chilefarmer
New member
I am not seeing any post about the pink slime or carbon monoxide being added to meat. All FDA approved. Not for me. Really scary. Interested ? Google, lots of links. CF
Pink Slime
- Thread starter chilefarmer
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GotGarlic
New member
The real name for it is lean finely textured beef (LFTB). Jamie Oliver gave it that name in an attempt to make news for himself - ramp up the disgust factor = increased viewers, book sales, earnings. For a more scientific discussion, check out this page, which includes the segment from Oliver's show where he pretends to demonstrate the procedure. He says "This is how I imagine it works." Your imagination is irrelevant, dude.
Pink Slime: My beef with Jamie Oliver and Food Blogs
It's not scary to me at all - there's nothing unsafe about it. It's not carbon monoxide - it's ammonium hydroxide and it's not added to meat - the meat is quickly treated with it. It changes the pH of the food and thus kills the bacteria.
A few things to think about:
When I first heard about it, my first thought was about an Andrew Zimmern ("Bizarre Foods" on the Travel Channel). He went to a high-end restaurant in China and talked about how they enjoy the texture of beef tendons. It's a cultural problem we have with offal. Other cultural dishes, such as Vietnamese beef pho and Latin menudo, also include these parts.
The technique of using a centrifuge to separate good meat from trimmed fat makes it possible to use the entire animal, so there's less waste - it's environmentally friendly.
Ammonia is a natural substance that occurs naturally in the environment and in the human body. Too much is bad, just like with anything else. But a minuscule dose of ammonia, which btw evaporates quickly (that's why you can smell it), is not as bad as infection with E. coli or salmonella.
And while there are lots of links out there, not all of them are reliable. Some just repeat misinformation from other sources, so pick your sites carefully.
Pink Slime: My beef with Jamie Oliver and Food Blogs
It's not scary to me at all - there's nothing unsafe about it. It's not carbon monoxide - it's ammonium hydroxide and it's not added to meat - the meat is quickly treated with it. It changes the pH of the food and thus kills the bacteria.
A few things to think about:
When I first heard about it, my first thought was about an Andrew Zimmern ("Bizarre Foods" on the Travel Channel). He went to a high-end restaurant in China and talked about how they enjoy the texture of beef tendons. It's a cultural problem we have with offal. Other cultural dishes, such as Vietnamese beef pho and Latin menudo, also include these parts.
The technique of using a centrifuge to separate good meat from trimmed fat makes it possible to use the entire animal, so there's less waste - it's environmentally friendly.
Ammonia is a natural substance that occurs naturally in the environment and in the human body. Too much is bad, just like with anything else. But a minuscule dose of ammonia, which btw evaporates quickly (that's why you can smell it), is not as bad as infection with E. coli or salmonella.
And while there are lots of links out there, not all of them are reliable. Some just repeat misinformation from other sources, so pick your sites carefully.
chilefarmer
New member
Gotgarlic, It's not carbon monoxide, yep it is, different from pink slime, meat is being treated with carbon monoxide, to keep it looking good for weeks. Meat being treated with ammonia or any chemical to me is not good. (my opinion)
Growing up in rural America, way back when. We ate what ever didn't eat us first. So offal parts aren't new to me.
I haven't a clue as to what Jamie Oliver has said. But I do know what is being said on the news channels. And it does not sound good to me. You want to eat it, go for it. I bet most of us don't. CF
Growing up in rural America, way back when. We ate what ever didn't eat us first. So offal parts aren't new to me.
I haven't a clue as to what Jamie Oliver has said. But I do know what is being said on the news channels. And it does not sound good to me. You want to eat it, go for it. I bet most of us don't. CF
I prefer to grind my own beef. If I buy it, it's either from Costco or Publix. I understand that neither of them use Pink Slime. I noticed a long time ago that something was going on with the ground beef....the taste and texture just weren't what they used to be.
As for those blown up packages of meat like you find in Wal-Mart that have been treated with Carbon Monoxide, they can keep those too.
