Cuisinart Green Gourmet 8" Skillet

Among the collection of pans in the department store’s home goods section, we saw the Cuisinart Green Gourmet range. Unlike all the others, these were packaged in simple brown card and claimed to be “Eco-Friendly Nonstick Cookware.”

Eco-Friendly Cookware?
Was this just another attempt at greenwashing? Well, perhaps since the core of the pan is made from aluminium, hardly the greenest of metals when it comes to production, but there are some other features of the overall product which at least put it ahead of other similar pans:

• PTFE/PFOA-free and petroleum-free non-stick coating;
• 70% recycled steel handle;
• Improved heat conduction (allowing less energy use);
• 100% recycled packaging, printed with soy ink.

It feels well made too, so unlikely to end up in a landfill in a few years because it breaks. Given the choices we had for buying an individual 8″ frying pan, we thought we’d give the green one a try.

Ceramic Non-Stick
The one unknown for me with this pan is the quality of the non-stick coating. Unlike the more common coating, this one is a ceramic-based coating. In addition to the green aspect of not being based on PTFE/PFOA or other oil derived materials, Cuisinart are also claiming that it will make for healthier cooking.

We will post an update on here with our experiences with this new non-stick coating once we’ve been using the pan for a while.

Periodically, we’ll try to pull some of the highlights from the articles we’ve retweeted and post them in something we’re calling Green Shorts. Welcome to the first edition of Green Shorts.

Animal Protein & Diabetes
Researchers from Harvard University found that some low-carb dieters were more likely to have type 2 diabetes. Men following a low-carb diet high in animal protein and fat were 75 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who ate moderately, and men eating low-carb while eating vegetable protein and fat were not at a higher risk. Read more at vegnews.com.

Floating Wind and Wave Power
A new Oregon company, Floating Power Inc, is announcing plans to build a floating power plant that generates electricity from both waves and wind. Read more at Sustainable Business Oregon.

Renault Twizy
Renault’s tiny electric two seater (one behind the other) was put to the test by UK based Autocar – you can see the video review of this fun little electric city car.

Kindle vs Books
Treehugger is reporting on a posting at TerraPass about the break-even point, from a carbon footprint perspective, of the Kindle reader. In the case of the post’s author, her break-even point was at around 3 years of use and she classified herself as an above average reader (in terms of number of books, not ability). The twist is that she uses her library to borrow most of the books she reads, or buys used ones (both good ways of sharing the carbon footprint of the physical book between more people).

Eco-Datacenter
Close to our hearts here at Vertography since our servers are running in a 100% solar powered data center, BendBroadband, in Oregon, has opened its own eco-friendly data center. Green features include solar panels, porous cement pavement and a special Kyoto cooling system that uses the outside air to cool the servers 80% of the time. Read more at KTVZ.

Interesting question. He also makes a distinction between fake meats and other vegetable proteins, such as tofu, which are ingredients in their own right, and are used in both vegetarian and meat dishes in some cultures. Of course, vegetarians eating out at any Asian restaurant will frequently find something they can eat in the tofu section of the menu (just be sure to ask whether there is any meat or seafood added as well).

Among the fake meats, there are an increasing number of options available. Some better than others, but I think there are only a couple that are good enough to stand alone, like tofu, as an ingredient that would be acceptable to a regular meat eater. Here’s a summary of the ones I’ve tried personally, and would recommend (or not).

Quorn
Quorn has been a long time favourite of mine since before moving out to California. When I left the UK in the late 90s, Quorn was already well established there and offered both the plain form for use in your own recipes and an ever increasing range of ready meals and breaded products.

The big differentiator for me with quorn is the texture, although even now it is relatively hard to find in supermarkets (here in California at least, Safeway stocks some Quorn products and, as expected, Whole Foods carries a lot of their products).

Quorn has been the subject of a controversy since it arrived in the US, with attempts to block it’s sale from a number of fronts. An article at Slate does a better job of explaining the nonsense in this. I’ve been eating Quorn since it launched in the UK, and have known lots of other people (vegetarian and not) who have eaten it, and I can’t remember a single problem.

Field Roast Grain Co
This was a new discovery in the Safeway veggie meats area, and one I agree with Sami about: this is less of a meat replacement and more of a product in its own right. Their sausages are now a regular fixture in my fridge (and I have more in the freezer). And the roasts, which are basically the same product in a larger form, make an excellent choice for a conventional “meat & two veg” type plate, or sliced in a sandwich.

Morningstar Farms
Another permanent fixture in my freezer for almost as long as I’ve been here in the US are the Morningstar Farms products. Over time, I think I’ve tried most of their range. The prime grillers (basically a burger replacement, as opposed to the Gardenburger type of veggie burger), the buffalo wings and the breaded “chicken” patties are my most common purchases. The breakfast links are also great, though with all the other sausage options now I find I buy less frozen ones.

In the burger replacement space, I do also buy the Boca burgers sometimes, but the Morningstar ones win my award for burger replacement. I do think the Boca ones grill better though.

Yves & Smart Sausages
Another pair of providers for alternative sausages that I buy frequently are Yves and Smart Sausages from Lightlife. The Italian style are my favourites, sliced and sautéed with some fresh veggies for addition to a nice pasta sauce.

The Yves range also includes sliced deli meat replacements that are good (though my award in that category goes to Tofurkey). Both also have ground meat replacements that are good.

