If you haven’t already heard, there is a problem with tomatoes.

On the 8th, the FDA announced a list of places where tomatoes would be safe (if they were grown in that place).

Our local supermarket had signs up assuring us that their tomatoes were safe, although, with today’s news, I am not so sure. As long as they were grown here, it appears they are still safe.

The toll from salmonella-tainted tomatoes has jumped to 228 illnesses. The government has learned of five dozen previously unknown cases — and says it’s possible the food poisoning contributed to the death of a cancer patient in Texas.

Six states that had escaped the outbreak so far have been added to the list — Florida, Georgia, Missouri, New York, Tennessee and Vermont — bringing the number of affected states to 23.

Then again, with as much produce on the market as there is at any one time, how does one guarantee that the tomatoes they have are not imported from somewhere else?

Health officials say seven Georgia residents have become ill in a nationwide outbreak of tomato-associated salmonella.

Six of the cases were in the Atlanta area and one in northeast Georgia. One patient was hospitalized but has since been released.

They have no idea where the tainted tomatoes were grown, but it appears this is hardly over.

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I just received a news update regarding the Malt-O-Meal cereal recall.

From the Malt-O-Meal website:

Malt-O-Meal announced today that it is voluntarily recalling its unsweetened Puffed Rice and unsweetened Puffed Wheat Cereals produced with “Best If Used By” codes between April 8, 2008 (coded as “APR0808”) and March 18, 2009 (coded as “MAR1809”) because they may have the potential to be contaminated with Salmonella.

The recalled product was distributed nationally, marketed under the Malt-O-Meal brand and as some private label brands including Acme, America’s Choice, Food Club, Giant, Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark, Shaw’s, ShopRite, Tops and Weis Quality. A comprehensive listing of impacted products can be found at www.malt-o-meal.com/recallinfo.

No illnesses have been reported to date in connection with this situation. All other Malt-O-Meal products are unaffected by this action and are safe for continued sale and consumption. The products affected by this recall represent less than one-half of one percent of the company’s annual production of ready-to-eat cereal.

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This is one of the reasons why I have an issue with some organic foods. Organic means what? It usually means the food was grown without pesticides, artificial fertilizers, human waste, or sewage sludge. It also means they used no radiation or food additives in producing the food.

Where in the definition of “organic” does it mean “unwashed”? If anyone took the time to wash the greens this woman was preparing to eat, that tiny little frog that’s no bigger than the tip of her pinky finger, would have been discovered before it ended up on her plate.

You just don’t want to eat some greens.

That’s how a Brooklyn mom felt when she found a tiny frog comfortably nestled in the leaves of organic lettuce she was preparing to eat.

“I jumped away,” said 39-year-old Yvonne Brechbuhler, who described the green critter as no bigger than the tip of her pinky finger.

I’m all for eating healthy, but I am also for eating clean food.

Oh.My.Goodness.

The people who brought you the Monster Thickburger and the 1,100-calorie salad are at it again — this time for breakfast.

Hardee’s on Monday rolled out its new Country Breakfast Burrito — two egg omelets filled with bacon, sausage, diced ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and sausage gravy, all wrapped inside a flour tortilla. The burrito contains 920 calories and 60 grams of fat.

Brad Haley, marketing chief for the St. Louis-based fast-food chain, said the burrito offers the sort of big breakfast item normally found in sit-down restaurants with an added advantage.

“It makes this big country breakfast portable,” he said.

I suppose, once your done lugging that thing around while you eat it, you can lug around your fat ass for days to come. 920 calories? Yum.

I think Jamie Oliver is a brilliant person, but when Italian is not the first thing that comes to mind when I hear his name.

The first branch of “Jamie’s Italian” is due to open in Bath in the spring. Others are planned for Cambridge and Brighton and within a few years, Oliver is intending to open up to 40 “neighbourhood” restaurants serving “authentic” Italian food.

Ahh, but if we read the article we find out more…

Oliver’s mentor, Gennaro Contaldo, the executive chef and co-owner of Passione in Charlotte Street, London, has been helping with the menu and the staff training. “So it’ll all be completely authentic, rustic Italian,” added Oliver.

All pasta will be freshly made on site and the bread will be created daily by artisan bakers. The chicken will be free-range.

