
Smoked foods are tastier, less harmful with a tip from the auto industry - camtarn
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/03/180320084409.htm
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ricardobeat
> the researchers smoked tomato flakes, coconut oil and water using either
> filtered or unfiltered smoke. Then, they added the smoked tomato flakes to
> cream cheese and used the water to brine some chicken

Not that this disqualifies the results, but what an odd choice of tests.

~~~
jerrysievert
> Not that this disqualifies the results, but what an odd choice of tests.

I would disagree: grilled tomatoes are a mainstay of a simple taste profile -
very easy to distinguish acrid or "extra" flavors.

Coconut oil has a very high smoke point, and thus should pick up any flavor
from the smoke without bringing anything to the plate itself - very easy to
test flavors.

Water, well, if you've not had a cocktail with smoked ice, I'm afraid I can't
help you :)

The point is that these choices provided more neutral mediums for the
collection of smoke, as opposed to, say, trying to smoke meat or cheese, where
the base ingredients may have just a little bit of different flavor.

as an aside, I have a chicken in the smoker right now, with a load of cherry
wood, but would love to eliminate a few of those carcinogens.

~~~
ianai
I would experiment with liquid smoke in marinades and long, ‘wet’ cooking
times (rotisserie if possible). But I’m a vegan now, so I just get to put the
liquid smoke directly into my seitan ;)

Definitely buy the most liquid smoke you can reasonably store and use. A
gallon or a quart has been maybe 10% the cost of similar volumes purchased in
smaller bottles.

Also, I’m considering deleting my comment thanks to the downvotes. I’m
guessing it’s because I revealed I’m a vegan, despite the fact that I made
valid cooking suggestions for meat. Nothing about anything I said was
judgemental.

~~~
jerrysievert
I didn't downvote you, nor do I have any issue with you being a vegan, but
will just point out that I personally don't care for liquid smoke - mostly
because I find it boring compared to the woods I would normally use to smoke
food with.

~~~
ianai
Yes still trying to figure that one out. It’s pretty complex. I’m thinking
browning/burning the edges and an extra Smokey sauce.

~~~
scottie_m
Have you tried smoking some mushrooms and using them as a smoked base? I’ve
had smoked portobellos and the flavor profile was pleasingly meaty. You can
also dry mushrooms and make them into a powder too add an almost msg-esque
kick to food. I like to get some extra firm tofu, lightly salt it and put it
on a rack with some paper toweling and a plate on top for a pan hour or to to
drain and get even more firm. Then poach in oil at a lower temp. While it’s
still hot, dredge in seasoned panko that you add mushroom powder to, and fry
at high temp to crisp it up.

It’s awesome!

~~~
washadjeffmad
That's what I do, and for a more specific recommendation, powder dried
shiitake and porcinis in equal weight in a spice mill or coffee grinder, then
store in a medium-hole shaker. Add at the end of dishes for a savory boost.

Good on risotto, phillies, dusted over seasoned vegetables and sauces, on
toast with butter, and pretty much anywhere else.

You've captured my interest with the smoked mushrooms, and I'm very curious to
see how they can be used and processed.

~~~
ianai
I’ve not done the smoked mushroom thing yet but definitely plan to do so. Same
with the tofu thing!

I add mushroom powder to my vegan “carne adovada” and liquid smoke as two very
dark magic umami cheats. Mushroom powder is just crazy awesome.

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djrogers
It is well known in the BBQ world that not all smoke is good smoke. In fact,
one of the secrets/talents a great pit master must have is the ability to
manage a fire to minimize or eliminate the plume of white smoke - that’s the
stuff that tastes like ashes. The thin blue smoke from a properly tended
hardwood fire is more flavorful and contains fewer carcinogens - it’s a big
key to great Q.

It’d be a huge advancement to casual/home BBQ if these filters have a similar
effect- although I’m sure many popular styles of smoker would need to be
completely redesigned to support the addition of a filter...

~~~
userbinator
_The thin blue smoke from a properly tended hardwood fire is more flavorful
and contains fewer carcinogens_

Do you have any references for that? In the automotive world, blue smoke is
worse than white smoke.

~~~
tyingq
Seems unrelated. White smoke is usually antifreeze (head gasket blowout) and
blue smoke is burning oil (more serious engine damage).

