Halloween themed stuff, Ketchup, Tea, and Umami

This was what was on my show around Halloween.

What your halloween candy says about your personality

Everyone’s got a go-to halloween candy, and picking your poison is a personal thing. “I think most folks tend to give out what they like," says Steve Almond, author of the historical sweets guide, CandyFreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America. "There's a dual motive here.” Steve's a Snickers guy himself and you know what that means... wait, what does that mean? We let candy experts, bloggers and a little scientific research offer totally speculative clues as to what your halloween candy says about you.

Retro candy: Candy Corn, Mary Janes or Tootsie Rolls

It’s a marker of a generation raised in the age of mom and pop candy stores and sweets bought by the pound. They're old-fashioned candies that live on through those boomers who grew up on them. Though the Tootsie Roll has wrangled a young following, too.

Granola, raisins and fruits

You’re a natural teacher and caregiver— the kind of person who finds every opportunity to offer a life lesson. But despite you're good intentions you're "not understanding the kid agenda," says Almond, "which is to get as much candy as possible."

Candy bars

These types of people are crowd-pleasers who makes friends in every situation and throw a mean party. Science can back this up: A recent study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that chocolate lovers with sweet-tooths were more likely to befriend others and rated “higher in agreeableness.” They also know a good trick or treat candy when they see one.

Chips and pretzels

You’re fairly laid back and feel no need to control the environment around you.

Peanut butter cups and other chocolate/peanut combos

“Generous souls,” is how Almond describes this demographic, in an article for the Houston Chronicle. “Those who understand the salty in life, as well as the sweet.” Research into salty-sweet cravings suggests a more complicated character breakdown.

Gummy Bears

Impulsive types who crave that jolt of energy that only pure teeth-mashing, rubberized sugar products can offer. Often creative or artisitic (gummies are the most aesthetically expressive of all candies) these types are What Steve Almond calls “optimistic, perhaps overly so.”

Pennies

You’re a procrastinator who’s constantly forgetting to fulfill your obligations and then trying to cover your tracks at the last minute. Sometimes you get away with it, but not this buddy. Remember the golden rule of Halloween: if you don’t have any nice candy to give away, don’t give away anything at all.

Next up, and once again I’m aware that this is probably a bit to late but…

America's 10 Best Cities For Trick-Or-Treating

By Beth Greenfield, Forbes.com

So the real-estate data gurus of Zillow, have come up with a list of cities and neighborhoods that are possibly good for trick or treating so maybe next year you can go check these places out

#10 Portland, OR

#9 Philadelphia, PA

#8 Los Angeles, CA

Best Neighborhoods:
1. Westwood
2. Brentwood
3. Pacific Palisades
4. Bel Air
5. Venice

#7 Washington, DC

#6 San Jose, CA

Best Neighborhoods:
1. Almaden Valley
2. Willow Glen
3. Cambrian Park
4. Rose Garden
5. Santa Teresa

#5 Chicago, IL

#4 Seattle, WA

Best Neighborhoods:
1. Madison Park
2. Queen Anne
3. Ballard
4. Laurelhurst
5. Wallingford

#3 Honolulu, HI

Best Neighborhoods:
1. Kuliouou-Kalani Iki
2. Kaimuki
3. Waialae-Kahala
4. Manoa
5. Kapahulu

#2 Boston, MA

#1 San Francisco, CA

Best Neighborhoods:
1. Presidio Heights
2. Cow Hollow
3. South Beach
4. Sea Cliff
5. Pacific Heights

Next up…

Heinz offers foodies a fancier ketchup spiked with balsamic vinegar

Sounds like someone spiked someones drink except ketchup but I’m talking about the new, limited-edition Heinz ketchup with balsamic vinegar.

Heinz is taking ketchup upscale, launching a new version of the classic condiment blended with balsamic vinegar.

The company's biggest fans get first dibs on dipping their French fries, though: The limited edition bottles will be available only via Heinz's Facebook page starting on November 14. The balsamic ketchup should be available in select Walmart and Safeway stores by the end of December.