Gennaro Contaldo is creating the menu. He’s also training the staff. So the whole thing will be completely authentic, rustic, Italian… well, except for the Jamie Oliver name stamped above the door.

Still not too sure about this one.

My wife decided to cook dinner tonight, and it was so delicious I just had to share a photo.

She started with a version of parmesan chicken, which she then topped with fresh prosciutto, mozarella, and homemade tomato sauce (remember all that canning she did) and baked it in the oven.

She added some pasta (because she can’t eat Italian food without it), garlic bread (homemade bread too), and farm fresh green beans and broiled potatoes (for the kids).

WOW. That was the most flavorful dish I have had in a long time. And the best part? No preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, nothing made in China.

Hands down, it was the best dinner I have had in years.

When she has time, I will sit her down and type up the recipe for the chicken.

Over on Slobokan’s Site O’ Schtuff, I have done a few posts about diacetyl and it’s effect on people.

But even with all that information at hand, Kraft is still adding diacetyl to new products.

Recently, after numerous complaints of serious illness from popcorn workers and one complaint of illness from a consumer, ConAgra and Pop Weaver removed diacetyl from its microwave popcorn and now proudly announce to their customers that their product is diacetyl free. Kraft, on the other hand, decided that now would be a good time to introduce a brand new diacetyl-based butter flavor into the market.

Now, let’s be clear about something… We’re not entirely sure that diacetyl is harmful to the everyday consumer, but with the cases that have emerged, wouldn’t it be more prudent to stop using it until we found out for sure?

[Source: The Consumerist]

So ABC has more news on Mario Batali’s departure from Food Network.

“Molto Mario” means “a lot of Mario,” but fans of the Italian-American master chef Mario Batali will be seeing much less of him on Food Network this season.

The network has decided to stop airing “Molto Mario,” the program Batali began hosting a decade ago but which despite regular reruns has not been in production for nearly three years, a Food Network spokeswoman told ABCNEWS.com. Batali will, however, continue to appear on “Iron Chef America.”

…

“There was an acknowledgement by both Food Network and Batali that they didn’t really need each other any more,” said Ben Leventhal, editor of the food blog “Eater.” “Batali is more than just a TV chef. He’s a personality who has written cookbooks, owns restaurants and has a deal with NASCAR. Food Network helped him get as big as he is, and he helped them get big too. … It is the right time for him to part ways with the Food Network. It is expensive to keep a guy like Batali, and while I can’t imagine he has poor ratings, it comes down to how much they can afford.”

Whatever.

The fact it wasn’t announced earlier so the fans could prepare, tells me there is more to the story than what they’re telling. Doesn’t matter to me much anyway.

I only watched Food Network for two reasons and one just left. I did notice however that they mentioned he would still be appearing on Iron Chef America. I bet that’s only until the episodes which are already taped have run out.

[Hat Tip: Serious Eats]

I couldn’t believe the news when I read it today.

Chef Mario Batali has been chopped from TV’s Food Network, the influential cooking channel that made him a household name.

Sources said that network executives told the spotlight-loving chef last month his multiple shows, which includes the long-running “Molto Mario,” would not be renewed and that he would no longer be competing in the popular “Iron Chef America” series.

“He said that if his shows weren’t going to be renewed, then he wasn’t going to do ‘Iron Chef,’ ” said a network insider. “And then they essentially said ‘ciao.’ ”

What the hell? Have the executives at Food Network lost their frickin minds?

There used to be a time when watching the Food Network was all about the food. The love of creating some of the most spectacular and delicious recipes could be seen in the hosts eyes. Mario Batali was one of those chefs. Oh sure, he loved to be in front of the camera and he was quite the showman, but when Mario cooked, the spotlight was always on the food.

No matter what reason Food Network will try to use for cancelling all of his shows at the same exact moment, the viewers are the ones who will be losing out. What will they run in place of his shows? More “Top 5″ shows? Oh I know, “unWrapped” Cough. Yeah, like that was culinarily stimulating television.

If I owned a television network, I would be offering Mario the moon to bring his shows to my network. Only a fool (or a group of them calling themselves Food Network) would let such a talented chef get away.

[Hat Tip: Chef Tom]