Question from a reader:
Ms. Yarnell, I’m curious as to why you patented your one pot cooking method.The purpose of a patent as I understand it is to allow the inventor the right to exclude other from using the invention – in this case your method of cooking.
Yet the obvious purpose of any cookbook is to get people to use the recipes they contain.
Can you explain? -TomHi Tom! Good question. GOPM holds a “process” patent. The purpose is not to exclude others from using this method — heck, I’ve sold 60k cookbooks containing recipes using this method, have taught hundreds of cooking classes, and publish recipes and videos teaching it online — but to preclude others from publishing the process and making money off it.As a concrete example: Years ago I was in talks with a cookware company to publish a book of my recipes. They pulled out of the deal and wanted to publish recipes using the GOPM method with a different chef/author and cut me out completely. They were not able to do that because I had the patent that proved it was my idea first.Thanks for asking the question! It’s a good one and I hope you don’t mind that I also post it on my blog. Please feel free to respond in the Comments section below.Happy cooking! Elizabeth
What’s In an Egg at Fast Food Restaurants?
Getting an egg may seem to be a healthy option when you’re looking to grab something at a fast food or fast-casual restaurant. But is it always just an egg that you’re getting when you order that egg sandwich?
Unfortunately not. My readers know that I am a fan of eggs as a healthy food, however, while Panera uses freshly cracked eggs in their offerings, here’s what’s in Subway’s Egg Omelet Patty (Regular):
Whole eggs, egg whites, water, nonfat dry milk, premium egg blend (isolated pea product, salt, citric acid, dextrose, guar gum, xanthan gum, extractive of spice, propylene glycol and not more than 2% calcium silicate and glycerin to prevent caking), soybean oil, butter alternative (liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors, beta carotene (color), TBHQ and citric acid added to protect flavor, dimethylpolysiloxane (antifoaming agent added), salt, beta-carotene (color).
As Marion Nestle remarks: At least egg is the first ingredient!
Yes, there are eggs in the egg sandwich at Subway, but also a whole lot more for sensitive people to watch out for. Hydrogenated fats, artificial colors, the evil “natural and artificial flavors” catch-all that can hide dozens of chemicals, dextrose (a derivative of corn), dimethylpolysiloxane… Yuck! That “egg sandwich patty” is a chemical stew rather than a pure egg.
Forbes has compiled a list of the ingredients in a lot of breakfast sandwiches, so be sure to check out what you might be ordering before you chomp down.
Diet Sodas Lead to Weight Gain, Disease
A new class action lawsuit has been filed against big soda manufacturers for misleading consumers into thinking that drinking diet sodas sweetened with Aspartame are a good choice for weight loss and overall health.
As I’ve preached for a long time: nothing could be further from the truth.
Not only do “diet” drinks sweetened with Aspartame not lead to weight loss, but, according to a report on Good Morning America, there is extensive data showing that drinking diet sodas can contribute to obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
I recently saw a dear friend and noticed that he had lost weight. In fact, he had lost 45 lbs., and the only thing he had changed in his life was that he stopped drinking all soda, including the liters of diet soda that had been a staple in his life.
My advice: save soda for special occasions, and then the first choice should be an all-natural soda like Blue Sky Organic Ginger Ale. And if you’re going to drink a mass-market soda, don’t choose the diet version that is sweetened with Aspartame.
Campfire Cooking with Glorious One-Pot Meals
Wally W. of Cornville, Arizona sent me this message about his experience in preparing Glorious One-Pot Meals in a campfire rather than in an oven:
Hello Elizabeth,
I found your book at the library when searching for dutch oven cookbooks. When I go camping it’s fun to cook in a dutch oven (camp oven, with feet) over charcoal. I’ve found that your recipes from “Glorious One-Pot Meals” work just fine in a camp oven. The only trick is using enough coals for a hot oven. Recipes that cook more than 30 minutes will require a new set of hot coals mid way through the cooking. Otherwise, the recipes as given are wonderful in the open air.
Thanks for sharing, Wally! I agree that GOPMs are a great to make when camping!
Face Cleanser for Sensitive Skin
Clear skin can be accomplished simply by have a good skin care routine, and the foundation of your routine should be a nourishing, non-drying, non-abrasive skin cleanser that does a through job of removing make-up, sweat, and daily grime. I’ve found just the one with BeautyCounter’s Nourishing Cream Cleanser.
This cleanser is nice and thick to grip onto the unwanted debris without irritating the tender skin on your face, yet it’s gentle enough to use every day.
Rub a pea-sized amount over a wet face with your hands or a washcloth and it rinses off cleanly without leaving your face tight and dry or reddened.
There are so many reasons to love BeautyCounter products and one of them is because they are free from chemical additives and preservatives that can cause breakouts, itching, or redness for sensitive people.
Even if you don’t consider yourself to be a sensitive person, it’s wise to consider your personal toxic load and always try to reduce exposure to harmful chemicals and toxins whenever possible.
