# precooked food, good/bad?



## Kracin (Jul 15, 2005)

so whats wrong with precooked food??

like minute brown rice, its only precooked, is there anything wrong with it really? or any real big difference than uncooked brown rice?


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## GFR (Jul 15, 2005)

Anything pre-cooked, frozen meals ect...just look at the ingredients...most of the time the ingredients are loaded with salt and a variety of chemicals and preservatives.


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## The Monkey Man (Jul 15, 2005)

I cook my chicken breast, put it in the fridge,

Then cut it up and nibble it down cold at work!?!?

Is this bad?


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## GFR (Jul 15, 2005)

The Monkey Man said:
			
		

> I cook my chicken breast, put it in the fridge,
> 
> Then cut it up and nibble it down cold at work!?!?
> 
> Is this bad?


Once again you're a great help


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## The Monkey Man (Jul 15, 2005)

Kracin said:
			
		

> so whats wrong with precooked food??
> 
> like minute brown rice, its only precooked, is there anything wrong with it really? or any real big difference than uncooked brown rice?


High-End answer to pre-cooked badness...

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]*What Makes a Twinkie?*[/font]

The list of ingredients of a Twinkie is a veritable Who's Who of the food chemical world and the following is a list of ingredients as provided on a ten-pack of Twinkies. Take a deep breath: 


Enriched Wheat Flour - enriched with ferrous sulphate (iron), B vitamins (niacin, thiamine mononitrate [B1], ribofavin [B12] and folic acid).
Sugar
Corn syrup
Water
High fructose corn syrup
Vegetable and/or animal shortening - containing one or more of partially hydrogenated soybean, cottonseed or canola oil, and beef fat.
Dextrose
Whole eggs
How's your stomach? Really? Oh dear... Well hold tight because Twinkies also contain 2% or less of: 


Modified corn starch
Cellulose gum
Whey
Leavenings (sodium acid pyrophosphate, baking soda, monocalcium phosphate)
Salt
Cornstarch
Corn flour
Corn syrup solids
Mono and diglycerides
Soy lecithin
Polysorbate 60
Dextrin
Calcium caseinate
Sodium stearol lactylate
Wheat gluten
Calcium sulphate
Natural and artificial flavours
Caramel colour
Sorbic acid (to retain freshness)
Colour added (yellow 5, red 40)
[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]*But Is It Good for You?*[/font]

One 43g Twinkie contains 2% of the recommended daily amount (RDA) of iron but none of the RDA for vitamins A and C and calcium. Each cake has 5g of fat (2g of which are saturated), 20mg of cholesterol, 2000mg of salt, 25g of carbohydrates (of which 14g is sugar), 1g of protein and absolutely no fibre whatsoever.

So although not devastatingly bad for you, taken in moderation, Twinkies can truly be an ideal snack.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]*A Tale of Two Twinkies*[/font]

So far, you may think that the Twinkie is an innocent by-product of the 20th Century mass manufacturing phenomena. And you'd be right. However, the following two experiments will show the sinister side of this apparently innocuous object.

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]*The Gremlin Factor*[/font]

Do you remember _Gremlins_, the film about the cute little animals that transmogrify into heinous, thoroughly unappealing critters? Well, the same principle applies to the Twinkie.

For this experiment, you'll need one Twinkie and a high ball glass three-quarters full of water. Simply place the unwrapped Twinkie submerged in the water and leave it for 15 minutes.

When you return, your innocent Twinkie should have transformed into some kind of primeval goo from which several new species could evolve. Surprisingly, it still has its golden hue. If it looks like that in a glass after 15 minutes, how do you think it looks in your stomach after half an hour?

Best not think about it, eh?

[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]*Microwave Mission*[/font]

This experiment can be dangerous, so be warned. You'll need a microwaveable bowl/plate, one unwrapped Twinkie and plenty of cleaning products.

