The McExperiment part one: what I bought and why I'm doing this

I was the maccas kid. I lived for those Friday afternoons where my mum would take me to the local maccas for a happy meal. My toy collection from those meals is phenomenal and possibly collectible. I chowed down on those burgers because it was yummy, and it was good for me, right? right??

There have been many experiments with maccas burgers around the world, some of the more famous ones include the bionic burger (the video is lower down), and the photo series by American photographer Sally Davies gained media exposure as well. I also have friends who have had burgers for a number of years and it doesn't change. But what is it exactly that makes the burger not age?

There are a few thoughts on this...

Is it the preservatives?

This is the most common thought of why the burgers seem to stay preserved, which makes sense, because preservatives preserve things! I went onto the Australian maccas website, and this was the ingredient list for cheeseburgers:

REGULAR BUN: Wheat Flour, Water, Yeast, Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Canola), Iodised Salt, Gluten, Soy Flour, Preservative (282), Emulsifiers (471, 472e, 481), Malt Flour, Mineral Salt (170), Antioxidant (300, 304, 307, 330), Enzyme (1100), Vitamin (Thiamin, Folate).

BEEF PATTIES: Beef (100%).

CHEESE: Cheese (Milk, Salt, Culture, Enzyme (rennet)), Water, Milk Solids, Butter, Emulsifiers (340, 452, 331), Salt, Acidity Regulators (260, 330, 339), Colours (160b, 160c), Preservative (200), Soy Lecithin.

KETCHUP: Water, Tomato Paste, High Fructose Corn Syrup, Glucose Syrup, Vinegar, Salt, Spice.

PICKLE: Cucumber, Water, Vinegar, Salt, Preservatives (202, 211), Flavour.

ONION: Water, Dehydrated White Onion.

MUSTARD:Water, Vinegar, Mustard Seed, Salt, Colour (100), Spice, Flavour.

FRIES: Potato, Canola Oil & Sunflower Oil, Dextrose, Mineral Salt (450), Antioxidant (320). OR Potato, 

Canola Oil Blend, Antioxidant (320), Food Acid (330), Antifoam (900a), Dextrose.

 Things to note:

• Preservative 282 has been linked to causing mood swings and sleep disturbances in children
• Mineral salt 170 is calcium carbonate - often used as a calcium supplement in brands like caltrate, but this form of calcium is not easily absorbed and also reduces stomach acids (which helps digests foods) and is also linked to causing Milk-Alkali syndrome - a condition which can cause kidney failure and hypercalcemia (too much calcium in the body)
• Colour 160b - annatto extracts, bixin, norbixin - is recommended to be avoided due causing adverse reactions such as headaches, irritability, attention disturbances, headbanging in young children, skin rashes, sleep disturbances... nice hey?
• Preservative 200 - sorbic acid - is recommended to be avoided as it can cause skin irritations, asthma and behavioural problems 
• High fructose corn syrup can be translated to mean super refined sugar crap. It is cheap to produce which is why it is in so many foods. It interferes with your metabolism by slowing down leptin - the hormone which tells you when you're full and to stop eating. No leptin, no fullness!
• Preservative 202 - potassium sorbate has been linked to allergic reactions, skin irritations and behavioural problems and recommended to be avoided
• Preservative 211 - sodium benzoate has the ability to switch off vital parts of DNA, which can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and degenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. This additive is common in fizzy drinks and Fanta drinkers beware - research indicates that when this preservative is mixed with vitamin C, it becomes carcinogenic!
• Colour 100 - turmeric is cautioned to those with a salicylate or amine allergy due to the concentration levels
• Synthetic antioxidants are often overlooked, as people assume because its an antioxidant, its ok to eat. Some people get reactions after a single dose of one of these, however there are thoughts that a build up effect in the body can cause problems in people as well. What have they been linked to? irritability, restlessness and difficulty falling asleep; mood swings, anxiety, depression, panic attacks; inattention, difficulty concentrating or debilitating fatigue; eczema, itchy skin rashes, reflux, bloating, abdominal pain, stomach aches and other irritable bowel symptoms including constipation; headaches or migraines; frequent colds, flu, bronchitis, tonsillitis, sinusitis, stuffy or runny nose, throat clearing, cough or asthma; joint pain and arthritis.

So from the ingredients there are a couple of nasties in there, but there are some things to consider:

• The beef patty is 100% beef - but what part of the cow? was it given hormones or antibiotics? Was it sick?
• The mustard has flavour - umm... thats a broad statement! What IS flavour exactly?
• The bun contains soy flour - Soy is a very controversial topic, if it is whole soybean, organic, non-GMO, then a big thumbs up, but something tells me its not.

Definitely some of these ingredients would be inhibiting bacteria growth and it also seems to keep all the cockroaches and mice away as well.

This video from the bionic burger man gives a list of the ingredients in the American beef patty - I think it would be a bit naive to assume we don't get any of these.

Is it the packaging?

