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Decoding complexity of food
Date published: 6/24/2009
By BILL DALEY Chicago Tribune Food can be a funny thing. We eat because we must, but we don't always know what we're eating, why we're eating it or what minor miracles from nature or man made the food what is. In most cases, we take the science of our food for granted. Well, for the unitiated (which comprises most of us) here are answers to some common food questions: WHAT MAKES JELL-O Jell-O, like all gelatin products, is made from collagen, a protein that comes from animal skins. Jell-O is powder made of crystals that dissolve in hot water, according to Joyce Hodel, a Kraft Foods spokeswoman. "So the crystals essentially melt to form a liquid solution," she said. "When the solution cools, the crystals start to clump together into a gel that traps water." Cold water is then used to cool down the mixture to accelerate the gelling reaction, Hodel adds. Jell-O won't begin to thicken and gel until the temperature approaches 55 degrees. WHY DOES POPCORN POP? The Popcorn Board, a non-profit organization funded by U.S. popcorn processors, offers an answer on its Web site (popcorn.org) complete with a slo-mo video of popcorn kernels popping. "Popcorn's ability to pop lies in the fact that the kernels contain a small amount of water stored in a circle of soft starch inside the hard outer casing," the Web site explains. Whew! When it's heated, the water expands, creating pressure within until the casing gives way, and the kernels explode. The water escapes as steam and turns the kernels inside out. WHY ARE BUTTERS DIFFERENT COLORS? Butter is made from cream, and cream is produced by cows. The color of the butter depends on the color of the cream. The cream's color depends on "certain pigments present in animal feed and pasture type, which varies seasonally," said Jeanne Forbis, spokesman for Land O' Lakes. Cream is white to yellowish white, she added, but when the cream is churned into butter, the fat proportion increases from 40 percent to 80 percent. Result? A more-intense color. "Generally, butter has a pale-yellow color but varies from deep-yellow to off-white," Forbis said. Some manufacturers use color additives to give the butter a uniform color; Land O' Lakes does not, she said. HOW DO THEY GET The dumplings, xiao long bao, are a Shanghai specialty. You solidify a broth into an aspic, chill, then cube the jellied broth and stuff it inside fresh dumpling wrappers along with whatever else you're using as a filling. Seal the wrappers tight. Cook the dumplings; the heat turns the gel back into a liquid. HOW DO SLIM JIMS STAY EDIBLE SO LONG? ConAgra Foods, the maker of Slim Jims, processes this iconic meat stick in a similar way to classic dried sausages, like pepperoni and hard salami. The Slim Jims are cured, thoroughly cooked and dried. Although it may seem--and look--like these checkout-aisle staples have sat their for decades, a Slim Jim only has an eight-month shelf life.
Date published: 6/24/2009
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