~~~
toomanybeersies
Burning coolant generally signals a worse problem that burning oil.

A cracked head gasket is a _bad_ thing to have, it get a lot worse quite
quickly.

Burning oil is fairly normal for an older car, it generally means your piston
rings are getting a bit worn, perfectly normal for a 20+ year old car. The
solution is generally to use a heavier oil.

~~~
tyingq
Not my experience. Replacing head gaskets isn't cheap, but it's cheaper than a
rebore and new rings. Thicker oil is a very short term band aid.

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positr0n
Awesome! I wonder if anyone sells liquid smoke made using zeolite filters. I
would buy it and use it in foods like sous vide brisket.

[https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/food-lab-complete-
guide-...](https://www.seriouseats.com/2016/08/food-lab-complete-guide-sous-
vide-barbecue-smoked-bbq-brisket.html)

~~~
matte_black
Isn’t liquid smoke already much safer? The carcinogens aren’t water soluble.

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no_identd
So why don't industry cigarettes contain zeolite filters? Same question for
activated charcoal filters. And don't say 'false sense of security', harm
reduction is harm reduction is harm reduction.

~~~
ricardobeat
Cigarettes are already expensive, that would make them a luxury item.

~~~
stochastic_monk
They’re only expensive because they’re so heavily taxed. Putting some of that
money to consumer health in the form of more advanced filters would be great
harm reduction.

~~~
_asummers
That's not the right behavior to be encouraging at the macro public health
level, though. The goal of the taxes is to discourage use, by making the cost
outrageous, and while you can make them safer, ultimately you want to be
discouraging their use entirely.

~~~
coldtea
> _That 's not the right behavior to be encouraging at the macro public health
> level, though. The goal of the taxes is to discourage use, by making the
> cost outrageous_

And why's that the government's business exactly?

In a country that they actually offer free public healthcare, I'd understand
it (sick people incur costs), but in the US and other such places, it's mostly
the state playing nanny (even more so than the tax money).

~~~
barrkel
Because people vote for it?

Smoking culture has a lot of knock on effects for third parties who aren't in
a position to fix things themselves, children especially. I know; I grew up in
a house with two smokers. Now I can scarcely handle visiting my parents'
appartments.

~~~
coldtea
> _Because people vote for it?_

Really, like you ever got asked to vote "for it"?

First, it's usually a wholesale vote: you only like this 1-2 things about the
party's/candidate's platform?

Sorry, you're getting those 200 other things too. And there's just 2 parties,
so pick wisely, lest you get the one you really don't want.

Not to mention that even for the things people explicitly vote for, they don't
get. Empty promises is the name of the game...

> _Smoking culture has a lot of knock on effects for third parties who aren 't
> in a position to fix things themselves, children especially. I know; I grew
> up in a house with two smokers._

So, like almost everybody pre-90s? They seem to have come out alright...

~~~
ricardobeat
> The cancer death rate for men and women combined fell 25% from its peak in
> 1991 to 2014

Attributed mainly to reduction in smoking.

Also, the biparty system is peculiar to the US. Other countries have more
fine-grained political platforms, and mostly end up with similar policies.
Public health is, well, a public matter.

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esdott
So, who will be the first here to attach the closest available
tailpipe/muffler to their smoker? I’d honestly be surprised if this hasn’t
been thought of or done before.

~~~
pat2man
The Grand Tour did it: [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-
demand/2018/02/16/grand-tour-...](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/on-
demand/2018/02/16/grand-tour-season-two-episode-11-recap-gang-get-stuck-mud-
inmozambique/)

~~~
abakker
Coal rolled kippers!

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I_am_tiberius
Does this concern Lapsang Souchong (tea) as well?

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borne0
I can see this being a real marketing thing for smoked salmon, makes me want
to try it out in my smoker.

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JoshMnem
It looks like a smoked food company hired a researcher to investigate the
health effects of smoked food. Surprise -- smoked food is tastier and less
harmful than you thought!

Unfortunately, the actual research can't be examined during the PR campaign.

~~~
azernik
Did you even read the link? It's about how smoked food _is_ carcinogenic, and
that a specific new technique (that isn't widely used yet) can reduce that
problem.

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whoisthemachine
A delicious avenue of science!