I'll take my chances on maybe getting e.coli and/or salmonella as opposed to positively getting meat that has been treated with ammonia and/or carbon monoxide. There's no doubt in my mind that later on down the road there will be a study that comes out about how meat treated with ammonia and/or carbon monoxide causes cancer.
As for those blown up packages of meat like you find in Wal-Mart that have been treated with Carbon Monoxide, they can keep those too.
I'll take my chances on maybe getting e.coli and/or salmonella as opposed to positively getting meat that has been treated with ammonia and/or carbon monoxide. There's no doubt in my mind that later on down the road there will be a study that comes out about how meat treated with ammonia and/or carbon monoxide causes cancer.
Is there a website where I can find out if the store I buy from us it?I prefer to grind my own beef. If I buy it, it's either from Costco or Publix. I understand that neither of them use Pink Slime. I noticed a long time ago that something was going on with the ground beef....the taste and texture just weren't what they used to be.
As for those blown up packages of meat like you find in Wal-Mart that have been treated with Carbon Monoxide, they can keep those too.
I'll take my chances on maybe getting e.coli and/or salmonella as opposed to positively getting meat that has been treated with ammonia and/or carbon monoxide. There's no doubt in my mind that later on down the road there will be a study that comes out about how meat treated with ammonia and/or carbon monoxide causes cancer.
Thanks mama. My store isn't listed.
GotGarlic
New member
Sorry if I misunderstood. Your subject is "pink slime" and I have not seen anything about carbon monoxide in the articles I've read about it.
I look at it more scientifically. Table salt is a chemical (sodium chloride); water is a chemical (hydrogen dioxide); baking is a process of mixing together specific ingredients (all chemicals) in specific proportions and adding heat to produce a specific result. All cooking is chemistry and life is a set of chemical processes. Too much or too little salt or water will throw off your electrolyte balance and could cause a heart attack or stroke.
So a small amount of a chemical added to commercially prepared meat in order to kill pathogens and make it safer is not a problem for me.
Adillo303, this process has been around for over a decade, so it's likely we've all eaten some. I'm not sure how food companies would communicate all the processes they use to get all foods safely to the store. It's like sausage-making - we don't necessarily want to see how it's done
Food producers are damned if they do and damned if they don't - consumers demand cheap, easily available food that is 100% safe, humanely raised, pasture-fed, no "chemicals," no additives, no environmental damage, and then wonder why the producers come up with ideas like this to reduce waste and improve safety. I know this doesn't apply to each individual person, but in the general population, I think it's true.
Good morning all. Good morning GotGarlic.
While I agree with most everything that you said, there are points to be made.
If someone brought a side of beef to your house and butchered out a nice round steak and placed next to it the parts of the beef that make up lean finely textured beef, then asked you if you would like to have a hamburger, which would you prefer, with or without the lean finely textured beef? If you were then going to pay for that burger and the burger with the lean finely textured beef cost 10% less, would it change your mind? Either way you would know what you are getting, what it costs and could make an informed choice. That is my gripe. It would not be all that hard to label ground beef products as containing lean finely textured beef.
As for the Carbon Monoxide, it is not part of the lean finely textured beef discussion. It is used to keep meat red looking longer.
As for the ammonia, since it is not used in the preparation of other parts of the beef, I assume that it is necessary because the components of lean finely textured beef are not sanitary in and of themselves. The ammonia makes the product safe to eat. The amount of ammonia may well be within safe limits.
I believe that everyone needs to make a profit on what they sell. I believe that consumers want to pay a lower price. I also believe that we should be able to know what we are buying.
I hope that I do not come off as harsh or in any way offensive. I am just expressing an opinion.
While I agree with most everything that you said, there are points to be made.
If someone brought a side of beef to your house and butchered out a nice round steak and placed next to it the parts of the beef that make up lean finely textured beef, then asked you if you would like to have a hamburger, which would you prefer, with or without the lean finely textured beef? If you were then going to pay for that burger and the burger with the lean finely textured beef cost 10% less, would it change your mind? Either way you would know what you are getting, what it costs and could make an informed choice. That is my gripe. It would not be all that hard to label ground beef products as containing lean finely textured beef.
