Posted on Category:Burgers

5 interesting facts about burgers

We have collected for you 5 interesting facts about the most popular fast food in the world – a burger.

  1. Every second chef in the United States of America tried to appropriate the authorship of everyone’s favorite burger, but Louis Lessing, the owner of a grocery store in New York, an immigrant with German roots, is considered the official creator of this culinary masterpiece. His father arrived in America from Hamburg, hence the name of the hamburger was born. It was he who came up with the idea to supplement the appetizer popular at the beginning of the 20th century – a bun with a cutlet – lettuce and sauces.
  2. Since 1900, when Louis Lessing patented his invention, the hamburger began to triumph around the world, winning the hearts of fast food connoisseurs. At that time, the price of a hamburger was 5 cents, by comparison, a large loaf of white bread cost 7 cents.
  3. In the modern world, the most expensive hamburger can be tasted at The Fleur De Lys restaurant in Vegas, Nevada for only five thousand one hundred dollars! The burger will be made with truffle shavings of kobe beef in truffle brioche buns and will be accompanied by a 1990 bottle of Chateau Petrus.

In 1960, an American biologist, chemist, doctor of gastroenterology, Jesse Francis McClendon, conducted an experiment. For three months, the volunteers ate only burgers. Such nutrition did not affect the health and physical fitness of the participants in the experiment.

  1. Record holder for the sale of burgers – McDonald’s. By the time you’ve finished reading this offer, the largest fast food restaurant chain will sell over 355 burgers.
  2. The original hamburger is made exclusively with a medium rare beef patty, but today it is not uncommon to find a veggie burger, a burger with lamb or lamb, pork, llama meat, kangaroo and even a whale! On our site, in addition to the classic version, you can try spicy mushroom burgers, chicken burgers or pike perch.
Posted on Category:Pizza

10 favorite pizza ingredients of all time

Things people like to eat people like to eat pizza. Next time, don’t puzzle over which pizza to get: join the majority!
Pizza is great because it’s quick and easy to eat, you can take it out of the box with your hands, and those boxes are brought in promptly by experienced delivery people. All in all, pizza is the perfect man’s meal. Especially since you can put anything on top of the cheese and dough, even smoked alligators or nightingale salad. So it’s surprising how conservative people are in their choice of pizza toppings. This fact was established by Foodler, a U.S.-based food service that specializes in meal delivery.

According to data from more than 12,000 restaurants in the northern hemisphere, the ten most popular toppings absolutely lead the way. And all of the other ingredients are no match for this magnificent top ten.

Number 10: Spinach
The myth that this green mush has an enormous amount of iron was created by a typographical error in one of the first mass-produced charts on healthy eating. Today, everyone knows that spinach is a rare dull plant with a modest array of vitamins and trace elements, but still people ask to put spinach on pizza, believing in its magical property to instantly make any food healthier.

9th place: pineapple.
Yep. Hawaiian pizza. What, it seems, would pineapples do on a pizza? But the wild combination has become a nationally beloved tradition.

No. 8: Sweet peppers.
Another attempt to bring healthy goodness to a grilled flatbread with cheese. It certainly tastes much more interesting than spinach.

7th place: sliced olives.
Where would you go without them! After all, pizza is a Mediterranean dish, no matter what schnitzels, pancakes and chips all sorts of savages garnish it with, and a little circle of olives is a traditional greeting from the shores of the Mediterranean.

6th place: more cheese!
Cheese and cheese pizza-what could be easier and truer? One in fifteen pizzas in the world is served with “double cheese” (and most of them are not the classic Four Cheese recipe, in which the cheese bacchanalia is justified after all).

5th Place: Bacon
Fried, cut into small squares, fragrant for a mile… Still, extremely cruel people were the founders of those religions, whose adherents should not eat bacon, so as not to enrage the heavens.

Number 4: Sausage
What is there to talk about, what is there to explain? It’s a sausage! Is there a single dish that could be spoiled by it? It would be a queen in a chocolate ice cream cone.

3rd place: Onions.
And yes, a good pizza should have onions that crunch on your teeth.

