My Mom and the Dorito Effect-Part 2-Grill Marks and Consistent Taste

 

My Mom and the Dorito Effect, Part 2

Grill Marks and Consistent Taste

    With the backdrop of my Mom's observations on canned tomato soup forty something years ago the decades have seen a great deal of prepared and fast food "taste consistency" that can boggle the mind and bring into question the "ingredients list."

Hamburgers at your favorite chain, say McD's for instance, look, taste and smell the same whether you buy them in New Jersey, Florida, California, Washington state or anywhere in between. This is quite different than your backyard burgers that tend to vary depending on a number of factors including who is flipping the burgers on your grill.

What happens at the chains that burgers don't vary in taste, juiciness, grill marks, flakiness, smell or even how well done they are? At least 15 years ago information started appearing in the media that those "grill marks" on hamburgers and chicken at many fast food chains are painted or branded on using a combination of sugar, fats, oils, smoke flavoring and other chemicals. Much of the "grilled chicken" is actually cooked with a burst of hot air and never even touches a grill or flat top. Apparently consistent taste and appearance ("at least I know what I'm getting") ranks higher than great taste and nutrition to many and the prepared and fast food industries rely heavily on this preference.

To be continued...