Some people think that it's the fact that the burger has been allowed to dry out that preserves it. There have been experiments where a range of burgers have been put into plastic bags where the moisture causes condensation which causes mould to grow.
I'm keeping mine in the original bag in room temperature in my office. Surely that would mean it would attract some form of rodent? Time will tell!

Is it the fat content?

One site said that mould and fat don't mix, so is it the high fat content which turns mould off these products? Cheeseburgers have 11.2% fat, the fries have 19% fat. Is that enough to keep mould at bay? I will keep researching on this.

So this blog entry is long enough now to give you an idea why I'm doing this McExperiment. In future blogs on this, I will look further into reasons why the burger stays normal (if it does stay the same!) and also I will explore the age old question - What is Grimace anyway? Has anyone else wondered this??

Stay tuned! :)

A juicy post - What to know about juicers

 I've finally invested in a new juicer and I'm really excited about it. Is that bad? Is that too Naturopathic? Well , if it is, I don't care, because I have a new juicer! Squee!

There are many juicers out on the market at the moment and so I thought I would tell you about the 2 most common types, just in case you are thinking of investing in one of these for your kitchen. Now, some people work a lot better with a video to show the demonstration, so I have a video for you to explain it all...

For those who want a written bit of info, here's what I'm talking about.

The Centrifugal Juicer

This is your stock standard juicer which you can purchase at department, appliance and electrical stores. These are the Brevilles, Philips, Moulinex, kambrooks, etc. They work by grinding the fruit & vegies using blades, then pushing the juice through a very fast spinning strainer (a bit like a washing machine, or a salad spinner). The pulp is disposed of out the back of the juicer and your juice should neatly be disposed of out the front.

Pros for this juicer:

• This is a fast and cheap juicer which is a good option for those who are not die-hard juicer fans or are newbies to making their own juice. 
• Some models allow you to put a whole piece of fruit into the feeder, so you don't need to spend time cutting up fruit for the whole. 
• They normally juice most fruits & vegies, except bananas, avocados and leafy greens.

Cons for this juicer:

• The amount and quality of the juice isn't fantastic. 
• The juicer generates heat which can oxidise the fruit & vegies, plus and the way the food is minced also oxidises the juice. If you make juice in it, you should drink it straight away or it may go brown. 
• This juicer will not handle leafy greens so well. You can put a bunch of spinach into it and be lucky to get a few drops of juice. 
• You will notice in the pulp, that it is still quite wet, meaning it didn't extract all the juice.
• Cleaning it can be an absolute bitch. The centrifugal unit needs a thorough scrubbing and straight away or it sticks and goes hard.
• They can be very noisy!

The Slow / Cold Press Juicer

Rather than grinding the fruit & vegies with a blade, the slow juicer uses a spiral gear which rotates and presses the juice out of the produce. Some units are designed also to make baby food, nut bitters, sorbets and sauces. They are available in both single and twin gear types.

Pros for this juicer:

• The quality of the juice is superb and it doesn't oxidise, meaning it can last a lot longer.
• These juicers will juice all fruit & vegies, including leafy greens, wheatgrass and herbs.
• It's nice and quiet to operate.
• Very easy to clean - just a rinse on water through the unit, then pull it apart and run the gear under the tap. 

Cons for this juicer:

• These units can be an expensive bit of hardware, so it shouldn't be purchased under a whim.
• You need to cut up your fruit and vegies before feeding them into the juicer, which can be annoying for those who are in a hurry.
• The unit works a bit slower than the centrifugal machines.

Slow /cold press juicers are available through health foods stores, online stores such as Vitality 4 Life, or even myself, as I am a stockist of their juicers (mention this blog to me for a special 10% discount on a juicer!).

If you want to see the juicers in action, there is a demonstration in the video above, it'r roughly 5 minutes into the video.

So both of the main juicer types have their own pros and cons and when choosing a juicer, you should find one which suits your lifestyle and budget. There is no right or wrong juicer.

Photos from the juice experiment

Here is the juices straight after making them. The one with the clear swizzle stick is the centrifugal juicer, the orange swizzle stick is the slow press juicer. And the woman in the background is my mother in law :)

The juices after 10 minutes:

You can see that the centrifugal has separated into a very clear juice and a large amount of foam onto top, whereas the slow juicer has a small amount  of foam and the juice is quite dense.

Here is a picture of the leftover pulp:

The one on the left is from the centrifugal juicer. As you can see, there is a bit more leftover and its a bit squishy/mushy to touch, which means not all the juice may have been extracted. The leftovers on the right are quite dry and compacted.

A note for juice newbies...

Not sure what to juice with your new contraption? The list is endless, it just depends how brave you're willing to be! I never give amounts of ingredients with juicing, because everyone has their own individual tastes, which you get the taste for after having a few, but here are some favourite mixes of mine...

• Apple, orange, carrot, ginger
• Apple, beetroot, carrot, celery, lemon
• Watermelon, apple, mint
• Pineapple, apple, lemon, orange
• Spinach, pineapple, cucumber, mint
• Everything you have in the fridge - for the truly daring!

Happy juicing! :)