BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?

Subject: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: frogprince
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 02:06 PM

Skimmed the New York Times at the Bro-in-laws house in Wisconsin a couple of days ago, and came across this. Beef Products Inc. supplies burger to McD's And Burger King. They wanted to add more fat and garbage cuts to their blend, but fat carries a higher risk of contamination. So they came up with a process of treating their meat with ammonia, which supposedly tested out as very effective. More recently, a substantial amount of contamination has (at least allegedly) been found in their product anyhow.
My reaction is not so much fear of disease from bacteria in the stuff, as it is finding this about as appealing as the (spurious, as it turned out) Chinese burger-and-cardboard story from a while back.
There can't be much if any ammonia residue; the stuff smells too strong to conceal. But, sheeesh.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 02:40 PM

Well, nobody is FORCED (as far as I know) to eat the offerings of messrs. McDonalds, Burger King ,or Col.Sanders,come to that.I gave it up a long time ago,when I discovered A) cooking and B) real food.Give them both a try,won't you ??

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: olddude
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 05:07 PM

I will take mine with Kerosene better flavor ...

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: GUEST,Redxl7
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 06:10 PM

I don't believe he's saying anyone is FORCED to eat them, it's just the idea that the people who do choose to eat them shouldn't have to put up with that. What if you're down on your luck, where else can you get a chicken sandwhich and a coke for 2 bucks?

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: robomatic
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 08:12 PM

I was listening to one of the shows about ethical treatment of animals we raise for food, and the difficulties one of the free range grass feed sort of farmers have in competing with the factory raised poultry, swine, and bovine sorts.

"The real question isn't why ours costs so much as to why their stuff is so cheap." he said.

Now that may sound lika a copout, but in this day and age when I see that a burger is advertized for a dollar, I've got to ask the same question. And now I find that a part of the answer is -ammonia-.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 09:18 PM

Grocery chains also use the ammonia treatment, which was approved by the U. S. D. A.
Like other treatments, it is not 100% effective.

NY Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/us/31meat.html?_r=1

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Tangledwood
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 09:25 PM

Going back about forty years I worked cleaning a butcher's shop after school. The preservative he added to any of the minced meats was sulphur dioxide. I don't know if that tastes any better than ammonia. The point is that unless we go searching for the information we are usually unaware what has been added to any processed food.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Ed T
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 09:51 PM

What about the soapy chemical Sodium tripolyphosphate in chicken and fish...used to retain or absoeb moisture, so you pay for added water. (try boiling it....it produces a foam...just like soap on the top).

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 09:55 PM

Sulfur dioxide stil used.
Nitrates and potassium nitrites also common.
Sodium lactate being tested.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jan 10 - 11:43 PM

I remember discussion years ago that vinegar, when used at the right point in the butchering process, was one of the best things for killing E. Coli. Anyone else remember anything about that? Q?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: bubblyrat
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 10:34 AM

I saw a brilliant advert. for a Liqueur coffee on Tv recently-- It said something like;
   " Try our Irish Coffee ! It contains the four nutrients essential to life....Alcohol !..Sugar ! ..Caffeine..Fat ! ". How could one resist ?

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 12:21 PM

The story was also posted on AlterNet.

There was a mention that they are currently using a less noxious disinfectant but as a result are getting higher bacterial contamination levels. When these levels are found, they are sufficient to get the meat condemned.

The other point of the article is that the bacterial contamination occurs when the fat and scraps are added back in. Based on that, the leaner the ground meat, the lower the probability of contamination.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 06:00 PM

Most prepared meats, sausage, salami, ham, bacon, etc. all have preservatives. Unless one does his own butchering and uses the meat immediately, preservatives are unavoidable.

Saltpeter, potassium nitrate, was colloquially supposed to be a sexual supressant. In the boys school I attended at one time, the story was circulated to all new boys that saltpeter was added to our food to keep our sexual activity low.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 06:14 PM

The traditional recipe for Ludafisk is fish soaked in Lye for weeks.



My invention regarding the burger is a low fat high fiber burger...
The Fiburger! It really tastes great.
Our family's other food invention was the Turkin which was inedible even when pressure cooked. Somehow the genetic properties of combining turkey with chickens made muscle proteins so dense and hard, one could literally not penetrate the meat with human teeth.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 07:56 PM

Eat hay. Avoid the middlecow.

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 05 Jan 10 - 09:47 PM

Here's the citation I mentioned above.

http://www.alternet.org/story/144904/yummy%21_ammonia-treated_pink_slime_now_in_most_u.s._ground_beef

Subject: RE: BS: Ammonia-and-fat burgers, anyone?
From: Michael
Date: 06 Jan 10 - 09:57 AM

Q, it was supposed to be bromide in the tea when I was at Agricultural College!
Cheers
Mike