.

I've found sous vide to produce that are unbelievably juicy.

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#228

Post by cafard » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:22 PM UTC

trevyn wrote: post #191

dantillberg wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the bright side: I live in the US, I love the "dark"/fatty meat on chickens, and I don't mind that everyone else here prefers "white"/dry chicken meat because that means a) chicken thighs are often much less expensive, and b) I rarely have to fight over the thighs and other fatty meat when sharing a full bird. Edit to add: As for why other people prefer white meat, people usually invoke that it tastes better, but…

The breast is more homogenous, which is a nice touch.

And there I think you have it. I discovered as a parent the homogeneity is the key to "kid food", chicken breast being an excellent example. I remembered preferring Campbell's chicken soup, with its uniform little white cubes of chicken and homogenized fat to the version that my mother, where the chicken was raggedy looking and the fat floated unevenly.

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#229

Post by wu-ikkyu » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:22 PM UTC

the_gastropod wrote: post #187

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it was forcefully bred by a corporation that treated it like trash to increase their financial gains The same could be said for plants.

I hear this kind of argument pretty often. It's bizarre, because debunking it is pretty trivial. Even if we assume destroying plants is 100% equivalent to destroying animals (this is obviously a position not many would agree with), destroying animals is worse because animals require plant food to grow. And since animals burn calories that don't go directly to growth, it's an inefficient means of producing food (beef…

I'm not sure the comment you're replying to is saying to choose between one or the other (eating animals or plants) but perhaps rather that sustainable eco-friendly production is what is important regardless of the product.

Re: What is this colored fiber in my chicken?

#230

Post by spraak » Mon, Apr 10, 2017, 3:23 PM UTC

logfromblammo wrote: post #212

qubyte wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not if we're talking about advances in textured vegetable protein. When I read "fake meat" I take it to mean that it's not animal derived. Otherwise it'd just be meat.

Imitation meat would be a protein altered to resemble the meat of a particular animal. This is not necessarily vegetarian, as insect protein might be altered to resemble beef. Certain types could have problems with allergens. Cultured meat would be grown from animal cells without developing an entire, independently viable animal. This is what "vat-grown" meat would be. Synthetic meat would be processed polymerized am…

> This is the holy grail of meat substitutes for vegans.

Hi, vegan here! I already get all this from plants.

> No living thing of any kind is killed, molested, or even inconvenienced in its manufacture (provided you don't look too closely at where the amino acids came from).

Where do they come from, then? There is already enough plant diversity to not need to manufacture cells this way. In fact, fermentation of foods brings us many nutritional gifts, and I do actually kill these organisms when I eat them, but I'm ok with killing some yeasts over cows (grey line, I know! :)