Innovative Product/Technology - The Refrigerator

Refrigerator

In the culinary industry, I think that one of the most important inventions is the refrigerator.

HISTORY OF THE REFRIGERATOR

The Greeks, Romans and Hebrews used the earliest forms of refrigeration which was called an ice house.  These were rooms which blocks of ice were stored in to keep items cold.  In 1802, Thomas Moore created an icebox to keep dairy products cold during transportation.  He patented his invention the "refrigerator" in 1803.

In 1834, Jacob Perkins built the first working vapor-compressed refrigeration system.  His prototype worked but did not succeed commercially.

In 1876, Carl von Linde patented the process of liquefying gas that became part of the basic technology for a refrigerator.

In 1913, the first electric refrigerator for households was invented by Fred W. Wolf.  It was called the Domelre or the DOMestic ELectric REfrigerator.  Wolf's model did not sell well and was a flop.

In 1927, General Electric made the "Monitor-Top" which was the first refrigerator.  A million units were produced.  These refrigerators used either sulphur dioxide or methyl formate as a refrigerant.  In the 1920s, electric fridges were mainly owned by the wealthy and costing around $1,000 US.  By 1935 the cost of refrigerators had dropped and sales grew up to 6 million.

Energy Guide for Fridges

Today's Refrigerators

Mass production of modern refrigerators began after World War II.  By 1950 more than 90% of American households had a refrigerator.  The focus then was on design and pastel colours, turquoise and pink.  In the 1970s, the focus on refrigerators turned to energy-efficient units.  Recently we have seen new technology added to refrigerators, like Wi-Fi, ice makers, water dispensers, and cameras.

I think that the refrigerator falls under the categories of innovative technology and product.  The refrigerator is a product that has evolved over the years and improved its technology.  The refrigerator began with Thomas Moore's idea and others have improved on it creating what we have today.  The refrigerator we have today was accomplished by the efforts of multiple inventors trying to improve on someone's idea.

The refrigerator is important because it is the product that keeps our food from spoiling faster.  We are able to store raw food and cooked food in it for consumption a few days later.  Refrigeration has improved how food is transported from one area to another.  With refrigerated trucks farmers can ship their products long distances with little to no fear of spoilage.  Consumers are able to get fresh produce and buy in bulk because of the refrigerator.

How has the refrigerator affected my life?  Well to be honest, the refrigerator has always been in my life and it would be hard to live without it.  My family is able to buy fruits and vegetables and store it in the fridge for one or more weeks.  When we buy frozen food, the refrigerator's freezer will keep the food frozen for months so that we can use it at a later date.  If we cook meals ahead or have left overs we are able to store the food in the fridge and have it to eat later in the week.  When I was younger our fridge did break down and everything that was in it spoiled.  That week without a fridge was hard but harder on my parents.  During that week that we waited for our fridge to be fixed, there were no cold beverages in the house, any meals had to be eaten that night or thrown away (it wouldn't keep overnight) and there was a lot of  buying take out happening.  There are people in the world that do not have refrigerators but to go from having one to not having one would be extremely hard.

References

www.pixels.com

www.materials.sandvik/en/campaigns/fridge-of-the-future/the-history-of-the-refrigerator

Dietary Blog

For this blog I followed the Weight Watchers Program for one week.  Over the years there have been many changes to the Weight Watchers Program.  The current Weight Watchers Program is called Free Style.  My mother and her friends did not find that this program was for them.  In the Free Style Program there are a lot of foods that are zero points and you should only eat until you are satisfied.  For people that are not able to stop when they are satisfied, they do not like this program.  So I have chosen to do Weight Watchers Turn Around Program for one week.  The Weight Watchers Turn Around Program is an older program from a few years ago.  It seems to be helping my mother and her friends, so that is why I decided to follow this for one week.  

Weight Watchers Turn Around Program

Weight Watchers Turn Around Program is when a person is provided with a number of points to eat per day and everything that you eat has points allocated to it.  The amount of points a person is given per day depends on their weight, if they are a female nursing or if they are teenagers.  Since I am under the age of 19, I needed to add 2 extra points to my daily amount.  My daily points are 30 points per day. 

8 glasses of water a day

While you are on the Weight Watchers Program, they recommend that you drink 6 glasses of water each day, you are to eat at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits each day and you are to include 2 servings of milk products.

