Fresh Vs. Frozen Convenience

Some years ago I was asked to put on a demo comparing Supermarket bought frozen food to freshly made packaged food at a local Health Food Market by

purchasing the most T.V. popular frozen foods in the market. I went to work first by researching every ingredient listed on the side of the box that I couldn’t pronounce or didn’t know off the top of my head. Using “a Consumer’s Dictionary of Food Additives”, By Ruth Winter M.S., I found some of the ingredients being put into our food are chemical flavor enhancers, stabilizers (for long term freezer storage), texturizers and artificial colors. I also learned about “GRAS” (Generally Regarded as Safe), a rating by governmental agencies such as the FDA (Food and Drug Administration), sometimes given to an ingredient in order to rush it to market before all the research has been analyzed and the product thoroughly tested. This is do to politics, lack of money and a shortage of scientists and/or market pressure. When researched farther, I found ingredients that might be harmful and some even regarded as Cancer Causing. Here are a few of these ingredients on the list to watch out for:

MALTODEXTRIN the sugar obtained by hydrolysis of starch. A combination of maltol and dextrin used as a texturizer and flavor enhancer in candies, particularly chocolate.

MALTOL a white crystalline powder with a butterscotch odor found in the bark of young larch trees, pine seeds, chicory wood tars and roasted malt. It imparts a “freshly baked” odor and flavor to breads & cakes. Used as a synthetic chocolate, coffee, fruit, maple, nut and vanilla flavoring agent for beverages, ice cream, ices, candy, baked goods, gelatin desserts, chewing gum and jelly.

DEXTRIN AKA British gum. White or yellow powder produced from starch and used as a foam stabilizer for beer, a diluting agent for dry extracts and pills, in polishing cereals, for preparing emulsions and dry bandages, for thickening industrial dye pastes, and in matches, fireworks, and explosives. Also used as a thickener in cream and cosmetics. May cause allergic reaction.

Here is my favorite…

SODIUM TRIPOLYPHOSPHATE a texturizer and subsequent clearing for use in food starch modifiers, a water softener, also cleared by the USDA Meat Inspection Department to preserve meat by decreasing cooked-out juices in canned hams, pork shoulders, chopped hams and bacon. Also used as a dilutant for Citrus Red No. 2 which is used in angel food cake mix, beef, desserts, gelling juice, goat, canned ham, lamb, lima beans, meatloaf, meat toppings, meringues, and mutton. Also used in canned peas, pork, poultry, sausage products and veal. It may deplete the body of calcium if taken in sufficient amounts, and such a case of low calcium was reported in a patient poisoned with a water softener. Also used in bubble bath and as a texturizer in soap. It is a crystalline salt which is moderately irritating to the skin and mucus membranes. Ingestion can cause violent purging.

The point I’m trying to make here is that “Fresh Made From Scratch” is always healthier than packaged frozen convenience food. Seasonal local fruits and vegetables are better still, which I will dissect and Blog next week. Also coming soon to my Blog will be some ideas about The Green Sustainable from Farm to Fork movement. The ingredients listed above were found in “HEALTHY CHOICE BRAND” frozen dinners. If you still insist on purchasing packaged frozen convenience food, “Weight Watchers Brand” and “Lean Cuisine Brand” came out on top as the healthiest.

Wishing you all the best and healthy cooking,

Chef Ken