oh noes they're taking away our burgers!

[Celethiel]

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/wendy-s-kills-its-popular-pretzel-bun%E2%80%94for-brioche-211606471.html

The horror! the horror! no more pretzel burgers noes!

[GrimIsaac]

(slurred)Too many *hic* cheeseburgers

[iSimba]

This is disappointing.

 

Those pretzel burgers were some of the best burgers I've ever eaten, fast food or not.

[JamesSavik]

>>The revolving door of artisanal breads at Wendy’s appears to be part of a strategy to brand the chain as a higher-end quick-service option via limited-time offers.

 

Screw that. Go to 5Guys. They make a great burger, every day. No need for extra crap.

[hh5]

no their saving you from 

and collecting 67% profit

[iSimba]

>>The revolving door of artisanal breads at Wendy’s appears to be part of a strategy to brand the chain as a higher-end quick-service option via limited-time offers.

 

Screw that. Go to 5Guys. They make a great burger, every day. No need for extra crap.

 

Oh god, five guys was one of the worst burger chains I've ever eaten at. Never again.

[wildone]

Oh god, five guys was one of the worst burger chains I've ever eaten at. Never again.

 

 

:o :o

[Thorn Wilde]

Meanwhile, I'm over here going

 

 

 

*whispers* I have never been to Wendy's! It doesn't exist here! 

 

[wildone]

Well I will try to explain in my humble opinion....

 

McDonald's - basically the biggest of all the fast food chains. Probably most likely due to the fact that there is very little in the difference of the menu no matter where you are. If I order a Big Mac in Canada it is going to taste exactly like one in the Texas.

 

Burger King - I would think they are second in the fast food burger chains. i would say that they are a step above McDonald's for their freshness of toppings and larger (maybe they are just squished more ) burgers. I only say a step above due to McDonald's use of shredded lettuce, smaller pickles, diced onions which Burger King gives you less processed toppings.

 

Wendy's - Probably the best of the big 3, but due to their attention to the entire meal, it is more expensive. Trademarked by their square burgers and artisan buns, they are just a step about both the others. They do have a standard menu, but always have a Limited Time Offer specials which people love and sometimes have to wait for up to a year to get them again.

 

Also in North America we have A&W and Dairy Queen as large multinationals as well.

 

Then there is a LOT of chain custom burger places. 5 Guys would be one of these. Going there is equivalent if not better than having a burger in a good restaurant. You have about 40 different toppings to choose from from sauces to vegetables to seasonings. Their fries I don't think anyone can compare to. A large fry, they fill a container and then put it in the paper bag for your order and throw another full scoop of fries in the bag. Personally 2-3 people can eat one order of fries. But...with this comes the cost. In Canada, for two double burgers a large fry and two soda's, you are looking at just under $20 bucks. Personally I think it is worth it but I also couldn't see myself eating there regularly due to the price. it is a nice treat though

 

There is others, Fat Burger comes to mind and a few others that escape my mind right now.

 

Translation: Fries are cut up potatoes either wedges or sticks and deep fried. Not 100% sure but I believe in the UK they are referred to as chips.

 

Now I'm sure everyone has their favourite burger place and may totally disagree with what I have to say. It was always a fight in our house when I wanted McDonald's, older sister wanted Burger King and younger wanted Wendy's

[Thorn Wilde]

We have McDonald's and Burger King here. I never go to either. I have political issues with McDonald's which I shan't get into here. I will occasionally buy something at Burger King if I'm low on cash and want something quick. Usually, the only time I'll buy a fast food burger is in protest when Morrissey (the biggest douchebag in music) says something particularly stupid.

 

The best burger I ever ate was served at the pub we tended to hang out at, called Kristiania. It closed down in August, sadly. Their Jack Daniels burger was amazing. Huge, thick patty, topped with red onion, pickles and lettuce, and then a jumbo onion ring on top of the bun. Served with a side salad, pan-fried potato wedges with the skin still on and a Jack Daniels sauce. Best served with a cold pint of something dark and hoppy. With that burger gone, the best burger in Oslo is probably the moose burger you can get at a pub down at the pier. It's good eatings.

