Bits ‘n Bites

Came across this article on Washingtonpost.com today. A Knork in the Road looks into the radical new designs coming down the road, or at least appearing at the upcoming International Home and Housewares Show next week in Chicago.

Featured will be the Knork, a knife-fork designed by Mike Miller of Kansas. Also, Zeug Tools, based on neanderthal designs (I love that oyster shape spoon), the ergonomically-designed Curvware and the ramen spoon (I want one of those). Jane Black , author of the article, puts these new designs to the test in this video, here.

Photo: Ramen Spoon. Museum of Modern Art Collection

Paul Newman, the food brand, is branching out into wines. According to the Boston Herald, the conglomerate, which has donated some $200 million to charities since its inception, is partnering with wine company Wine Rebel Co. to develop a cabernet sauvignon and a chardonnay. According to Newman:

“Wine was the only thing missing at dinner time. Now the meal is complete.”

Newman’s Own, best known for its dressings, also now offers everything from salad mixes to pretzels and pet foods. (Who knew?). No news if the wine, to be bottled this December and retailing for $16 in the US, will be available in Canada.

Its uncanny how, at times, stories seem to emerge on a specific theme all at once. In the Science section of the New York Times today, Kenneth Chang looked at how some famous chefs are turning to those strange sounding ingredients, usually found in processed foods, to develop new dishes. I was familiar with the molecular cooking of Homaro Cantu at Moto, but the thought of a knot of foie gras on a plate is certainly intriguing. Hydrocolloids seem to be at the crux of this fascination with redefining how foods are cooked, reprocessed and presented in fine dining. Click here for a slideshow on what’s in the works with Chef Wylie Dufresne at WD-50 restaurant in New York.

Came across an interesting article from NPR today on the discovery of the 5th taste profile. Looks like we can thank one of cooking’s demi-gods for its discovery. Auguste Escoffier first experienced this taste when he developed veal stock. This stock would ultimately redefine sauces as they knew them in the late 1800s and now. The basic four tastes were: sweet, salty, bitter and sour, as defined centuries earlier by the Greek philosopher, Democritus. When Escoffier tasted his first veal stock, he realized he had stumbled onto something new. It was not until the 19th century, when taste buds were “discovered”, analysed and classified by the scientific community, did the science of taste become established. However, because Escoffier’s new flavor profile did not fall into one of the four categories…

“…as far as the scientists were concerned, it wasn’t real. People may smack their lips, drool, savor and pay enormous amounts of money to M. Escoffier, but what they were tasting wasn’t really there. It was all in their heads.”

Meanwhile, in Japan, a chemist named Kikunae Ikeda, arrived at the similar taste profile while drinking/eating daichi, a classic Japanese soup made from seaweed. Being a chemist, he was able to decompose it to its essential component, namely glutamic acid. However, he decided to give it a sexier name, “umami”, which means “yummy” or “delicious” in Japanese. When glutamate breaks down during the cooking process, L-glutamate is the end result. And this is what became the fifth taste. In 2002, some 100 years later, the scientific community recognized the work done by Ikeda and officially established and named that fifth taste (which is neither sweet, salty, sour or bitter), umami.

I would have loved to see Escoffier’s and Ikeda’s face when they first realized they had stumbled onto such a world-altering discovery…

General Mills has launched a new interactive site to promote healthy eating by challenging visitors to a virtual food fight. You pick one of three opponents and get to lob various foods as the actors move around the frames. I was impressed at the use actors and technology. However, I found the controls not very responsive or accurate. But then again, that just could be my aim that’s off…

German meat producers Toennies has announced they have successfully developed a schnitzel that can be cooked in a toaster. The product wil be introduced in German supermarkets in 2008. Other countries will follow later on. Story from Taste.com.au. (Photography by Ben Dearnley)