Gas flames reportedly contain cancer-causing agents (Photo by Steven Depolo)
A new Norwegian study is giving new meaning to the cliché “cooking with gas.” Apparently, many of us have been cooking too close to the proverbial flame; fumes from gas ranges, which the International Agency for Research on Cancer long ago deemed “probably carcinogenic” (talk about a blasé pronouncement), contain higher levels of cancer-causing agents than electric stoves.
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Best of broth worlds: ranking canned soups (Photo by Pablo Diaz)
• ’Tis the season for warm, hearty food—even canned soup. New York’s chief restaurant critic, Adam Platt, does a blind taste test of two dozen store-bought varieties. His discerning palate can tell right away which one is Campbell’s (“It’s immediately synthetic and metallic”), and his favourites remind him of childhood (“It makes me want to crumble up crackers in it, watch Leave It to Beaver, cry, punch my brother and stay home from school”). The winner: Wolfgang Puck Organic Classic Tomato With Basil. [New York Magazine]
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Wait for it: The proper aging of cheese is not to be taken lightly (Photo by stu_spivack)
• Canada’s cheese makers are concerned that as the popularity of aged cheese increases, the substandard work of amateur cheese ripeners—retailers, mostly—will damage their hard-won reputations. [Globe and Mail]
• BlogTO takes us on a photo tour of recently shuttered downtown restaurants, from old institutions (Mel’s Montreal Delicatessen in the Annex) to voguish newbies (Roncy’s Abstract Tree). No great losses here, but some mid-range neighbourhood standbys are no more. [BlogTO]
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Go zest: Vancouver and the rest of B.C. want to be Canada’s premier food destination (Photo by Small)
• Could this be the end of the Toronto-Montreal axis of culinary superiority? We doubt it, but a new initiative between the British Columbia government and restaurateurs in the province is aiming to put Lotus Land on the culinary map. [Vancouver Sun]
• Longtime New York food critic Gael Greene argues that chefs make better lovers, and that celebrity chefs in particular should spend less time cooking and more time reaping the fruits of celebrity—especially sex with willing young food groupies. As if Rachel Ray needs another reason to smile. [Daily Beast]
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Boxing clever: New wine storage methods are a hit (Photo by Michelle Ng)
• Traditionalists might turn up their noses at boxed vino, but a professor of wine science at Brock University is declaring that Tetra Paks are best at reducing the “green” taste found in some wines. Almost as bad for oenophiles, the très gauche screw cap is proving better than cork at preventing oxidation. [Philadelphia Inquirer]
• The plight of the endangered bluefin tuna is the latest cause célèbre in Hollywood. First, A-listers boycotted tuna-serving restaurants, then chefs struck the fish from their menus, and now some celebrities are stripping for the cause. We expect the sight of Terry Gilliam naked to help the movement by ruining appetites the world over. [Telegraph]
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Is there really a skeleton-cleaning “bug room” at the ROM?—Molly McGregor, Whitby
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An elderly friend mentioned that he remembers watching Olympic-style ski jumping at a facility in the Don Valley. What’s the story?—Louise Clayton, York Mills
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All over downtown, signs are going up designating districts. I can understand some, such as Little Italy and Greektown, but Toronto’s Discovery District at University and Dundas? What’s that about?—Elsie Moolgaokar, Grange Park
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The Club Monaco building at the corner of Bloor and Avenue Road is emblazoned with the words “Department of Household Science.” Is this where women were once taught the physics behind the tuna casserole?—Raoul Fernandez, High Park
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