 

My favourite fast food chain is Nando's, which you get in the UK. It's a chicken restaurant. They serve peri peri chicken of different degrees of hotness, and they have awesome sides, and their butterfly chicken is succulent and awesome. Plus they have tasty desserts, and Portuguese rosé wine, which is pretty awesome stuff.

[Never Surrender]

My favourite fast food chain is Nando's, which you get in the UK. It's a chicken restaurant. They serve peri peri chicken of different degrees of hotness, and they have awesome sides, and their butterfly chicken is succulent and awesome. Plus they have tasty desserts, and Portuguese rosé wine, which is pretty awesome stuff.

 

Nandos is ridiculously overpriced, it was nicer before it became so horribly mainstream so upsetting haha mainly because the standards have started to drop in some of them!

 

That said, if someone else is buying, i wouldnt say no 

[Thorn Wilde]

Nandos is ridiculously overpriced, it was nicer before it became so horribly mainstream so upsetting haha mainly because the standards have started to drop in some of them!

 

That said, if someone else is buying, i wouldnt say no 

 

I'll take you to Nando's when I come visit. I admit it used to be better. They removed the mango passion cheesecake from the dessert menu.

Edited November 29, 2013 by Thorn Wilde

[hh5]

no the truth is u did not google

be aware of how much meat glue is in your diet that you don't realize

 

'Meat glue' used as food additive in processed meat, other food

Every day, millions of Americans are likely putting something in their mouths that contains a substance called "meat glue" by critics of the food industry.

 

The additive with the unappetizing nickname is used to produce meats found in supermarkets, in local delis and in restaurants ranging from fast food to fine dining. Even vegetarian food isn't exempt.

 

Marketing consultants and food scientists estimate -- because no company will discuss sales figures-- that anywhere from 11 to 35 percent of all packaged and sliced ham, beef, chicken, fish, pizza toppings and other deli products are enhanced, restructured or molded using the meat glue, which is made from one of two brands of protein adhesive.

 

Even though federal laws require labeling, a spot-check of meat purveyors and restaurant suppliers by Scripps Howard News Service found that almost no companies listed the substances among their products' ingredients.

 

Further, 10 meat and cold-cut processors and fast-food outlets -- including Tyson Food, Cargill Meats, McDonald's and Arby's -- were contacted by Scripps, but all declined to discuss whether they used transglutaminase or blood-extract products, saying either that it was proprietary, or, if they did use them, it need not be reported because the binders were considered a "processing aid."

 

Like the "pink slime" used as a cheap ground-beef filler, meat glue is not considered a health risk by federal food watchdogs. Nonetheless, consumers recently reacted with revulsion to the presence of pink-slime filler in ground meat, leading, ultimately, to the closing of three processing plants and the removal of the additive from some restaurants' fare.

 

Whether or not meat glue will meet the same fate, the lack of disclosure is the same in critics' eyes. "For decades, the meat industry has conveniently operated in the dark, not sharing the dirty details of their practices with the public, while the federal government looked the other way," Michele Simon, a policy consultant for the Center for Food Safety, told Scripps.

 

"But now, consumers are demanding to know the truth about what they are. We need more transparency in a food system that puts profits before people."

 

One of the two most common forms of meat glue used in the U.S. is Activa, a white powder form of a natural coagulant-like enzyme called transglutaminase. (The popular yogurt Activia has no connections to Activa.)

 

The other is Fibrimex, which is made of enzymes extracted from pig or beef blood by a process developed in the Netherlands. Both products were designed and sold, their advertising says, to bond pieces of protein or irregularly shaped meat so it can be cut and cooked evenly by the food-service industry.

 

Food scientists tell Scripps that the two cold-binding agents are used to reduce the use of sodium phosphate, sodium alginate, carrageenan, sodium caseinate and other chemicals that had been used for decades to form and mold meat.

 

Not knowing that Activa and Fibrimex are in certain foods can present problems for people with religious and dietary beliefs or special needs.

 

How are Jews, Muslims and others who don't eat pork products going to know whether there are pig-blood extracts holding together their chicken or fish pieces? What about vegans and vegetarians who might not want to eat "meatless" hot dogs, sausage and luncheon meats containing bovine blood or the fermented enzymes?