5 servings of fruits and vegetables

While on this program you are to write down and keep track of everything that you eat and stay within the points given to you during the day.  They do recommend that you exercise and follow a healthy diet.  Weight Watchers recommends 30 minutes a day of exercise, even if it is just walking.  They say that exercise helps with weight loss but also improves a person's mood, it helps with blood pressure and it can help build a person's self-esteem.  Weight Watchers says that they are not a diet but a lifestyle change.  Weight Watchers also provides its members with recipes that follow the program and are low in points.  As a member there are also classes that they can attend to get support, inspiration and helpful tips while on the program.  This program is not free, so there is a monthly fee that you need to pay.  Since my mother is on the program, I am using her information without actually joining since I am going to follow this diet for only one week. 

Milk Allergen

A milk allergen is a common food allergen.  A person who has a milk allergen is allergic to cow's milk and may sometimes be allergic to milk from sheep and goats.  If you have a milk allergen, you are to avoid milk, milk products and products that contain milk.  It is important to read the ingredients on labels to make sure milk is not one of the ingredients.  Some symptoms when you have a milk allergy are hives, stomach upset and vomiting.  You can substitute milk with soy milk, rice milk, oat milk and almond milk.

Morning Meal Ideas

Meal No. 1 – 6 points	Meal No. 2 – 7 points	Meal No. 3 – 7 points
-1 cup light yogurt -½ cup sliced strawberries -1 tbsp chopped almonds	-1 egg, scrambled in nonstick spray with chopped tomato, chopped scallions, and 4 tbsp shredded low-fat cheese	-1 cup cooked oatmeal -½ cup fat-free milk -1 cup mixed berries

Lunch Meal Ideas

Meal No. 1 – 8 points	Meal No. 2 – 9 points	Meal No. 3 – 7 points
-1 cup drained water-packed tuna, mixed with chopped celery, shredded carrot, 1 tbsp fat-free mayo and 1 tsp mustard, served with tomato slices on a bed of lettuce	-1 large slice thin-crust cheese pizza, mixed greens and tomato slices with 1 tsp olive oil and balsamic vinegar -1 diet soda	-1 cup canned lentil soup -1 cup fat-free plain yogurt, mixed with 1 cup drained canned unsweetened pineapple chunks

Dinner Meal Ideas

Meal No. 1 – 8 points	Meal No. 2 – 9 points	Meal No. 3 – 9 points
-1 cup hot and sour soup -1 cup chicken and broccoli -1/2 cup cooked brown rice ½ cup mango sorbet	-1 broiled 97% lean hamburger patty -1 English muffin, toasted -lettuce leaves, tomato slices and pick spears -15 baked frozen French fries -1 cup watermelon cubes	-1 grilled lean pork chop -1/2 baked sweet potato with 2 tbsp fat-free margarine -1 cup steamed green beans -1 ½ cups strawberries, topped with 1 cup fat-free plain yogurt

Snack Ideas

-3 cups of light microwave-popped popcorn is 1 point

-2 small chocolate chip cookies is 4 points

-1/2 cup of low-fat milk is 4 points

-1/2 cup of fat-free ricotta cheese with 1/2 cup of fruit is 4 points

My 3 Day Food Log

DAY 1	DAY 2	DAY 3
BREAKFAST
Total Points = 7 points 1 cup orange juice (2 points) 2 pancakes, small (3 points) 1 banana (2 points)	Total Points = 6 points 1 cup orange juice (2 points) 1 bagel, small (3 points) 1 tsp of butter (1 points)	Total Points = 7 points 1 cup Apple Cinnamon Cheerios (4 points) 1 cup of 2% milk (3 points)
SNACKS
Total Points = 5 points 3 cups of light microwaved popcorn (3 points) 1 large apple (2 points)	Total Points = 4 points 3 cups of light microwaved popcorn (3 points) 1 cup of carrots (1 point)	Total Points = 2 points 1 cup of carrots (1 point) 1 cup raw peppers (1 points)
LUNCH
Total Points = 6 points 1 can of tuna, with celery and carrots and 1 tbsp fat-free mayo and 1 tsp mustard (6 points)	Total Points = 6 points 1 cup of Campbell's Broccoli and Cheese Soup (4 points) 8 Crackers (2 points)	Total Points = 9 points 1 cup cooked pasta (4 points) 1/2 cup tomato sauce (3 points) 1 cup of lettuce, tomato, celery, with 1 tsp sunflower oil and 1 tsp vinegar (2 points)
DINNER
Total Points = 13 points 4 oz of chicken breast, pan-fried and breaded (7 points) 1 cup of lettuce, 1 tomato, with Italian salad dressing (6 points)	Total Points = 13 points 4 oz of chicken breast, pan-fried, with skin (5 points) 1/2 Coleslaw (4 points) 1 cup of white rice (4 points)

For my 3rd Day my Dinner Total Points were = 8 points

4 oz of chicken breast, no skin, bbq (3 points)

1 cup of white rice (4 points)

1 cup of cauliflower (1 point)

Chicken Breast on BBQ

Cooked Chicken Breast

Cauliflower

Dinner Plate

For someone who is allergic to milk and milk products, I have altered a cheesy baked potato recipe.

