Reader Rick wrote in over the weekend with this comment: I was very interested by your post on sorbates in ice cream, especially the comment that it’s the food makers that have to list all the additives in the ingredients they use. If I understand you correctly, if I made a commercially distributed carrot cake […]
READ ONI wasn’t going to answer any more of these online, but two questions from last week have been eating at me, no pun intended. So I think I’ll just post answers and be done with it. This one from reader Neil: …despite what you say, you obviously don’t care much for the whole food movement. […]
READ ONYou want a sorbet that shows off the best features of autumn’s most elegant fruit? Pear sorbet is your ticket, friends. Like most fruit sorbets, the preparation is very, very simple. Cut up about 2.5 pounds of ripe pears into 1″ chunks and put them in a medium saucepan. Add half a cup of the […]
READ ONReader Jeff writes: In addition to slowing fats from becoming rancid, antioxidants are also used to maintain color in fruits that have a tendency to discolor – or oxidize – when cut. Apples, bananas, and stone fruit are all commonly treated with vitamin C, either as a dip (for cut fruit) or blended into a […]
READ ONReader Émile writes: You mentioned that sulfur dioxide works as an antioxidant, an anti-microbial and an enzyme blocker. You also mentioned that sulfur dioxide is in smoke. Is sulfur dioxide the reason that smoking is so effective for preserving meat? Émile, you get an A for this class.
READ ONAre the tuile rabbit ears too much? Maybe. It was a boring photograph without them, it needed something. Anyway, as I way saying last week, this sorbet is not what people expect from sorbets. It’s creamy, almost silky smooth. Not quite as smooth as a chocolate ice cream, but darn close. And it’s dairy free! […]
READ ONForbes.com posted an article on the subject of PacoJet ice cream machines yesterday, one that includes a quote by your favorite baking and pastry blogger. No, not David Lebovitz — me! Have a look-see and enjoy the read. But do me a favor and don’t tell anybody my real name (I don’t want any internet […]
READ ONReader Clare asks: Are sorbates used in ice cream? If so, why? Yes, indeed you’ll find potassium sorbate or “sorbic acid” in more than a few fruit flavored ice creams. The reason is not to suppress molds and/or yeasts in the ice cream, because the cold would take care of that. The reason is because […]
READ ONThis is another very important group of food preservatives whose function, in a nutshell, is to keep fats from turning rancid. The purpose of antioxidant food additives, just like antioxidant nutritional supplements, is to take up bonding sites on molecules so random “free radical” atoms can’t attach and form other sorts of undesirable compounds. For […]
READ ONI find these to be some of the most interesting preservatives, since they accomplish what most antimicrobials don’t: they keep fruits and vegetables from browning and shriveling up due to the activity of enzymes. Exactly how they do that I explained a while back in a post about sulphured fruit. Have a look-see if you’re […]
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