 

"There may be economic adulteration going on here, and the (U.S. Department of Agriculture) or the (U.S. Food and Drug Administration) needs to look at whether laws are being violated," says Tony Corbo, legislative representative for the national consumer group Food & Water Watch. "We are especially appalled that certain consumers' religious beliefs may be unknowingly violated because food manufacturers are hiding what goes into the production of these binding agents."

 

Meat glue first drew attention last year when an Australian video went viral on YouTube. It showed a meat specialist sprinkling white powder on pieces of fat, gristle and other waste beef, covering it in plastic wrap and chilling it. Hours later, the pieces had transformed into a long log of solid meat, which was then cut into expensive-looking tenderloins.

 

These cold-bonding agents are being used at the top and bottom of the food chain, from fine chefs at the high-end of the culinary workforce to cut-rate meat purveyors at the other.

 

And Scripps has found that the meat-glue additives are used not just in beef, but in thousands of other food products throughout the retail and industry marketplaces.

 

For instance, a partial list of uses for transglutaminase can be found on the website of Hela Spice Canada, a subsidiary of a major German food-additive and ingredient supplier, Hela, that exports to the U.S., and 10 other countries (http://www.helacanada.ca).

 

The site says different formulations of Activa can be used for fast-food chicken nuggets and boneless wings, fish sticks, boneless barbecue ribs, roast beef, pastrami, turkey roast and hams.

 

Major pizza chains buy the additive for toppings including pepperoni, Italian sausage, bacon crumble and salami, according to the website.

 

Supermarket-brand roasts, sausages, kabobs, hams, poultry pieces, pork, beef and many high-end-appearing cuts of beef and pork contain it as well. The website also emphasizes what food-design consultants say is a growing use of transglutaminase in vegetarian meat substitutes.

 

Walter Knecht, president of Hela Spice Canada, declined to answer any questions from Scripps. He referred all inquiries to transglutaminase maker Ajinomoto, a Japanese company with offices in Chicago, which said in a statement that it discloses all ingredients.

 

Interviews by Scripps with more than 60 industry or academic food scientists, physicians and government-safety regulators revealed other, unanticipated uses for the meat-glue additives. These include imitation seafood, gyro meat, hundreds of different baked goods, tofu, pasta, vegetables, cereals and dairy products such as yogurt. And, they add, that use is growing. But, as with pink slime, you won't find meat glue on a list of ingredients.

 

Over the past five months, Scripps checked more than 130 meats and deli products in Seattle, Milwaukee, Omaha and Denver that food scientists believed contained the adhesives mixtures. Only four of them -- all bolognas -- had the word "enzymes" on the ingredient label. But "enzymes," ''transglutaminase," ''thrombin" and "blood byproducts" were not listed anywhere on the labels for the remainder.

 

"You've got smart consumers shopping today with a (magnifying) glass in their hand," said a marketing consultant for a small, but high-end specialty-meat company who did not want her name used because of the sensitivity of the subject. "No one is going to list any ingredients that will turn the shopper off, especially enzymes and pig blood. And there's no one to force them to list it."

 

Government regulations are precise in how the public is supposed to be told when and what ingredients are added to food offered for sale in stores.

 

Regulations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service list specific words that must appear on ingredient labels of products containing transglutaminase or the animal-blood extracts fibrinogen and thrombin.

 

In 2000, when federal officials first granted permission for Ajinomoto to market the French-made transglutaminase in the United States, the USDA required that the company tell consumers they were buying "beef tenderloin formed with water and transglutaminase enzyme," according to USDA and FDA documents obtained by Scripps.

 

Ajinomoto balked and said it wanted to use words that didn't mention transglutaminase. Instead, it wanted to say its products were "formed" or "re-formed" or made with enzymes as part of the product name, such as "formed beef tenderloin."

 

Ajinomoto, the company that in 1901 developed the sometimes-controversial flavor enhancer monosodium glutamate, or MSG, got its way and the USDA approved use of the less-foreboding language.

 

Similar precise language was created for the blood-product maker Fibrimex to use on its products.