Cheesy Baked Potato Recipe

Cheesy Baked Potato

2 large baking potatoes

2 tsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 cup carrots, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 non-fat cottage cheese (as a substitute use tofu)

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

2 tbsp parmesan cheese, grated (as a substitute use nutritional yeast)

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp salt

Tofu is a food made of condensed soy milk that is pressed into solid white blocks.

Nutritional Yeast is a species of yeast known as Saccharomyces cervisiae.  It is used mostly in vegan cooking.

At the end of the week I found that dieting is hard and not an easy thing.  There is always temptation around and you have to have the will power to follow the program.  It is ok to not follow the program and cheat once in a while but it is always good to get right back on the program.  I also found that the counting of points is time consuming or at least for someone like me who does not know the program very well and needs to continuously look up points for each ingredient in a recipe.  Someone who has been on the program longer will know many of the points off by heart and would not need to look up points as many times.  

Some advice that I would recommend would be to try and meal prep all your food for the week on the Sunday.  Change up the meals every so often so that you are not getting bored of the food quickly.  Make various meals and freeze them so that you have meals for the week or more than one week.  Also, if there is a meal that you love but it is not healthy, try and make changes to the recipe so that it will be healthier for you to eat.  As a chef, it is important to me that the food be healthier but still tasty.  There are a lot of healthy recipes from which you can choose from and that are tasty.  Do not be afraid to substitute certain ingredients if you are allergic or just do not like.  Try out new recipes and see what you may like.

Personally, no I do not think I would continue with Weight Watchers.  The program does help many people but the counting of points and keeping track is not something that I am willing to do for the rest my life.  I am young and still growing and I like to eat out.  Weight Watchers does allow a person eat out but you have to be careful with the points and ask the servers if substitutes are allowed.  For now it is not something I care to follow.  

References

Images from www.pixels.com

"What is Nutritional Yeast?"  www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-tofu

"What is Tofu?"  www.healthline.com/nutrition/nutritional-yeast

Hug a Farmer

For my Theory of Food II class we had to talk to a local farmer.  Since my dad works at the Ontario Food Terminal, I was able to speak to Rosario Riga owner of Riga Farms.

My Dad and Rosario Riga

Riga Farms' Mission Statement

"Riga Farms is focused on growing and distributing vegetables and herbs with an emphasis on quality and freshness.  We are committed to providing Ontario with fresh and affordable produce."

History of Riga Farms

Riga Farms

Rosario Riga, owner, was born in Crotone, Italy.  Growing up in Italy, Rosario worked with his father at different fruit and vegetable markets.  Rosario moved to Canada in 1971, where he accepted a job with his father-in-law Peter Ferragine at a vegetable farm. While working at Peter Ferragine and Sons, Rosario learned about vegetable production and the challenges associated with farming in Canada.  In the late 1980's, Rosario took a job as a produce manager at a local grocer.  In 1994, Rosario, his wife and three sons, returned to farming on their ten acre farm in the Bradford Marsh.  At that time the company name was Rosario Riga and Sons.  In 2010, they changed the name to "Riga Farms Ltd." and they now grow over 300 acres of vegetables and various root crops. 

Peter Riga

Rosario and his sons chose farming because it is what they love and have been doing for most of their lives.  Peter Riga said that the most important thing that he learned from being a farmer is diversification.  Riga Farms feels they are responsible for their land and the environment.  They say that a diverse field is good because it allows for crop rotation and it is good for the land because it lets the land put out different nutrients.

Riga Farms Ltd. grows and sells:

Riga Farms Produce

VEGETABLES	HERBS
Red, green, and black kale	Basil
Red and green dandelions	Thyme
Red, green, and rainbow chard	Sage
Red and yellow onions	Chives
Carrots	Italian oregano
Radishes
Beets

crops are picked by hand

The list above is just a few of the vegetables and herbs that Riga Farms Ltd. produce and sell.  All vegetables and herbs are hand picked and quick cooled in the field so that the produce lasts longer.  Riga Farms Ltd. sells their crops to major grocery chains in Ontario, like Loblaws, Sobeys, Metro, Longo's, Highland Farms, Copas and Vince's Market, just to name a few.  Their prices are comparable to other farmers but wholesalers are able to sell the produce at a higher price because of the quality and freshness.