2nd place: mushrooms.
Only mushrooms, of course. Aesthetes eating black truffle pizza still don’t make the cash registers of pizzerias.

1st place: pepperoni
And in first place is sausage again! (Hello vegetarians.) But not just any plain sausage, but a very spicy one called “pepperoni” salami. The most famous pizza with it is Pizza alla diavola (“Devil’s Pizza”).

Posted on Category:Baking

Is Food Silicone Harmful

Let’s say at once – the absolute harm of silicone forms for baking is not proven. But that does not mean that you should not hesitate to buy these products and use them to the fullest extent. The debate about this has not ceased for a long time, and advertising assures that cooking in such containers is as safe as in old eco-friendly cookware. In this article we’ll try to figure out if this is true.

The popularity of these products provided an impressive list of advantages.

Modern silicone for baking is elastic, versatile, has non-stick properties. This makes them great for baking dough products. And they release well in the already prepared form. For this you do not need to liberally oil the molds – muffins, cakes and other goodies literally jump out of their forms. Silicone is insensitive to corrosion, has a chemical inertness. Products made of it have an external appeal – they are made in different colors. But it is in the composition of paints can hide the danger of these products. They are made from synthetic food-grade rubber – a safe material.

Before answering the main question about silicone molds – are these products harmful or not, consider their other features.

The possible harm of silicone baking molds is not their only drawback

These products have not only advantages. The disadvantages of low-quality products include:

  • the availability of a huge number of low-quality products on the market;
  • need special care;
  • possible inclusion of plastic;
  • instability to open fire;
  • likely toxicity;
  • easily damaged by mechanical action;
  • deformed by high temperatures.
    Therefore, buy only high-quality silicone baking molds.

What you can replace silicone for baking


Mandatory condition when using such products – confidence in its quality. Not sure – use analogues offered by the modern market:

  • Stainless steel pastry sliding ring;
  • Heat-resistant glass – for pies, quiches, casseroles;
  • cast-iron cookware – gives you the opportunity to heat the food evenly;
  • Teflon-coated cookware – provides non-stick properties;
  • paper molds – for portioned desserts, resistant to high temperatures, good thermal conductivity;
  • Aluminum cookware – for muffin tarts and cookies;
  • Ceramic utensils – versatile and long-lasting heat retention.

All these products are harmless (in the case of Teflon while preserving the outer layer) and environmentally friendly. This is a great alternative for baking a variety of dishes. If you are concerned about the toxicity of silicone, choose products that are guaranteed to be safe.

How to determine if silicone baking molds are safe

Not always even the name of the manufacturer can guarantee sufficient product quality. The following criteria will help you check whether silicone baking molds are safe:

  • Smell. Harmful impurities give themselves away by the presence of a chemical odor. In quality cookware, it should not be there at all.
  • Density of silicone. Definitely there should not be gaps. The entire surface should be uniform and moderately dense.
  • Price. If you decided to save money and were tempted by the cheap offer, you must know – you are saving on your health. This is a fact. Pay attention: there should be a decent packaging, and in it – an accompanying label and a brochure with tips for use.
  • Place of Sale. It is best to buy such goods in branded stores.

But even this all, as the latest research confirms, is not a guarantee of absolute safety. And the information that the “right” silicone when heated does not release any harmful substances, is not confirmed. Although, for advertising purposes, it is mentioned in various circumscientific publications. About what the real studies show, read below.

What silicone emits when heated

Here are the results of the independent Swiss laboratory and tests.

Test samples were subjected to the following types of exposure:

  • Heating to 200 degrees for 4 hours with weighing before and afterwards;
  • baking of forms filled with acidified solution for 2 hours, followed by analysis of the composition of this liquid.

More than half of the samples lost 0.5% of their weight or more after heat treatment. Absolutely all of them had “spoiled” the solution inside.

The inertness of the material has therefore not been verified. The harm of silicone for baking can not be denied, if only because the materials approved for use in its composition is also not fully investigated. It decomposes at temperatures above 150 degrees. It is safe to use products made of it that are not heat treated. This can be a silicone pastry bag with nozzles, molds for mastic, jelly molds and other products for confectioners.