 

Rick Young, the regional sales manager of Fibrimex maker FX Technologies in its Fremont, Neb., office, gave Scripps a copy of page 14 of USDA's labeling bible, the Food Standard and Labeling Policy Book.

 

The book required the use of phrases such as "Fibrinogen and Thrombin Plasma Protein" or " Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin Steak Formed with Beef Fibrinogen and Thrombin."

 

Both FX Technologies and Ajinomoto say they properly disclose the ingredients of their additives to their food-manufacturer customers. And they said it is their understanding that manufacturers are correctly labeling their products.

 

In a statement last week, the nutrition and health division of Ajinomoto said that all meat to which transglutaminase has been added is properly labeled, as government regulations require.

 

"This is a requirement. There is no 'secret'," the statement said.

 

On May 4, Fibrimex's Young said much the same.

 

"Those companies that use Fibrimex are well aware of what the government labeling regulations demand. There are USDA inspectors in everyone's plant, so there's no reason to believe that anything is being done improperly," Young said.

 

However, at the Institute of Food Technologists conference in New Orleans last June, Ajinomoto personnel repeatedly explained to potential customers that their company has no way of demanding or forcing users of its transglutaminase to follow FDA or USIS labeling laws.

 

Meat Glue: ABC Report Slams Transglutaminase But Chefs Defend Its Use

On Monday, KGO-TV, the San Francisco affiliate of ABC, aired a report on transglutaminase, more commonly known as "meat glue." The clip, embedded below, features chef Staffan Terje of Perbacco Restaurant in San Francisco demonstrating how the powder works. It's basically what it sounds like -- meat glue allows proteins to fuse together to form one connected piece of meat. It's a process that has been known about for some time, but this ABC piece focuses on the consumer health risks. The report explains:

 

The outside of a piece of meat comes in contact with a lot of bacteria making its way from slaughterhouse to table. Usually cooking a steak on the outside will kill all that off. The center of a single cut of steak is sterile, that's why you can eat it rare. But glued pieces of meat could contain bacteria like E. coli on the inside.

Transglutaminase is USDA-approved. According to ABC, meat containing transglutaminase is found throughout places that serve meat in bulk, such as banquet dining or high-volume restaurants.

 

Arnold does acknowledge the risk of bacteria contamination, though. He advises several safety precautions, and believes that chefs need to be trained in how to use meat glue.

 

 

[Never Surrender]

no the truth is u did not google

be aware of how much meat glue is in your diet that you don't realize

 

on second thoughts, i'm never eating again...

 

actually i lie, apparently that stuff is banned in the EU though if you tell me whatever gross thing they use instead, THEN ill never eat again.

[iSimba]

To be honest, I couldn't care any less about "meat glue" or pink slime or whatever else. It tastes good and that's all I care about :3

[wildone]

on second thoughts, i'm never eating again...

 

actually i lie, apparently that stuff is banned in the EU though if you tell me whatever gross thing they use instead, THEN ill never eat again.

 

Yes, I believe in most countries of the world meat glue or filler or binder is illegal. McDonald's Canada ran a huge ad campaign when it came to light of the US's use of these products saying that all burger's are nothing but 100% Canadian Beef. I guess we just sell it to the US

 

So yes, Google is relevant HH5 if you live in the US. The rest of the world it probably isn't.

Edited November 30, 2013 by wildone

[Never Surrender]

To be honest, I couldn't care any less about "meat glue" or pink slime or whatever else. It tastes good and that's all I care about :3

 

I was going to take this perspective, then I judged myself  at the end of the day, the meat glue reminds me a lot of the horse meat scandal in the UK. I honestly don't really care what is being eaten, pigs blood or whatever, as long as the information is out there for people to make an informed choice about what is in their food, the way it is killed/processed, etc.

 

Back to the original topic --> I've never had a pretzel   so I guess I have no idea what i could be missing out on lol

[iSimba]

I was going to take this perspective, then I judged myself  at the end of the day, the meat glue reminds me a lot of the horse meat scandal in the UK. I honestly don't really care what is being eaten, pigs blood or whatever, as long as the information is out there for people to make an informed choice about what is in their food, the way it is killed/processed, etc.

