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Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to…
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Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats (original 2007; edition 2008)

by Steve Ettlinger

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5301945,387 (3.24)33
Like most Americans, Steve Ettlinger eats processed foods. And, like most consumers, he often reads the ingredients label-without a clue as to what most of it means. So when his young daughter asked, "Daddy, what's polysorbate 60?" he was at a loss-and determined to find out. From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the corn fields in Iowa, from gypsum mines in Oklahoma to the vanilla harvest in Madagascar, Twinkie, Deconstructed is a fascinating, thoroughly researched romp of a narrative that demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients-where they come from, how they are made, how they are used-and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they're often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder with a strange name-all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake. An insightful exploration into the food industry, if you've ever wondered what you're eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter, a food-grade equivalent) this book is for you. Book jacket. Includes information on amino acids, animal feed, artificial vanilla, baking powder, bread, browning, butter, canola oil, Cargill, chlor/alkali industry, chlorine, corn, cosmetics, cream, Crisco, egg whites, egg yolks, ethylene, ethylene oxide, explosives, fermentation, flour, Food and Drug Administration, food coloring, glycerin, Hostess, hydrochloric acid, hydrogenation, ice cream, Kraft, lime, limestone, monoglycerides, monosodium glutamate (MSG), Monsanto, natural gas, Neutrogena, nitrogen, obesity, oxygen, palm oil, Papett's Hygrade Egg products, petroleum, phosphates, phosphoric acid, plaster, plastic, polysorbates, preservatives, propylene glycol, protein, red no. 40, refined sugar, salad dressings, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, shelf life, shortening, Silver Springs (New York), soap, soda ash, soybean oil, soybeans, stearic acid, sucrose, sugarcane, sulfuric acid, trans fats, trees, triglycerides, Trona, vanilla, vanillin, vitamins, Wise, Wonder Bread, yellow no. 5, etc.… (more)
Member:Aceofcups
Title:Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated into What America Eats
Authors:Steve Ettlinger
Info:Plume (2008), Paperback, 304 pages
Collections:Your library
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Twinkie, Deconstructed: My Journey to Discover How the Ingredients Found in Processed Foods Are Grown, Mined (Yes, Mined), and Manipulated Into What America Eats by Steve Ettlinger (2007)

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» See also 33 mentions

Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
I've been interested in reading this for a long while, but at a quarter in it's just pretty tedious and I think the rest will be more of the same. I'm sure there are some interesting nuggets I'm missing out on, but they're quite buried under a ton of details I don't care about. I think I would prefer it if the author didn't try to make it all into a story, just 'ingredient- how it's made' on repeat. Instead he'll mention what the weather was like when he visited the mill, or what the manager's name is, or about competing mills. I just don't care about any of that, and it adds to my life not at all. I like the idea of one food, seemingly simple but famous for having a lot of ingredients, standing in for highly processed foods in general, and I like learning about food, but this missed the mark for me. ( )
  JorgeousJotts | Feb 14, 2023 |
One I borrowed from the public library.

Here is the link to what I wrote about it, from my personal blog:

[http://itinerantlibrarian.blogspot.com/2007/05/booknote-twinkie-deconstructed.html] ( )
  bloodravenlib | Aug 17, 2020 |
If you would like to know more about all the ingredients in a Twinkie, including the nearly unpronounceable ones, this is a great source. The book includes a brief history and the chemistry of the ingredients. The details of the science and process may make this book a better read than an audiobook. ( )
  MichaelC.Oliveira | Dec 25, 2018 |
My journey to discover how the ingredients found in processed foods are grown, mined (yes, mined), and manipulated into what America eats.
  jhawn | Jul 31, 2017 |
After reading this, you won't be too quick to eat processed food. Amazing how some of the ingredients are made ( )
  nancynova | Jul 8, 2017 |
Showing 1-5 of 19 (next | show all)
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To Dylan and Chelsea and To those of us who have spent many a dull moment staring, uncomprehending, at the ingredient list on the label of some packaged food (you have plenty of company). Now you can read this book instead.
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One could be forgiven for thinking that all one might have to do to find out what goes into a Hostess Twinkies "Golden Sponge Cake with Creamy Filling" is to simply ask the company that makes them.
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Like most Americans, Steve Ettlinger eats processed foods. And, like most consumers, he often reads the ingredients label-without a clue as to what most of it means. So when his young daughter asked, "Daddy, what's polysorbate 60?" he was at a loss-and determined to find out. From the phosphate mines in Idaho to the corn fields in Iowa, from gypsum mines in Oklahoma to the vanilla harvest in Madagascar, Twinkie, Deconstructed is a fascinating, thoroughly researched romp of a narrative that demystifies some of the most common processed food ingredients-where they come from, how they are made, how they are used-and why. Beginning at the source (hint: they're often more closely linked to rock and petroleum than any of the four food groups), we follow each Twinkie ingredient through the process of being crushed, baked, fermented, refined, and/or reacted into a totally unrecognizable goo or powder with a strange name-all for the sake of creating a simple snack cake. An insightful exploration into the food industry, if you've ever wondered what you're eating when you consume foods containing mono- and diglycerides or calcium sulfate (the latter, a food-grade equivalent) this book is for you. Book jacket. Includes information on amino acids, animal feed, artificial vanilla, baking powder, bread, browning, butter, canola oil, Cargill, chlor/alkali industry, chlorine, corn, cosmetics, cream, Crisco, egg whites, egg yolks, ethylene, ethylene oxide, explosives, fermentation, flour, Food and Drug Administration, food coloring, glycerin, Hostess, hydrochloric acid, hydrogenation, ice cream, Kraft, lime, limestone, monoglycerides, monosodium glutamate (MSG), Monsanto, natural gas, Neutrogena, nitrogen, obesity, oxygen, palm oil, Papett's Hygrade Egg products, petroleum, phosphates, phosphoric acid, plaster, plastic, polysorbates, preservatives, propylene glycol, protein, red no. 40, refined sugar, salad dressings, Carl Wilhelm Scheele, shelf life, shortening, Silver Springs (New York), soap, soda ash, soybean oil, soybeans, stearic acid, sucrose, sugarcane, sulfuric acid, trans fats, trees, triglycerides, Trona, vanilla, vanillin, vitamins, Wise, Wonder Bread, yellow no. 5, etc.

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