Asking Alice S1:E5 “About Food and Fat”
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Originally Published on August 28th, 2490
Orbital News Network/A MGM HoloNET Production
There's a catchy little intro, the logo, the canned applause that indicates there's a live holo-audience. Alice is a pleasant sounding woman with a smooth genial voice that doesn't seem to have a particular accent. She smiles a lot, and despite the very obvious augmentations, moves and talks very naturally. Throughout the show, and each topic, there's a very non-judgmental quality to her that tends to reinforce the image of an impartial, but compassionate scientist
| “Hello and welcome to today's edition of Asking Alice! Before I get into anything particularly health related, I wanted to share just some general good news. It's finally Pumpkin Spice Season! I understand at one point in history it coincided with a specific annual climate change. But overall, Pumpkin Spice Season is more about appreciating the effort it takes to make great food happen. And that's what today's show is going to be about.
So our guest doesn't need an introduction, really. But, he made me, and he can because he's my dad. We're going to be meeting up with Heath Winters, owner of Tao at MGM Stelara in New Vegas and Greenbriar Steakhouse at MGM ARC in New Vegas, and host of Heath's Kitchen, to talk about what this season means for Agriplexes, and understanding where our food comes from, and how we can do better. But first! Sosumi released their latest netrunner upgrade last week, and I have to say, there's a lot to love here. People who have to make a lot of secure network connections generally prefer having a physical cable and link, and for years the standard was set by Sosumi's Nanowire. This thin wire with a universal mesh adapter installs easily into the forearm, or a forearm compartment if you use prosthetic arms like I do. The new MonoWire comes in lighter, stronger, and capable of higher speed stable connections that definitely make it worth the upgrade. Modtek on Cocoon Station has a good supply of these, so if you find yourself in that travel hub, I definitely recommend picking one up! Now, before we let my dad get out here and steal the show, let's hear from some of our sponsors.” |
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
The Camera cuts back to Alice, and very obviously her father in the kitchen.
| AW: “Welcome back! The man to my right never needs an introduction from me. Most people know who he is right away. Maybe some people are surprised he's my dad, but let's welcome Heath Winters, Master Chef and pretty ok parent!”
Heath Winters: “Pretty Okay? That's the thanks we get. It's OK. I'm used to not being appreciated.” |
They one armed hug and smile at each other.
| HW: “But you ate well.”
AW: “And I still do. And that's what we're talking about. So first, Happy Pumpkin Spice Season, Dad. I realize growing up how lucky I was to have a parent in a real kitchen to help in developing an appreciation for and understanding of food. I know people see Chef Dad and Surgeon daughter and think that's wild, but really you and I work more in alignment than people realize.” HW: “That's right. We both have to have solid knife skills, we have to use chemistry and biology and physics to do what we do well. It took having a science oriented daughter for me to really see that cooking is just chemistry you can eat.” AW: “And it took having a chef-minded Dad to teach me that there's art in science. and that one of the most incredible things you do is to express complex chemical reactions in simple, and tasty ways.” HW: “And that's how we wound up with this today? What are we making?” AW: “A lot of great holidays happen during Pumpkin Spice Season, and it's probably when we eat the largest amount and greatest variety of food. But do we really understand where it comes from, and how to make it not just the most flavorful, but also the best for us? So I wanted us to put together and go over a basic holiday community dinner menu, since it covers a lot of great seasonal options, and typically has things available for a range of incomes.” HW: “Right. You don't have to have lab grown meats eating up the cost and value of your best holiday meals, there's so many plant-based options to try. And I'm also going to show you how to get fresh vegetables at price points that make them much more affordable.” AW: “Yes, chef! Where are we starting?” HW: “I'm just gonna have you be my sous here, and so, if you could, there's a Lab Grown and shaped turkey in your oven there to pull out for me? So, as she does that, I'll explain that lab grown meat is fantastic. It's nutrient dense, and has a particular flavor and texture that is appealing. As you can see when I slice, there are juices that come out, there's a crisp exterior, the inside looks tender. And the texture should be fibrous, but still smooth, with a bit of an al-dente resistance when you bite down. That means it should take about the same amount of pressure and you should feel about the same amount of resistance you do when you bite into a cooked noodle. We actually started this one last night because a meal like this takes several hours to prepare and cook. Whole turkeys are the kind of thing most people would serve maybe once a year, as you're into four figures on the smallest ones, and the options for flavor infusion, fat content, and marrow and bone structure are a little overwhelming. This one came from Tychic Labs in New Omaha, which, as you know, is a big Agri-hub. This one, with full bone and marrow shaping, 7% fat