"This is the first time we've offered a product for sale via Facebook in the U.S.," Jessica Jackson, group leader of public relations and communications for Heinz North America,told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The company's Facebook page has more than 830,000 fans.

The new version made its debut in the United Kingdom back in March, also through Facebook, where critics declared it to be "a roaring success." Heinz decided to put the eight-sided, black-and-silver labelled glass bottles on supermarket shelves there, and started wondering if the product would work well in the United States as well.

Former "Top Chef" contestant Spike Mendelsohn, who is also a past winner of the Heinz Best Dressed Burger Award, put the ketchup through its paces during a New York City lunch hosted by Heinz recently. He incorporated the ketchup into recipes for seared tuna, lamb chops, and even dessert dishes, showing that it can be much more than just a hot dog topping.

"I took everyday uses of tomato products or classic pairings, such as the thousand island dressings, and try to improve on them and make them more creative," he told Business Insider. "I also looked at the product as a base. It had a lot of tang in it. When using sauces you're always trying to find ways to marinate things."

Ninety-seven percent of U.S. households have ketchup in their kitchens, according to the market research firm Mintel. Noel Geoffroy, the vice president for United States retail brands for Heinz, told The New York Times that the new offering is unique enough to appeal to all those ketchup lovers. "We think households who already use Heinz ketchup will use this in addition," she said.

From a flavor standpoint, pairing tomato ketchup with balsamic vinegar makes perfect sense. Both are high in umami, that savory taste that's the hallmark of certain natural amino acids in some types of food. And, of course, the combination is a classic in Italian cuisine and summer tomato salads.

The new ketchup will cost $2.49 per 14-ounce bottle (plus $2 shipping if you buy it on Facebook). If it turns out that your taste buds like the balsamic vinegar-laced ketchup, make sure to stock up once it's available in stores; the limited-edition product will be pulled in March 2012, to give Heinz a chance to crunch the numbers and see if it's worth keeping on the shelves.

15 new uses for tea

We can’t vouch for all these home remedies, so let us know how they work. Also tell us if we missed anything.

1. Clean carpets: Clean up musty, dirty carpets by sprinkling dry, used green tea leaves on the carpet. Let them work their magic for about 10 minutes, then vacuum them up. Delicate Persian and Oriental rugs can also benefit from a sprinkling of tea leaves. In this case, sprinkle nearly dry, used whole tea leaves on the rugs, and gently sweep them away.

2. Shine wood floors: The tannins in black tea can help shine and color hardwood flooring. Follow your regular floor cleaning routine by carefully rubbing some brewed tea into the floor (don’t use too much water on hardwood flooring) and letting it air dry.

3. Polish furniture: Brewed tea also can help clean and shine wood furniture. The tannins in tea will re-color light spots and scratches in wood surfaces. Dip a soft cloth in a small amount of strongly-brewed tea, and use it to wipe down scratched tables, chairs, and more. Woodworker Jim McNamara suggested using "regular orange pekoe (Lipton's) or other dark tea" in Woodworker's Gazette.

4. Clean mirrors and windows: Tea can remove stubborn, greasy fingerprints from glass, and make it sparkle. Simply rub a damp teabag on the glass or fill a spray bottle with brewed tea.

5. Clean toilet stains: Rumor has it that used tea leaves can magically remove stubborn stains in the bottom of the toilet bowl. Just leave them in the toilet for several hours, then flush the toilet and brush the bowl.

6. Soothe a sunburn: Tea can soothe sunburns and other minor burns. Dr. Oz suggests sponging sunburned skin with "cooled chamomile tea" for it's anti-inflammatory effect. Don't try this if skin is broken.

7. Soothe tired eyes: Warm, wet tea bags can reduce puffiness and soothe pain around tired eyes — and tea bags on your eyes look a little less ridiculous than cucumber slices.

8. Soothe bleeding gums: After a tooth extraction or when an older child loses a tooth, try putting a cold, wet tea bag in the mouth where the tooth was lost and bite down on it. According to the Cleveland Clinic, "The tannic acid in tea helps healing blood clots to form (blood clots function similarly to a scab on an open wound). It can reduce bleeding and soothe pain."

