Global Warming – the Nuclear Option

Apparently, all is not lost in the war against global warming. Scientists from NASA and a number of other institutions have recently been modeling the effects of a war involving a hundred Hiroshima-level bombs, or 0.03 percent of the world's current nuclear arsenal, according to National Geographic. The research suggests five million metric tons of black carbon would be swept up into the lowest portion of the atmosphere.

The result, according to NASA climate models, could actually be global cooling.

While the global cooling caused by superpower-on-superpower war could be catastrophic (hence the term "nuclear winter") a small scale, planned detonation, could have an impact on the world climate. Models suggest that though the world is currently in a warming trend, small detonations could lower global temperatures by 2.25 degrees C for two-to-three years following war.

In more tropical areas temperatures could fall 5.4 to 7.2 degrees C.

Then we would just need to decide which 1300Km2 of the planet we are happy to sacrifice to this holocaust.

The calculations would have to be finely tuned as an over ‘correction’ would tip the planet into a nuclear winter which would have devastating effects on the planet’s weather and crop production.

Let’s hope we are not forced into taking such desperate measures.



It won’t get any better than this

Thank you to John who added a link to a previous posting on Global Warming Warning.

In short, New Scientist has recently had a short article on the "Limits to Growth", revisiting the 1972 book by Meadows et al.  The book gives an account of a computer model of how the world's population, resources and economy would function over the coming 130 years.  It predicted a disaster in the twenty first century if nothing were changed.  At first the book created a stir and world leaders all agreed that action was needed.  It then attracted ferocious attacks on ideological grounds; the media carried uniform condemnation and declared the predictions to be incorrect.

Guess what, the models are now proving to be an accurate representation of what is occurring in the World today.

Unfortunately, the World’s population will not experience the full force of the depletion of resources until just before they run out (see Margaret Atwood’s Amoeba’s Tale) We have a few more years ahead of us where living in denial will still be possible.

So from here on in, as the population rises and developing nations catch up with developed society in their rate per capita that finite resources are being used up, we are racing towards crunch time. Things will not be getting better than they are today.

The full article in all it’s gory detail can be found here.



Sewer Abuse & Fatburgs

Sewer abuse is a big problem for water companies. It is also the hidden side of food waste.

Thames Valley has called on its customers to avoid 'sewer abuse' in a bid to limit the number of blockages it has to deal with. It advises people not to dispose of waste such as oil & fat into the sewage system. The disposable of fats down drains can lead to a build up of 'fatbergs', which block sewers and can in severe cases lead to sewage flooding. Sewer flooding of people's properties is a truly miserable experience.

The rise in popularity of domestic food macerators (sink waste disposals) are not helping the situation. Although macerators provide an easy and convenient means of disposing of food or sanitary waste into drains and sewers, water companies advise that this increases the risk of sewer blockages, sewer flooding, environmental pollution, odours and rodent infestations. There are also further associated risks to screening plants, the sewage treatment process, disposal of bio-solids and energy costs.

The main cause of problems are oils & fats, these can form build ups which then break off into ‘burgs’and cause a blockage further down the system.

Fat that will solidify as it cools, like pork, beef, lamb or chicken, can be reused for cooking, instead of oil. People pay good money for goose fat or dripping so put yours to good use. Alternatively, leave it to go cold and place it in your food recycling bin.

You can extend the use of vegetable oils by straining them after each use and avoiding contamination with salt which will cause them to degrade more quickly. If the oil does become rancid and unusable then you should be able to dispose of it at your local recycling centre where it can be turned into bio-diesel..

Out of site may be out of mind for a while but blocked sewers will eventually come back to haunt you. Avoid waste in the first place but if you do have to get rid of grease & fat do so responsibly.



New Year Resolutions – Healthy Eating

As 2012 comes upon us many people will be making resolutions to make themselves fitter & healthier, especially after a Christmas binge.

The good news is that a healthier diet can also help to reduce food waste. The basic principles are the same for both targets.

1.       Portion control. By measuring the size of your meals properly you can avoid over catering and the problem of what to do with the excess. Here is a useful tool for planning your portion size. Perfect portions.

2.       Plan Your Meals. Rather than fill your fridge with random items, some of which will go off before they are eaten, plan your meals for the next few days. This also gives you a chance to make sure that your diet is well balanced.