Posted on Category:Baking

Are food dyes harmful?

Modern manufacturers of confectionery products have long ago found ways to replace food coloring in their products. Synthetic additives for changing color or flavor have become an integral part of various culinary dishes, including a variety of beverages, meat and fish products. With their help, you can give the product an attractive appearance. And, it is much easier and cheaper than when using natural ingredients. Benefits from them are not observed, but the harm of food dyes from synthetic substances in many cases is proven. Although this does not stop manufacturers who benefit undoubtedly from their use.

What are the differences between natural and synthetic food colors

Natural food dyes are derived from the processing of leaves, fruits, root crops and berries. Containing organic acids, vitamins and other trace elements, they are useful in small amounts. Their content in the product is determined by the following labeling:

  • E100 – giving the product its bright yellow color, curcumin.
  • E160a is beta-carotene, which serves to create an orange hue. It is most often extracted from carrots.
  • E 160c – responsible for the red color. Red paprika extract. The benefit lies in the presence of fatty unsaturated acids and carotenoids. Using the pigment in different proportions allows you to get the desired shade in the red-orange color sector.
  • E 162 – creates red, beet shades. It is contained in the root vegetable of the same name.
    This is an incomplete list, listing only the main pigments. They have a common disadvantage – low expression of coloring characteristics. To achieve the greatest effect, chemical processing is used, which levels out all the useful qualities of the product. Thus, the benefits and harms of these substances are zero.

Now most often used dyes for industrial use, derived from non-natural ingredients. They are much easier and cheaper to obtain, and they are easier to use. And in composition and properties they are full analogues of natural products. Their popularity is due to their low cost and effectiveness. Products turn out bright and attractive. But in this case, their harmlessness is lost.

Dangerous dyes
The effect of dyes on the human body is as follows:

  • E102 – causes allergies. There is also a decrease in concentration in children, stimulates hyperactivity. This substance, tanzanine, is derived from industrial waste to produce a yellow color.
  • E104 – in addition to hyperactivity, the effects are manifested in the form of skin diseases. This chemical compound used in giving the yellow-green color to gum and lollipops is recognized as dangerous.
  • E122 is responsible for red tones. Not approved for use in many European countries. A very strong allergen.
  • E129 – Also used to produce red color. Increases hyperactivity and inhibits reaction. It is found in medicines. Derived from coal tar.
  • E132 – Causes cancer, heart problems, asthma and allergic reactions. Named indigo carmine because it produces a rich blue color.
    The list, which lists dangerous dyes, is constantly growing, so it can go on forever.

The harmful effect of dyes on the human body is not immediately determined.

This is important to know. And understand – if a certain component is not declared harmful, this does not mean that it is safe. It’s just that some potentially dangerous E dyes are not yet fully understood. As well as their effect on the human body. This is because the following algorithm for using dyes is used:

  • Development of a new substance.
  • Obtaining permits.
  • Manifestation of harmful effects on the body.
  • Substance prohibition.

This algorithm is very beneficial for manufacturers. Therefore, modern industry overwhelmingly uses artificial colors for food.

Experts recommend using only high-quality food colorings from reliable suppliers in cooking, and when buying finished products, carefully study their composition. You can not allow a critical concentration of carcinogens and other harmful elements in your body. This leads to diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, oncology, decreased concentration, hyperactivity and allergies.

How to use food coloring without harm

When buying everything for a confectioner, use the services of trusted suppliers. So you can be sure that you have purchased, for example, high-quality gel food colorings containing only substances approved for production. Use them in moderation. When choosing natural and synthetic dyes, be guided by who the confectionery products are created for. If for children, it is better to use natural ingredients. For adults, such strict restrictions may not apply. Although moderation is still important. Now it is fashionable to create enchantingly bright products, designed in the style of “pull out the eye”. It is better to refuse this. You can decorate your work in such a bright, but no less attractive way.