9. Shine dry hair: Brewed tea makes a good conditioner for dry hair. Rinse with (unsweetened) tea and leave to dry for a while, then rinse again with water.

10. Improve skin: The Mayo Clinic suggests that herbal tea ingredients chamomile and calendula can help soothe dermatitis when prepared as a topical cream. Consult with a qualified health practitioner before using these remedies.

11. Soothe acne: Some acne sufferers swear by washing their faces with green tea because of its mildly antiseptic properties. Dr. Andrew Weil suggests washing with calendula flower tea as a natural alternative to benzoyl peroxide.

12. Tenderize meat: Marinate tough meat in black tea to make it more tender.

13. Add to compost: Pouring strong tea into acompost bin will help speed up the process and encourage more friendly bacteria to grow, improving the compost.

14. Help houseplants: Occasionally use brewed tea instead of water to feed ferns and other houseplants that like rich, acidic soil. Spread used tea leaves around rosebushes, then add mulch and water. The tannic acid and other nutrients will benefit the plants. A few used teabags in the bottom of a planter can help the soil retain water, and adds valuable nutrients.

15. Dye fabrics: Green and black teas have long been used in dyes for fabric and paper, particularly for generating a beige, faux-antique look.

 

And now for the last topic of the day…

Sweet, salty, sour, bitter...and the secret fifth taste Umami

Overview

Most people are familiar with the four primary tastes of sweet, salt, sour and bitter. In recent years, a fifth taste has been receiving attention, known as umami. Umami defines a taste that has been understood for decades in culinary and scientific circles, but until recently, has gone relatively unnoticed to the rest of the world, even though the taste has been in commonly consumed foods the entire time.

History

In 1908, while researching the use of seaweed and dried fish flakes to enhance the flavor of Japanese foods, chemistry professor Kikunae Ikeda discovered that a certain constituent within these ingredients was responsible for providing improved taste. Known as monosodium glutamate, or MSG, the chemical was determined by Professor Ikeda to be detectable through a fifth distinctly different taste. He gave this fifth taste the name "umami," which means "delicious" or "good taste" in Japanese. Often roughly translated into English as "savory" or "meaty," umami implies an ability to sense savory flavors.

Chemical Detection

Umami is the ability of the tongue to detect certain chemical constituents in foods. Many foods contain these chemicals, which can include inosinate, guanylate and glutamate. In fact, the seaweed of Dr. Ikeda's experiments was high in glutamate, which is why it significantly enhanced the flavor of the foods to which it was added. Because umami, as a taste, blends well with the other tastes, it can be used in a wide range of food items.

Umami in Cooking Stocks

Stocks are the base for many culinary recipes around the world. In Japan, for example, dashi (a stock made with dried fish flakes and seaweed, which Dr. Ikeda's experiments centered around) is widely used in a variety of dishes. When compared, dashi, chicken, fish and meat stocks from around the world all have one thing in common: a high level of naturally occurring glutamic acid, or glutamate. That means they all deliver umami.

Umami Around the World

In China, Korea and Japan, soy sauce is used to add umami flavor to foods. Fermented seafood sauces and pastes in Southeast Asia, Malaysia and the Philippines are used in a similar manner. In Europe, cheeses, beef extract, cured pork and truffles all impart a sense of umami. Tomatoes also have umami and are widely used in Mediterranean countries, as well as in North and South America as tomato extracts, sauces and ketchup. Many other foods around the world, such as mushrooms, yeast and fish, deliver the umami taste.

Artificial Umami

Monosodium glutamate (MSG), the primary chemical constituent identified by Dr. Ikedas original experiments, is commonly used as a food additive. MSG actually has very little taste. When added to foods, though, MSG interacts with taste receptors in the mouth to enhance umami flavor. It can increase the umami factor by as much as eight times. Often found in soups, stews, canned vegetables, processed meats and many savory snack foods, MSG also finds its way into the preparation of Chinese foods, seafood, meats and poultry dishes.