Tofurkey
Not a big fan of their roast product (for that segment I tend to use the Quorn roast), but I do love Tofurkey‘s sliced deli style products for my sandwiches. I wish I could find a deli that would offer them in their sandwiches as an option in place of sliced meats.

Gardenburger
I am including Gardenburger here, even though I do not consider them to be strictly a meat replacement. I think they are a product in their own right, and a delicious one at that, and since I mentioned the Morningstar and Boca burger replacements, I thought it only fair to mention Gardenburger. Like the Boca burgers, Gardenburgers also grill well, but nobody will ever mistake one for a meat patty!

Not Recommended
I’ve tried all kinds of vegetarian protein products, and while most are fine, there are a few i just don’t recommend.

• Any of the fake meat products in Asian supermarkets! They always taste strange to me, and no matter how I cook them, that taste persists. Many times I’ll find the texture a little odd as well.
• Tofu as a meat replacement. I find it is hard to do anything with tofu that would make it work as a meat replacement. As itself, if you like it, tofu is fine, but it doesn’t work well in everything, and especially not in western dishes. The closest I could get was the marinaded baked tofu available in the refrigerated section of most supermarkets, but the products above are all berthed choices.

So what should we do every day? Here’s a few of my tips – feel free to add more in the comments.

No Bottled Water
If you must carry a personal supply of water with you, buy a nice stainless steel water bottle and fill it from a tap. If you’re not sure about drinking the tap water directly, buy a filter jug (or have a more permanent one fitted to your house plumbing) and fill your bottle from that.

Aside from saving all those plastic bottles, you’ll also save money and your water will stay cool longer as well. We took a polished stainless bottle to Hawaii, and found the water in that stayed cool all day, even when left in the parked car.

No Paper Cups
Like that Starbucks latté in the morning? Me too. But how about bringing your own mug rather than taking it in the paper cup? Each cup you save means one less cup, plastic lid and heat sleeve will be used. Plus you get to use your own mug. Choose an insulated one and your coffee will stay hot longer. And, as if hot coffee from your own mug wasn’t enough, many cafés will give you a discount for using your own cup; Starbucks will knock off 10¢ in the US. If you need the cup rinsed out from your first cup, they’ll be happy to do that for you too.

Sitting down for coffee rather than taking it to go? Ask if they have china mugs you can use. Outside the US, this is common, but I’ve started to see places here doing it too.

By the way, Starbucks is also doing a free brewed coffee or tea promotion for Earth day this year. More information on their blog.

Take Public Transit
Not just on Earth day, but as often as possible. Believe me, I know it is not as comfortable as your nice car, but it has other advantages. Here’s a few of the things I get by taking a ferry and a train to work that I wouldn’t get by driving:

• Interesting, and often thought provoking, conversation from a group of people I would never have met otherwise.
• The chance to read my email & even respond to some of it, before I get in to the office. The days I have to drive, I really miss this.
• Free daily exercise from walking between home & the ferry terminal, and from the train station to my office.

Sure, it’s not all roses (don’t get me started on BART again), but it is generally less stressful than rush hour driving, and it means I get to keep driving my car for pleasure (not to mention keeping the miles down – I’m under 5K per year now).

Reuse and Recycle
Most people have worked out the recycling thing now, but how many are reusing things? Don’t waste money on disposable plastic containers for keeping your leftovers in, use the ones you bought with things like cheese, salsa, dips or yoghurt in them instead. Same for those glass jars your pasta sauce came in.

How about the back of the print outs you accidentally forgot to do double sided? Use them for note pads around the house, before recycling them.

US Standards
In the USA, the standards body for labeling food is the USDA, and they have three grades of organic product:

• 100% Organic
• Organic
• Made with organic ingredients

The first two can print the USDA seal (the image above) on their packaging; products that are marked ‘made with organic ingredients’ may not use the USDA seal.

A product that is 100% organic must contain only organically produced ingredients and processing aids. Salt and water are excluded, but that’s all. Products that are labeled organic must contain at least 95% organically produced ingredients, and the remaining 5% must be things not available in organic form (and must be on the National List maintained by the USDA). Products claiming to be made with organic ingredients must contain at least 70% organic ingredients.

In all three cases, the product must not be produced using excluded methods, sewage sludge, or ionizing radiation. They may not use genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and in the case of meat and poultry products, only organic feed may be used. Livestock may not be given antibiotics either.

European Standards
The EU standards for organic products are very similar to the USDA standards (see comparison). The same three basic grades exist, at the same percentage levels with with the same limitations on the use of the relevant seal (the English version of the EU seal is shown to the right). The main differences are that products with less than 70% organic ingredients may not use the word organic at all under EU regulations (in the US, they are allowed to indicate which specific ingredients are organic still), and there are some differences in the allowed non-organic products and the farming processes (particularly the transition time from non-organic to organic).

As with the US, there are many different organisations that certify products. Each of those is identified by a code, and may also have a logo. They may also use standards that are stricter than the regulations require. The Green & Black’s organic chocolate I’m enjoying while I write this is certified by the Soil Association in the UK (code UK5), an example of a certifying body with stricter requirements than the government regulations.

Other Countries
Countries all around the world are creating regulations to control the use of the organic term, and make sure that consumers are not being mislead when they buy products labeled as organic. Wikipedia has an excellent list of the certification bodies for other countries.