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Kate learns exactly what is IN those cookies
I picked up an iPhone app to help me figure out some of the ingredients on food labels. It’s called “Don’t Eat That” and is $1.99 in the iTunes Store. It has made Gizmodo‘s This Week’s Best iPhone Apps list, a list I like to browse for helpful apps. You’ll find it in the iTunes Store in the Healthcare and Fitness section. The app is currently running version 1.3 and updates are frequent, but there is lots of room for expansion and improvement here.
You’ll have to forgive my total lameness at being unable to post screenshots—some of me is in 2010, but some of me lags several decades behind. There are good screenshots at the iTunes Store.
What I love:
- The alphabetical listing is very thorough and the information contained in the descriptions is unbiased but extensive.
- You can choose to view ingredients by their names as listed on labels, or in lists of ingredients that may aggravate allergies and asthma, are particularly harmful to children, are banned somewhere in the world and where the ban is in effect, and ingredients that are known carcinogens.
- Foods containing Genetically Modified Organisms can also be searched in their own section.
What I’d change:
- I’d love to have a section where I can add my own notes to each item for our own food reactions and issues. Rose, for example, is allergic to almonds and I would love to be able to tap once to flag each ingredient listed that contains almond extractives.
- I’d also like ingredients to come up when the bar code on the product is scanned. Then, each ingredient should be “clickable” for reference without having to scroll down the list.
How I use it:
- There are an awful lot of ingredients that are floating around in my brain with sticky notes attached: “This is also known as MSG”, “Do I really want this in my body?”, “Wait, is this something that’ll make a migraine flare up?” and sometimes it’s hard to keep it all straight. This little app takes the sticky notes out of my brain (freeing up those brain cells for much more important information, such as how to spell Kyrgyzstan) and putting them into what I often refer to as my “offsite brain.”
- When the kids are tempted by some treat that this friend or that aunt eats all the time (“and they haven’t grown three heads yet, Mom…”) we will sit down with the ingredient label and this app. Once they decipher that this ingredient comes from petroleum and that ingredient is another name for a substance that kills their brain cells, they rarely ask for that food again. “Okay, how about an apple, then?”
- And, of course, as a purely educational tool in the supermarket, I’ll sit a child down to research ingredients for things we just don’t want in the house at all. Overhearing our discussion, a woman once stopped mid-stride in the store aisle and asked me if I knew much about GMOs. I was thrilled to have information at my fingertips about the food on the shelves.
What a marvelous time we live in! Yes, food labels are a nightmare to decipher, but then along comes just the right tool to crack that lock. No more eating unspellable seventeen-syllabled-foodlike-substances for us!
As is true of all my posts, I do not accept compensation for my reviews. No one has approached me and requested this review, and I did not receive a “reviewer copy” of the program.
This post is part of Prevention, Not Prescriptions and Real Food Wednesday.
Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins by ~ The Purple Foodie ~, on Flickr
Ratio is a book that appeals to my left-brain way of thinking. I am accustomed to keeping a scale in the kitchen for my soapmaking attempts, so the method Ruhlman recommends of using weights instead of volumes is not entirely foreign to me. And I must admit that the recipes I have attempted using his ratios have turned out perfectly every time. It was from his calculations I first really mastered hollandaise, mayonnaise and bearnaise.
But let’s face it, a book is a book. You can scribble in the margins, but there is only so much room in a margin. And a book won’t help you calculate a ratio of four ingredients at 8, 4, 2 and 1 parts where 1 part is .27 of an ounce. Yeah, I should be able to do this in my head, but let’s face it, when juggling a barely-simmering pot, a handful of kids and trying a recipe for the first time, there just aren’t enough brain cells left over for multiplication.
Enter the iPhone Ratio App. It’s $4.99 in the iTunes store in the Lifestyle section. (Please forgive my inability to post screenshots, there are some good ones on the iTunes site. Ruhlman has also posted a short video on his site of the app in action.)
What I love:
- First, I have to applaud the beautiful interface. From the opening screen to the large, clear ratio wheel and stunning photos, this is a first-class app.
- The ratios feature real food! Butter, cream and eggs are recommended without a blush or apology.
- In the “About” section, there is a category where you can view Ruhlman’s recent blog posts which reference Ratio.
- The Settings allow for default units and measures, so if you just can’t make the jump from volume to weight, you can still use the app.
- Each ratio comes with a pie chart, viewable at a distance, if that’s all you require. There is also a nifty calculator that allows you to enter the exact weight of a single ingredient and all other ingredients scale themselves appropriately. Super handy for calculating the exact amount of oil when you are dealing with a single egg yolk for mayonnaise. There is also a detail screen that provides instructions and options for tweaking a recipe toward heat, sweet, etc.
- I love the feature “My Recipes” which allows me to personalize a ratio, add notes and save it. If something turns out perfectly, I can name it and that recipe will always be right there ready for me in proportions that fit my family.
- There are categories for doughs, batters, custards, fat-based sauces, stocks and thickeners, meat-related ratios (think sausage) and dessert sauces, the major categories covered in the book. Within each category are anywhere from 2 to 10 recipes.
What I’d change:
- Oh, please add more! I’d like to see a ratio for sourdough bread products. As I experiment with soaked grain I’ve been adding notes on adjusting the ratios. Of course, it would be incredible if Ruhlman would bring his expertise to soaked grains, but that’s not his thing so I’m not holding my breath.
- I’d like to see more international ratios: curries, Thai ginger mixes, jerk seasonings, tempura batter etc.
- I’d like the ability to add my own ratios (would be helpful for my soaked grain recipes) and to share those with others. The increased functionality of importing other users’ ratios would make this app a kitchen essential.
How I use it:
- Of course, I use this right in the kitchen! The ratios are very basic, and include ingredients I normally have on hand, but from time to time I’ll check a ratio in the grocery store as I purchase the freshest ingredients for a meal. Berries in season? Top with Creme Anglaise: 4 parts cream, 1 part egg yolk, 1 part sugar. Ooh! The details suggest adding a vanilla bean! It’s far easier to use on the fly like that than a written recipe.
- Like most everything that happens in my house, Ratio is a great learning tool for my kids. I’m not sure they will ever memorize the ratios, but the details section is great for explaining how pizza dough is related to bread dough; what veggies in what proportion to add to stock; and how to turn pan juice into gravy.
I’ll be honest with you. I picked up Ratio at a bookstore and skimmed through it. I had the money in my pocket but just couldn’t see me using the book on a regular basis, so it went back on the shelf. This app I dropped $5 on I have used almost twice a week for several months now. It’s a winner!
As is true of all my posts, I do not accept compensation for my reviews. No one has approached me and requested this review, and I did not receive a “reviewer copy” of the program.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesdays, hosted by Kelly the Kitchen Kop!
The Dark Side of Fat Loss