As for the Carbon Monoxide, it is not part of the lean finely textured beef discussion. It is used to keep meat red looking longer.
As for the ammonia, since it is not used in the preparation of other parts of the beef, I assume that it is necessary because the components of lean finely textured beef are not sanitary in and of themselves. The ammonia makes the product safe to eat. The amount of ammonia may well be within safe limits.
I believe that everyone needs to make a profit on what they sell. I believe that consumers want to pay a lower price. I also believe that we should be able to know what we are buying.
I hope that I do not come off as harsh or in any way offensive. I am just expressing an opinion.
GotGarlic
New member
Hi, Adillo303. You're not coming off as harsh at all
No, I wouldn't add lean finely textured beef myself to my food; there's no need. I said "commercially prepared meat" deliberately - they have to do things differently than home cooks do. I have ground beef in my freezer that probably includes the product, and I'm not throwing it away
No, it wouldn't be hard to label food if it contains lean finely textured beef, but my question is, what about other processes people might not find appetizing? Which and how many would have to be disclosed, how, and who decides? A product insert, like you get with medications? How much would that increase the cost of food? Are people willing to pay higher taxes to cover the cost increase for free/reduced-price lunches in schools?
And just as a reminder to all, the product used is a misting of ammonium hydroxide - ammonia mixed with water. So it's diluted - it's not as if they're soaking a tub of lean finely textured beef with straight ammonia.
Well, it's a beautiful day outside and I'm going to go sweep the porch and finish weeding my herb garden. Have a great day.
No, I wouldn't add lean finely textured beef myself to my food; there's no need. I said "commercially prepared meat" deliberately - they have to do things differently than home cooks do. I have ground beef in my freezer that probably includes the product, and I'm not throwing it away
No, it wouldn't be hard to label food if it contains lean finely textured beef, but my question is, what about other processes people might not find appetizing? Which and how many would have to be disclosed, how, and who decides? A product insert, like you get with medications? How much would that increase the cost of food? Are people willing to pay higher taxes to cover the cost increase for free/reduced-price lunches in schools?
And just as a reminder to all, the product used is a misting of ammonium hydroxide - ammonia mixed with water. So it's diluted - it's not as if they're soaking a tub of lean finely textured beef with straight ammonia.
Well, it's a beautiful day outside and I'm going to go sweep the porch and finish weeding my herb garden. Have a great day.
waybomb
Well-known member
People need to learn what they hate before they hate it.
Start with Ammonium Hydroxide. Did you know that regular old everyday bread, whether bakery, factory made, or home made, has 10 times the ammonium hydroxide found in pink slime.
Pink slime, LFTB, is made from two products - meat off the bones or fat trimmings, like B50. Ever eat beef ribs? Ever chew it off the bone? You've just eaten the same stuff. eat hamburger? Made of the same stuff.
Please, before you take the tack of the agenda driven PETA FSIS inspector that started this, learn something about it first.
Go to the Beef Products Inc (BPI) page and read how it is made. Heated, centrifuged, seperated. Ammonium Hydroxide atomized over it makes it WAY more safe than standard ground hamburger.
Start with Ammonium Hydroxide. Did you know that regular old everyday bread, whether bakery, factory made, or home made, has 10 times the ammonium hydroxide found in pink slime.
Pink slime, LFTB, is made from two products - meat off the bones or fat trimmings, like B50. Ever eat beef ribs? Ever chew it off the bone? You've just eaten the same stuff. eat hamburger? Made of the same stuff.
Please, before you take the tack of the agenda driven PETA FSIS inspector that started this, learn something about it first.
Go to the Beef Products Inc (BPI) page and read how it is made. Heated, centrifuged, seperated. Ammonium Hydroxide atomized over it makes it WAY more safe than standard ground hamburger.