Food unwrapped

[Catherine]

Just watching Food Unwrapped on Channel 4. The presenter is in America on a beef cattle farm. (85% are kept in corrals like this) They have just explained that they feed their cattle corn, and because the cattle have come from grass pastures to these fattening yards and they are being just fed purely on corn, they go through a transition period where they need antibiotics administered and they also have a growth hormone implant in their ear. Though, as my OH has pointed out maybe this is why most american males are so large) This has been banned in the EU. They are now showing a lovely herd of grass fed beef. They look fab. Only killed at 24 months.

Make sure you dont eat American meat. (something to do with the growth hormones.

It just shows how our food is being prepared and why we are getting to a stage where antibiotics are stopping working.

Now we are being shown how they make thick gravy in shop bought pies. Wood cellulose is being used as a thickener in shop bought pies to stop the gravy bursting out. !!!

[dan3008]

Catherine, if you think thats bad, I could tell you a whole host of stories from my years placement with environmental health... all I'll say now is this though, DONT buy chip shop kebabs... Those little white flecks in it are not normally just fat or bits of filler

[Catherine]

OMG Luckily we have never had the urge to eat that sort of food. All I can say is I prefer home cooked food. I know what is going into it.

[dan3008]

All I can say is I prefer home cooked food. I know what is going into it.

Join the club

[Westi]

I don't touch any American food. They use GM modified crops regularly (possibly even the corn fed to these cows)! As a generalisation obviously, but their serves are ridiculously big, full of sugar, beef is hormone pumped & the consequences are obvious in the health of the nation.

I stay away from all fast food places & if I fancy something will make it myself also. Not saying I have a healthy diet but always get my 5 - 7 a day in one form or another. And the odd biscuit or chocolate - oops!

Westi

[dan3008]

Sounds quite healthy to me in general westie... I always tell people the first step to a healthy diet is to cut the ... proccessed foods and start cooking from fresh... Its so much more rewarding, and tastes so much better... If youre ever up my way, I'll have to show you my home made pizza Tastier and healthier than the local dominoes (oh and no... no I shouldn't say that, we never found any proof)

[Westi]

Oh Dan Numbers! (Your new name from me)!

I am a fuss pot with pizza - love the thin crust ones that have bubbles that char slightly. Never been able to replicate this at home though. There is a cafe bar in town that does them, but I actually don't like their toppings much but a couple of times a year we have a bit of a craving explosion so endure the weird toppings.

I'm not sure whether it is a sourdough type base or whether it is the addition of semolina or the like, definitely looks like semolina underneath. They have a clay lined oven which helps as well. If you have a great base recipe you'd like to share I have a virgin pizza stone I got as a gift! Might even inspire me to persevere with mastering the art of bottling the globe artichokes in oil - a disaster story for another day.

Westi

[PLUMPUDDING]

I'll be calling round for lunch then Dan only live at S36 and I do like a good pizza.

[Pawty]

My husband makes amazing pizza (he does all the cooking, I do the growing). His base is thin and simple. Basic bread recipe (400g strong white flour, teaspoon and a half of yeast, teaspoon and half salt, a few long glugs of olive oil and tepid water (not as warm as with bread making) (450ml - enough to make it wet). Experimental toppings include beetroot and ricotta, courgette and motzerrella, courgette and curry or just a good margeretta with home grown tomatoes (unfortunately my olive tree has never rewarded us to have home grown olives).

He has a clay pizza stone but rarely uses it because its tricky to put the prepared pizza onto the hot stone (you need to pre heat it).

Any other experimental pizza toppings out there?

Paula

[Diane]

I have a big confession to make..... last week I ate half a chocolate pizza. It was strangely pleasant.

[Catherine]

Half a chocolate pizza. Ooherr dont fancy that at all. Though must say I don't eat chocolate, biscuits, cake or stuff like that. I do like to eat cheese, plain and nuts. We like Aldi Pizza Tomato, mozzarella and Pesto and Italian meat pizza very very occasionally and they are very good. We normally make ours, I make a vegetarian roasted veggies (from our garden) for me and my OH likes added mushrooms, spring onions, extra tomatoes, garlic and choritzo. We have a pizza stone but don't have much success with it, what we do use are circular baking sheets with holes in them and they work very well.

[Stephen]

I wholeheartedly agree with starting one's cooking as close to the original raw food as possible (I think of it as food from the farm not the factory).
Of course I buy some processed food (although never a prepared meal). I have a fondness for peanut butter and I buy pesto and pasta for example. It's not a rule just a direction I go in.