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The Ten Most Recent Comments By deanj

From Serious Eats

Cooking with Kids: "Nitrate-Free" Hot Dogs, Now With More Nitrates

I must be missing something here. I thought that "no added nitrates" means that they didn't grab some chemical and add it to the hot dog. The celery juice was part of the make up of what they threw into the hot dog (along with the beef eyelids, armpits, and whatever else they put into hot dogs). Celery products in a hot dog for flavoring isn't unusual; celery salt is used in Chicago-style hot dog fixin's for the flavor.

I can see if there was a "no nitrate product" where this would be an issue, but not "no added nitrates".

Am I correct in assuming, you're saying "no sugar added" products aren't really "no sugar added" products because one of the other ingredients naturally contained sugar?

Now, don't get me wrong: I hate product packaging as much as the next guy. Unless I see an egg shoot out of a chicken, I question even something as fundamental as that. (And I know all about how long some eggs stay on the shelves at stores, just to be "recycled" as newer than they are).

I just want to know what would be considered a truly "no nitrates added" hot dog, because it seems to me that under the definition above, what you're talking about is a plain old "no nitrates at all" hot dog.

(great blog, btw....just signed up, but i've been reading for a long time now)

deanj at 3:52PM on 01/07/08

Responses to Comments by deanj

From Serious Eats

Cooking with Kids: "Nitrate-Free" Hot Dogs, Now With More Nitrates

I just wanted to say that at least the facts should be stated completely. There is no "nitrite" in celery. There is , however, "nitrate". The nitrate must be converted to nitrite by means of bacteria. What this really means is all the "natural" nuts out there should know that when you eat a carrot or celery stalk or other vegetable from the ground, you are eating as much nitrate as you would be with any of these meats. I would worry more about the fat/salt content of the food. Natural also does not mean fat free which some people like to believe. In conclusion you are going to get nitrates/ nitrites from somewhere. Check out sea salt, for example.

meathead at 3:33PM on 05/01/08

From Serious Eats

Cooking with Kids: "Nitrate-Free" Hot Dogs, Now With More Nitrates

All this talk reminds me so much of "natural flavors", put the word natural in front of something, and people assume it's better.

People hear "celery juice" and think... oh that sounds wholesome. They do not realize the level of nitrates in concentrated celery juice extract.

The worst part is these "uncured" meats generally taste inferior since the celery juice extract adds off flavors and doesn't give the same quality cure as the normal cures.

peekpoke at 4:12AM on 01/08/08

From Serious Eats

Cooking with Kids: "Nitrate-Free" Hot Dogs, Now With More Nitrates

I should add that, nitrates aside, the "uncured" dogs may have other advantages--i.e., they may be organic or otherwise made with more humanely produced meat. If there were an organic dog with great taste and a natural casing, I would buy it. Is there?

thepictsie, I can't think of anything to add to your explanation. Thanks.

mamster at 5:22PM on 01/07/08

From Serious Eats

Cooking with Kids: "Nitrate-Free" Hot Dogs, Now With More Nitrates

deanj, the celery juice isn't added for flavor, it's added specifically for those nitrites. People who are buying "no sugar added" products usually understand that, say, fruit juice has sugars in it to start, although different kinds of sugars from what's usually added. People do NOT generally understand that "no nitrates added" does NOT mean "no nitrates or nitrites of any kind." Presumably, Robyn's point is to try to educate these people.

thepictsie at 4:04PM on 01/07/08