Scientific Explanation of Halal / Kosher Meat

 Scientific Explanation of Halal  / Kosher Meat

11 Disgusting Ingredients You Eat Every Day That Food Companies Don't Talk About

11 Disgusting Ingredients You Eat Every Day That Food Companies Don't Talk About

Laura Stampler | Mar. 29, 2012, 5:49 PM 

Starbucks' use of crushed beetles in food coloring for its frappuccino products—which it had labeled vegan—is merely the tip of the iceberg.
The cochineal beetle, often used in red food dyes, is one of many disgusting ingredients found in everyday foods.
Food companies might advertise natural flavors, low calories and vitamins A through Z, but they're much less likely to promote their use of  fish bladders, sand or human hair.
And you won't believe what beaver anal glands—that's correct—are used for.

Red Dye: Ground Up Beetles

Between yogurt, maraschino cherries, jams, cakes, and tomato products, you've probably consumed at least one pound of red dye in your life. That means that you've also ingested at least 70,000 cochineal beetles, according to a petition on Change.org.
The bug is crushed up to make red dye.

Ice Cream: Beaver Anal Glands

liangjinjian www.flickr.com and TheCulinaryGeek www.flickr.com

Vanilla and raspberry flavors might be enhanced by "castoreum," a mixture of the anal secretions and urine of beavers. It's also found in perfume.
The FDA-approved product is categorized under "natural flavoring," so you won't know if you're eating it.
After celebrity chef Jamie Oliver went on David Letterman's show and mentioned castoreum's presence in vanilla ice cream—"If you like that stuff, next time you put it in your mouth think of anal gland"—manufacturers adamantly denied the claims.

Beer: Fish Bladders

guebosch www.flickr.com and kyezitri www.flickr.com

Isinglass, or dried fish bladder, gives beer its golden glow. The BBC did a whole segment on the substance, which is primarily used in British beers.

Wendy's Chili: Sand

Juliancolton2 www.flickr.com and Calgary Reviews www.flickr.com

One key ingredient to Wendy's chili is an anti-caking agent called silicon dioxide. Street name: sand or glass powder.

Jello: Animal Connective Tissue

tsuacctnt www.flickr.com

Gelatin is made from collagen, which is boiled down animal connective tissue. Today, gelatin most likely is made from pigskin.

Gum: Sheep Secretions

Lanolin—a goopy, oily secretion found in sheep's wool—is an FDA-approved additive used to soften chewing gum. It can also be found in cosmetics, sunscreen, and baby products.

Cheese: Sawdust

Cellulose, or virgin wood pulp that is more commonly identified as sawdust, is an ingredient found in shredded cheese. It keeps the shreds from clumping up. Cellulose also appears in Kraft Parmesan Cheese.
The Street found 15 other companies that use "wood" in their products.
The USDA, which regulates meat, has decided that meat products that consist of more than 3.5 percent cellulose cannot be recognized as nutritionally sound.

Bread: Duck Feathers and Human Hair

L-Cysteine is an amino acid often used in dough conditioners, which softens mass-produced breads. It is made from human hair or duck feathers. Although 80 percent of L-cysteine is made of human hair, McDonald's uses the duck feather variety in its Baked Hot Apple Pie and Warm Cinnamon Roll.

Mushrooms: Maggots

Wikimedia

The FDA says its legally OK to have up to 19 maggots and 74 mites in a 3.5-ounce can of mushrooms.

Potato Chips: Cleaning Agents

Sodium bisulfite is used in most toilet boil cleaning agents. It's also used to extend the shelf-life and bleach out the discoloration of potato chips.

Chocolate: Rat Hairs

Flickr: schoko-riegel and angeladellatorre

We aren't saying that rat hairs are the secret ingredient of your favorite chocolate bars ... but they might make accidental guest appearances. The FDA allows one rat hair per 100 grams in six 100-gram subsamples of chocolate and 60 insect fragments per 100 grams in six 100-gram subsamples.

Doesn't the truth hurt?

 

 

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/11-disgusting-ingredients-that-arent-advertised-in-food-2012-3?op=1#ixzz2Nl7bBgfs

Vietnamese rice paper rolls

Vietnamese rice paper rolls
Serves: 12 Time to make: 30 mins

Ingredients
2 x 100g packets vermicelli bean thread noodles

1 large (200g) red capsicum, halved, deseeded, thinly sliced 2

 medium (200g) carrots, peeled, coarsely grated

1 1/2 cups chopped snow pea sprouts

1/2 cup roughly chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 fresh long red chilli, finely chopped 4cm piece fresh ginger, peeled, finely grated

 2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce

2 teaspoons fish sauce (optional)

12 x 22cm round rice paper sheets sweet chilli sauce to serve, for dipping

Instructions

Instructions and steps:

Step 1 Place noodles in a large heatproof bowl and cover with boiling water. Set aside to soak for 2 minutes or until softened.

Step 2 Drain noodles. Use kitchen scissors to cut into smaller lengths (this will make the noodle mixture easier to combine and divide among rice paper sheets).

Step 3 Add remaining ingredients (except rice paper sheets and chilli sauce). Toss to combine.

Step 4 Using one sheet of rice paper at a time, dip into a bowl of hot water and soak for 30 seconds or until pliable. Place on a clean chopping board or tea towel. Place some of the noodle mixture below the halfway mark of the round, leaving an edge, and fold in both sides. Securely fold the bottom edge over the filling to enclose, then carefully roll to the end. Repeat with remaining rice paper sheets and filling.

Step 5 Arrange on a large serving platter. Serve with sweet chilli sauce. Variations

•Wasabi chicken: Omit capsicum from recipe.
Place 250g skinless chicken breast fillet in a frying pan. Cover with cold water and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Poach, uncovered, for 10-12 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Shred. Add to noodle mixture with 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice and 2 teaspoons wasabi paste.

 •Nori and teriyaki beef: Omit capsicum from recipe.
Place 200g sirloin steak in a glass dish. Pour over 1/3 cup teriyaki sauce and add garlic and just 1 tablespoon salt-reduced soy sauce from ingredients list. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Spray beef with cooking oil. Cook for 3 minutes each side for medium or until cooked to your liking. Thinly slice and add to noodle mixture with 2 tablespoons quality whole-egg mayonnaise and 1 shredded dried seaweed (nori) sheet.

•Ginger and soy pork: Omit capsicum from recipe.

Place 200g pork fillet in a glass dish. Combine 1 tablespoon oyster sauce and 2 tablespoons salt-reduced soy sauce and pour over pork, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat a chargrill over medium-high heat. Spray pork with cooking oil and grill, turning, for 8-10 minutes or until just cooked through. Transfer to a plate, cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes. Thinly slice across the grain. Add to noodle mixture.

•Basil and prawn: Omit coriander from recipe. Add 1/3 cup shredded basil leaves to noodle mixture. Shell and devein 18 medium cooked prawns. Cut in half horizontally. Place 3 halves on top of noodle mixture in Step 3. For great results:

•The secret of success is to be well organised. Start with a clean bench and have all the equipment out that you will need.

•Rice paper sheets come in a variety of shapes and sizes. You can purchase 16cm or 22cm round rice paper sheets as well as square rice paper sheets. They are available from the Asian grocery section of your supermarket or any Asian grocery store.

•Nuts such as finely chopped cashews and slivered almonds are great to add to filling ingredients. Other ingredients that can be used in rice paper roll fillings include avocado, bean sprouts, mint leaves, shredded cabbage and shredded lettuce.

 http://www.healthyfood.co.nz/recipes/2008/january/vietnamese-rice-paper-rolls