From Melt Resistant Ice Cream to a Meat Straw for your Bloody Mary

The Lempert Report
September 16, 2015

The latest in food news!

Melt Resistant Ice Cream! 
There's nothing like an ice cream on a hot summers day, until it melts all over your hand, that is!  Well we could soon be seeing the end of this problem with melt-proof ice cream! According to scientists there's a naturally-occurring protein,  already present in other foods, that would cause ice cream to melt slower by binding together -- air, fat and water -- creating ice cream that will stay cold longer in hot weather. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/melt-ice-cream_55e5c9dae4b0aec9f3548b55?utm_hp_ref=taste&ir=Taste&section=taste
 
Chili's Promotes Food Porn 
According to the Associated Press, the restaurant chain Chilli's spends $750,000 annually on an “egg wash” that gives burger buns “a photogenic glaze.” And for a better photo look, it also began serving fries in stainless-steel baskets and stacking ribs on plates for better  effect. It's all to focus on a new strategy of making food more "shareable" and given how much consumers, especially Millennials love to photograph their food and tell their friends about it on social media, this is actually a pretty smart move! http://cdn.app.theweek.com/editions/com.dennis.theweek.issue.issue721/data/34643_aae1ad59544264aa59f5f3700ef316d2/web.html
 
Benny's Meat Straws! 
Only in America could you find this; Benny's Original Meat Straws!! That's right, a straw made from meat. Pork to be exact, and they're meant for Bloody Mary's. At a half-inch in diameter, they are the same length as a standard straw with a hole running down the middle. And if you're wondering if there's a market for these… the answer is yes!  The Detroit Lions, who serve a Hail Mary Bloody Mary drink, contacted creator Ben Hirko last year and went on to see 30,000 Bloody Mary's with meat straw garnishes. The meat straws are also sold in grocery stores and bars, and on the Benny's website. http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/08/26/434958065/the-bloody-mary-meat-straw-an-all-american-story