 

Back to the original topic --> I've never had a pretzel   so I guess I have no idea what i could be missing out on lol

 

I was disappointed that I didn't eat any food with horse meat in it

[hh5]

lol don't eat here in the usa

on second thoughts, i'm never eating again...

 

actually i lie, apparently that stuff is banned in the EU though if you tell me whatever gross thing they use instead, THEN ill never eat again.

[hh5]

the french sold horsemeat as beef to another country .... wrong on that but also it price gouging because horsemeat is cheaper than beef

 

I was going to take this perspective, then I judged myself  at the end of the day, the meat glue reminds me a lot of the horse meat scandal in the UK. I honestly don't really care what is being eaten, pigs blood or whatever, as long as the information is out there for people to make an informed choice about what is in their food, the way it is killed/processed, etc.

 

Back to the original topic --> I've never had a pretzel   so I guess I have no idea what i could be missing out on lol

if you told a horselover that their meatloaf has horsemeat ... they'll have a fit

I was disappointed that I didn't eat any food with horse meat in it

[hh5]

Please remember the bigger issue is the potential of ingesting bad bacteria and the 2ndary issues is the meat glue itself

 

yes it be nice be told when eating gourmet food that it contains meat glue ... then you never eat there again for being charge so much for cheap stuff 

[Ron]

When a gourmet, one doesn't normally eat meat that needs to be glued together unless it is purposefully done. Something to be thankful for.

[wildone]

So has anyone tried the Wendy's burger on the Brioche bun?

 

I looked at the link in the article to find out what it is, but it just doesn't seem like the type of bun for a burger on it.

 

If nobody has, then I might have to sacrifice myself and go to Wendy's for lunch . Try one of those and a nice serving of Poutine (only in Canada eh? )

 

[Never Surrender]

if you told a horselover that their meatloaf has horsemeat ... they'll have a fit

 

i own a horse and i work with horses, i like them a lot as an animal

that said i actively support them being introduced on a more regular level to the food chain, at least here in the UK, as long as people know that, that is what they have been eating  

 

i want a pretzel! haha

[blake_logan]

 

So has anyone tried the Wendy's burger on the Brioche bun?

I haven't had a burger at Wendy's since they did the "Daves Hot & Juicy" promotion a few years ago.  The "juicy" was more an unpleasant greasy and the meat was kind of dry.

 

 

I was disappointed that I didn't eat any food with horse meat in it

 

In northern Italy there are a number of traditional dishes made of horse meat and served in the nicer restaurants.

 

 

Nandos is ridiculously overpriced, it was nicer before it became so horribly mainstream so upsetting haha mainly because the standards have started to drop in some of them!

 

That said, if someone else is buying, i wouldnt say no 

 

I love Nandos -- and remember, you get what you pay for....no chance of ingesting any "meat glue" from their bone-in chicken.

 

 

Yes, I believe in most countries of the world meat glue or filler or binder is illegal.

 

People have been using binders and fillers to stretch out meat and turn small bits into reasonable servings for centuries.  Think meatballs, croquettes, sausages, terrines, etc.  Eggs, corn starch, flour, bread, etc.  all serve as binders to glue together small bits of meat into something that looks more like a serving of something.  People have been using enzymes on their food as a tenderizer for centuries as well (papaya and pineapple juice in a "natural" recipe, Adolph's meat tenderizer for the modern home cook), so that's not new either. Advances in food science introduce new products every day and this is just the latest set of additives.

 

I find it hard to believe that someone would go into a nicer restaurant and not notice if they were served trimmings glued together with transglutaminase or Fibrimex instead of a steak.  Either the flavor or the texture (or both) would make it pretty obvious that you were eating fused meat.  If it's palatable then people will buy the product.  If it isn't then they won't.  Arby's has been selling fused meat as roast beef for decades.  It's obviously not real meat, but people eat it anyway.

 

Now, if you really want to ponder food chemistry....how come when you buy a loaf of bread in the UK it starts to mold in about a week while a loaf of bread in the US takes nearly a month to start getting the green fuzz?