Basically, shove your Twinkie on the plate and microwave for about one minute. One of two things will happen:


Your Twinkie will explode, covering your microwave in countless flecks of sponge, piping hot cream and burnt cake. Do not open the oven straight away as the Twinkie is hot. Leave it for a minute or two, don your best rubber gloves and scrub away.

If your Twinkie doesn't explode, it will burn instead, saturating your kitchen and clothes with a curious burnt plastic smell that will permeate your skin, your walls and your very dreams. If you smell the Twinkie burning, turn off the microwave and leave it alone for several minutes as it may explode for a while after.


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## aggies1ut (Jul 15, 2005)

The Monkey Man said:
			
		

> High-End answer to pre-cooked badness...
> 
> [font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]*What Makes a Twinkie?*[/font]
> 
> ...


How about deep fried Twinkies?   ....which I have never had btw lol


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## aggies1ut (Jul 15, 2005)

Someone try it lol lol. Ingredients


6 Twinkies 
Popsicle sticks 
4 cups vegetable oil 
Flour for dusting 
1 cup milk 
2 tablespoons vinegar 
1 Tablespoon oil 
1 cup flour 
1 teaspoon baking powder 
1/2 teaspoon salt 

Directions

1. Chill or freeze Twinkies for several hours or overnight.

2. Heat 4 cups vegetable oil in deep fryer to about 375 degrees.

3. Mix together milk, vinegar and oil.

4. In another bowl, blend flour, baking powder and salt.

5. Whisk wet ingredients into dry and continue mixing until smooth. Refrigerate while oil heats.

6. Push stick into Twinkie lengthwise, leaving about 2 inches to use as a handle, dust with flour and dip into the batter. Rotate Twinkie until batter covers entire cake.

7. Place carefully in hot oil. The Twinkie will float, so hold it under with a utensil to ensure even browning. It should turn golden in 3 to 4 minutes. Depending on the size of your deep fryer, you might be able to fry only one at a time, two at the most.

8. Remove Twinkie to paper towel and let drain. Remove stick and allow Twinkie to sit for about 5 minutes before serving.

Makes 6.


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## aggies1ut (Jul 15, 2005)

But seriously, I honestly don't see the problem with things like precooked chicken or precooked frozen shrimp or microwavable packets of brown rice. In a pinch, I do canned and pouch tuna, canned chicken, canned turkey, etc. Honestly, some things won't kill ya. There is a lot of sodium in canned foods though, so I rarely eat them, and forget deli meats and frozen dinners (barf).


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## bigss75 (Jul 15, 2005)

I always eat canned tuna but i cant eat frozen foods anymore ever since my friend had to go to the ER with this nasty stomach virus from eating that crap every meal everyday


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## Emma-Leigh (Jul 16, 2005)

Kracin said:
			
		

> so whats wrong with precooked food??
> 
> like minute brown rice, its only precooked, is there anything wrong with it really? or any real big difference than uncooked brown rice?


Pre-cooking or processing?

Pre-cooking is not really too bad - it can increase the glycaemic index of the food (the more they are cooked, the larger the impact)... But pre-cooking your own foods and then cooking them again will do the same thing. And once you combine it in a well balanced meal then the impact is minimal.  

Depending on how they are cooked pre-cooking can also leach some of the nutrients out of the food.... But most people would not be too worried with this, and as long as you are getting enough fresh foods in your diet then this is probably not going to present a problem either.

Processed foods, as Monkey pointed out in his post - usually have A LOT of added ingredients that are less than ideal for you (high fructose corn syrups and trans/hydrogenated fats being two perfect examples). So you are better off avoiding them if possible.


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## Pylon (Jul 16, 2005)

I look at it this way.  I can take microwave (pre-cooked) brown rice pouches, frozen veggies and chicken (usually grilled at home) to work and have a pretty dern fine meal at lunch, or I can go out, try to find something decent at a fast food place (good luck there) or a eat in place (better luck, but more $.)  Pretty good is better than bad, even if it isn't the best.


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