The price of their products as it relates to the pillars of sustainability are justified.  I feel that it is worth the price because of their commitment to freshness and quality.  They hand pick all their crops which limits their carbon footprint.  They believe in diversification which allows for crop rotation and for the land to put out different nutrients.  Riga Farms Ltd. feel responsible for their land and the environment.  Riga Farms is part of the community, they give back to the food banks and helps local charities. 

What I learned from the experience is how hard it is to be a farmer and the commitment and time that is needed to grow a business.  You have to love what you are doing to succeed in it.

References

www.ontario.ca/foodland/page/meet-peter-riga

www.rigafarms.com

www.vincesmarket.ca/vinces-market-visits-fresh-ontario-produce-supplier-riga-farms

Strip Loin Steak - Dinner

For my Theory of Food II class we had to go to our local supermarket or butcher and purchase some meat.  I went to a Fortinos near my house and checked out what meat was available to buy. 

Meat counter at Fortinos

As you can tell from the picture, there was a large variety of meat available to purchase.  I do not do the shopping in my family so I was somewhat surprised at how expensive meat was.  After looking at what meat was available, I decided on making a strip loin steak dinner.  When I decided on the strip loin steak, price did not factor into my choice.  I chose the strip loin steak solely because I love steak and I thought it was a great cut of meat.  Obviously this is not a purchase that a family does on a regular basis (or at least my family) but for this assignment I decided to splurge and get the strip loin steaks.

The meat at Fortinos is certified angus beef and graded Canada AAA.  Strip loin is cut from the strip loin part of the sirloin, the strip steak consists of a muscle that does little work and is tender.  If the meat is still attached to the bone, the strip steak becomes a T-bone steak or a Porterhouse steak.  Strip steak is known for its outstanding flavour and the meat has good marbling.  While it is not as tender as rib eye, strip steak is leaner and offers a beefier flavour.  Strip steak is also known by the names Kansas City Steak, Manhattan Steak, and New York Strip.  Strip steak is good for grilling and sautéing.  

The sirloin steaks were $41.86/kg or $18.99/lb.  I bought three sirloin steaks which cost a total of $44.57.  The best way to utilize strip loin steak is to grill the steaks and add sides that compliment the steak well.  For example, mashed potatoes and vegetables.  With the added mashed potatoes and a side vegetable, I would have to add an extra $6.00 per person.  So the price per steak that I paid was $14.86 plus $6.00 for the sides, the meal came out to be $20.86.  At the Keg, a strip loin steak dinner costs $45.00.  The Keg is a steakhouse and in my opinion is quite expensive.  My cost for the strip loin steak dinner was $20.86 and in a restaurant I could charge a customer $30.00 and make a decent profit, without over charging them.

There are various ways to cook strip loin steak.  You can barbecue it, grill it on top of the stove, and even saute it.  Strip loin steaks are great for grilling because it is best suited for the fast, high heat of the grill.  

Grilled Strip Loin Steak

Beef Strip loin Steak (9 oz), vegetable oil (10 ml), thyme, bruised (2 g), rosemary, bruised (2 g), garlic, crushed (2 g), salt and black pepper (to taste)

The way I cooked my strip loin steaks is that I grilled them on the cast iron pan.  I first marinated the steaks with vegetable oil, thyme, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.  I let it marinade for 1 hour.  Once it had marinaded for 1 hour, I placed them in the cast iron pan.  I cooked the meat until it was 155°F and then removed it from the grill and finished it off in the oven.  The sides I made for the strip loin dinner was mashed potatoes and I added a pink peppercorn and tarragon compound butter on top of the steak. 

Pink Peppercorn and Tarragon Compound Butter

Unsalted butter (110 g), shallots, finely chopped (30 g), garlic, minced (4 g), pink peppercorn (5 g), tarragon leaves, finely chopped (2 g), lemon, juiced (1/4 piece), olive oil (10 ml), salt and black pepper (to taste)

To make the compound butter, you will need to heat up the olive oil in a pan, then add the shallots, garlic and tarragon and sweat them until translucent and soft.  Add the lemon juice, stir together and remove from heat and let cool.  Place all the remaining ingredients in a bowl with the softened butter.  Add salt and butter to taste.  Roll the butter into plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to firm up.

Grilled Strip Loin Steak with Mashed Potatoes and Pink Peppercorn and Tarragon Compound Butter