3.       Stick to your shopping list. As well as avoiding all the sweets and cakes think twice about all the other extras that you may be tempted to put in your basket, especially if it has a short shelf life. A bargain isn’t a bargain if it ends up in the bin!

4.       Eat more fruit and vegetables. By eating your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day you will be turning over your veg store, salad tray and fruit bowl regularly, before they get a chance to spoil.

5.       Don’t Skip Breakfast. A breakfast containing at least 3 food groups, sets your metabolism up for the day. This reduces the craving to binge on high calorie snacks & raid the supermarket on the way home.

6.       Drink more water. Water is a natural appetite suppressant, in fact we often feel the urge to eat when actually we are dehydrated. Tap water is virtually free, just as healthy as bottled water, and avoids all the empty calories that come along with so many other beverages.

So, if you have set a goal to eat more healthily in 2012, good luck and as a bit of a boost, remember you will also be cutting down on your food waste.



Twelve days 'till Christmas Day 12

Christmas Eve

Time to relax and enjoy yourself in the kitchen.  As the saying goes, ‘I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food.’

Hopefully you have planned ahead & all the food is there waiting for you. Some adrenalin junkies will be playing Russian roulette & leaving the shopping until the last possible minute, hoping for bargains. I prefer to do that just after New Year, if there is space in the freezer.

Where possible, rely on K.I.S.S. ‘Keep It Simple Stupid. Keep the portion sizes small, the dishes down to a reasonable level, and the food out of the bin.

After the meal , strip the turkey carcase & freeze what you are not likely to use in meal sized portions. Boil up the bones to make stock or the basis for a soup.

Otherwise, get creative with the leftovers. Guests needn’t feel like they are getting warmed up seconds if you put a little imagination into the preparation.

This year I’m taking the easy way out & heading over to my brother’s family in Kent.

Happy Christmas, Poppadom.



Twelve days 'till Christmas Day 11

Time to talk Turkey – you need to be thinking about it NOW!

Cooking your turkey to the correct temperature is essential to avoid food poisoning. An internal temperature of 73C is a minimum, but try not to go too far over that as the taste deteriorates.

Cooking turkeys that are still frozen is a recipe for disaster. Instead of cooking your bird you will just be breeding bacteria at a nice cosy temperature.

If your turkey is frozen you will need 24 hours per 5lb/2.5Kg in the fridge to defrost. Place the bird in the bottom of the fridge in a pan to collect any juices. Make sure that the juices do not contaminate any other food. Especially ready food like meat and desserts.

Alternatively, if your bird is big & time is short, defrost in COLD water. Place the bird in a sealable bag to stop it becoming waterlogged & spoiling the texture. Allow 2.5 hours per 5 lb/2.5 Kg  but change the water every 30 mins.

Finally, leave your turkey outside of the fridge in a cool room, away from any pets, for 8 hours before cooking. This goes for the stuffing as well. This means that the turkey will start to come up to temperature from the moment it goes inside a pre-warmed oven.

If you are buying a frozen turkey on Christmas Eve you are best saving it for New Year.

The other benefit of removing the turkey from the fridge is that you now have more space to store pre-prepared food the night before.



Twelve Days 'till Christmas Day10

Spare Booze

In the unlikely event of leftover alcohol it pays to have a contingency plan up your sleeve.

If wine is still fresh then you have a number of options:

Marinades

Wine can be used to both flavour and tenderise meat. Simply add crushed garlic, olive oil, ground pepper and herbs to red wine for a delicious marinade for red meat. Do not add salt before cooking as this can dry and toughen it.

White wine, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and oregano works well with chicken or pork.

Gravy/Sauces

Use the wine to deglaze the cooking pan, boil off the alcohol and use as the basis for your gravy or sauce.

Salad Dressing

Boil the wine and reduce to about 1/3 the original volume, cool and use to flavour a traditional vinaigrette.

Cider and Mustard Sauce

You will use this time and again. Add some English Mustard and reduce the cider in a pan to about 1/3. Stir in some double cream, warm and serve. Simple but very good.

Beer Batter

Use as part of the liquid in a classic coating batter recipe.

Advocat

The bottle that you bought for Grandma/Great Aunt, who had one tiny glass. Here’s a recipe for Advocat Mousse.