We have often wondered if it’s actually a fact that the better the food looks, the better it tastes.
Sadly, a group of scientists got around to factually determining whether or not this was the case before we did.
Backing the long-held assumptions touted by chefs, restaurateurs and food critics alike, a number of researchers have served up some evidence that finds people really do prefer food that looks good.
A number of psychologists worked together and gave volunteers the chance to eat a salad that had been prepared.
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More than one million cases of food poisoning were reported in the United Kingdom last year, with poorly cooked chicken the most common cause of complaint.
Last week the Food Standards Agency published a report into food poisoning and it made for some very interesting reading.
Officials highlighted the importance of their own findings, suggesting that official data significantly underestimate the risk as only the most serious cases get reported when patients seek medical help.
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A new report has been released that has shown our ever-growing reliance on foreign food and produce.
The United Kingdom’s ‘self-sufficiency ratio’ has declined from almost 90% in the early 1990s to a figure just below 70%, thus potentially jeopardising our own food security a paper has warned.
The ratio measures the amount of home-grown and self-produced food on these shores when compared to imported produce.
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The recipe book has been pulled off the shelf today as we’d thought that it was about time we shared another one of our favourite dishes that’s a doddle to make.
This Italian style pork dish is sure to go down a treat whatever the setting be it served at home on a weekend or in a restaurant on a daily basis.
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Fish and chips shops up and down the country have are switching to salt shakers that have far fewer holes in a bid to help prevent heart disease.
Shops taking part in the scheme, which will see older varieties – which can have up to seventeen holes – be replaced by newer five-hole models, will also be given a batch of low sodium salt and pack of posters as part of the NHS funded initiative.
Restaurants in Cheshire, Tyneside and Norfolk will be amongst the first to receive their wares.
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According to a survey conducted by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) 44% of us wash chicken before cooking it.
However the FSA has warned people against this commonly held kitchen practice as doing so increases the risk of food poisoning.
Those most at risk are the elderly and children under the age of 5.
Camplyobacter currently affects 280,000 people in the United Kingdom each year and the bacteria is commonly spread onto hands, clothing, utensils and surrounding work surfaces from splashing water droplets, hence why the governmental department has moved to inform the general public about this unknown threat.
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In the grand scheme of things, there aren’t many better things that a perfectly cooked steak – if you enjoy a more carnivorous diet, of course. The beauty of the steak is its simplicity. To do cook it perfectly you need not stare away at the oven longingly for a couple of hours whilst the afternoon passes by; all it needs, as you will well know, is a handful of minutes and you have an almost flawless meal prepared in, comparatively, next to no time at all.
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What do you do with your leftover food at the end of every day?
According to a report published today, supermarkets are opting to turn waste produce and surplus food into biogas rather than donating them to people in need.
Currently, the government offers millions of pounds worth of subsidies for those involved with the construction, maintenance and the day-to-day running of anaerobic digestion plants. These plants, it is stated, convert around 100,000 tonnes of food which is fit for human consumption into biogas, according to the charity FareShare.
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This news may not come as a surprise to many, but many restaurant goers associate cost with quality.
So if you are thinking about lowering your prices, your patrons may suddenly decide your food is worse – even when you haven’t altered a single thing on the menu!
A new study, which was presented at the Experimental Biology meeting last week, found that the perception of taste varies wildly in accordance to the price of the meal. The group of researchers – who had bases in nutrition, economics and consumer behaviours – also found that the monetary value of the meal has no correlation to the amount eaten at a sitting.
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Once again we delve into the fabulously varied world of Brazilian culture and cuisine, this time looking at a dish that is remarkably simple to make and one that should be an easy addition to any summertime menu for caterers who are looking to include a little bit of samba influence over the coming months.
Much like Brazil’s national cocktail the caiprihna, the components of the feijoada can be altered to taste and regional presence making it a wonderfully versatile dish. A black bean stew, very similar to a chili, it is easy to prepare and tastes exquisite when left to cook slowly.
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Author
Damien Wilde