A Potpourri of Food-Related News about Chicken Breasts, Pop Bottles, and Bologna

Chicken breasts: Do you want them delicious or dry?

I’ve been saying it for years, and now an expert food writer, a newspaper columnist, has agreed with me: boneless, skinless chicken breasts are not as good as those with skin and bone intact.  The title to  JeanMarie Brownson’s  article (in the “Good Eating” section of the Chicago Tribune) says it all: “Bone up on chicken: forget boneless cuts if it’s flavor and moistness you are after.” Yes, I know.  When the bone and skin are removed, so are some calories. But then, to enjoy that dry, tasteless hunk of white meat, it’s necessary to douse it in many gobs of sauce (which is likely to add many more calories).

In addition to adding flavor, the author says that skin and bones hold in moisture and help prevent overcooking. (As my sister says, boneless chicken breasts are “unforgiving” if you overcook them just a little.)  Brownson also points out that bone-in breasts are cheaper than the mutilated ones, a plus these days with food prices rising and family paychecks dwindling.  She also points this out: “As a nation, we’ve demanded so much boneless, skinless chicken breast that now we have a hard time finding chicken breasts on the bone.” She recommends scooping them up when you do find them in the store.  Freeze the extras if you buy more than you need for one meal.

Thanks, Pepsi, for a plastic bottle that’s better for the environment.

Believe it or not, Pepsi has invented “the first plastic bottle made entirely from plant-based, fully renewable resources.”  The Chicago Tribune says this invention marks “the beginning of the end for petroleum-based plastic bottles.”   The new Pepsi bottle is, like today’s plastic bottles, made with the resin polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, instead of petroleum, Pepsi’s bottle is made from renewable materials such as switch grass, pine bark, and corn husks.  In the future, orange peels and potato peels may also be used. 

Coca-Cola’s “PlantBottle,” introduced 2 years ago, is made of 30% plant material (sugar cane waste).  But Pepsi’s bottle is 100% plant waste.   However, it is not biodegradable, so the company is still encouraging consumers to recycle it.

This invention has been called “a meaningful step in the right direction when it comes to food packaging” because it uses plant waste rather than crops grown to be used as raw material.  Therefore, it saves both energy and resources.

That’s a lot of bologna!

Sorry to say, here’s another recall due to possible E.coli 0157:H7 contamination.  The Palmyra Bologna Company, Inc., a Pennsylvania establishment, has recalled about 23,000 pounds of Lebanon bologna products, the USDA announced.  (This type of bologna is a fermented, semi-dry sausage that looks similar to salami.)  If you have the recalled product in your home, discard it or return it to the store. For more information about the specific lot codes involved in this recall, click here.

Source(s):

Chicago Tribune, “Good Eating” section, “Bone up on chicken,” March 16, 2011.

Chicago Tribune,  “Business” section, “A New Twist on ‘Green,’” March 16, 2011.

usda.gov “Pennsylvania Firm Recalls Lebanon Bologna Products…”
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/Recall_025_2011_Release/index.asp