content, and herbal garlic infused crisp-skin runs $12,000 for a four-kilo platter.” AW: “That's pretty expensive. But it's also, really-mmm-really good. What about for folks who would like to impress, but don't have the space and resources for one of these?”” HW: “The soy turkey, or tofurkey is usually the first option people go for. It's popular, accessible, travels well, and takes on whatever flavor you add to it. And that second part is why it's almost a universal disappointment at holiday meals. I want to show you how to fix that.” AW: “Consider me your Sous.” HW: “Ha! All right then. Why don't you grab the basket of herbs out of your fridge and chop those up roughly, and get your pan pre-heated and oiled. One of the biggest mistakes people make with a soy turkey is to follow the directions on the box. You put it in an oven for a set amount of time and it comes out and you get this brown block that looks like it tried to be crispy, but came up way short. There's a reason for that. In order for any food to develop that crispy exterior, the secret is a lot of heat and a lot of fat. Both very quickly. So rather than just stick this block in the oven, we're going to slice it into its servings, and individually saute them. The perk to any plant-based protein is that it is ready to eat pretty much right away, and doesn't always have to go through a long marinade and tenderization process before the cook. And Alice, what happens when high heat comes into contact with aminos?” AW: “A sizable piece of protein will lose some volume in the cooking process as water and other liquids may be boiled or heated off, and the proteins appear to contract or shrink. You see it more with actual meat than plant-based protein.” HW: “See? You coulda been a contender. Really folks. She would have been a great chef. Probably for a lot of the same reasons she's a great surgeon. She probably wouldn't say the same thing about me.” AW: “I would not. Because the first time you barked at someone in an OR you'd have to explain to your patient that they have a new prosthetic ear because your intern flinched when you called them something rude.” HW: “Which is why I'm a chef. The only person they can hurt when they flinch is themselves. So, as you can see, my sous here was able to anticipate my needs, and has really brought in some flavor here. She chopped up herbs, and literally just stirred them into this margarine. And the point here is about taking an accessible food and elevating it. So, tofurkey, sliced into servings, and margarine with fresh herbs mixed in. Most foodstuffs suppliers and shops on most stations have at least a nominal produce section, where you can get some very basic accessible fresh foods. Herb Bundles are one of those. I also suggest, if you have the opportunity to get seeds and grow your own, to take that chance. They're inexpensive, accessible, and they're how a dish gets its identity. So Alice is going to just go right in and coat the entire side of the tofurkey with this herbed butter and just go ahead and show them how it's done, sweetie.” |
Alice does exactly that, the plume of steam and smoke wafting off of the thick metal, which she picks up bare handed, since her arms are cybernetic and can't burn anyways, so that she can hold it and turn it while she talks.
| AW: “You can even pull the pan off the heat at this point. What you're looking for is one of these thick cast iron pans, because they take and hold heat really well. Once the center of the pan is kind of dull, but before it starts glowing, you're in the sweet spot to drop your protein and get a really good sear on it. It takes anywhere from 60 to 90 seconds for the reactions to do their thing, and it's best to not disturb it during that time. Once things seem to sound consistent, that lets you know the first part of the reaction is over, and so, we want to repeat that on the other side. Same thing. Just flip it over, and leave it alone. Once you've got each slice seared in, you arrange them all back on the cooling, but still hot pan, and let them sit for about 3 minutes in a 400 degree convection oven to finish up. We're going to take a commercial break and let that finish up, and when we get back, we'll also show off some accessible options in mushroom proteins from UmamiCorp, and the Seasonal Root Package being put out by RootCore.” |
[COMMERCIAL BREAK]
| AW: “Welcome back! So as you can see our seared Tofurkey took us less than ten minutes, but this completely changes your entire interaction. It's not a blad block of sad protein. With just some heat, fat, and herb, we've elevated this to something really worth sharing.”
HW: “So that handles your Main. So what are we putting on the side? Cryo-Veg mixes are pretty common, and are a great way to get pretty close to the fresh thing. But since they are frozen, they last a lot longer and are usually a lot cheaper. Generally, if you're going to cook the vegetables, then frozen is fine. If you want them raw, then you'll need to look into fresh produce options. If we're saving money, then we want to look at what's local. Impromptu markets pop up in almost every sky city, these little microfarmers who grow local, and small, but when they sell, they sell cheap simply because it's excess to what they're using and it will spoil if they don't. Now, when you do brave your grocer, and the produce section, you're really going to want to go for those herbs, again, and green vegetables. Peas, green beans, lettuce if you want to get fancy about it. RootCore specializes in root vegetables, like the name suggests, and they're a subscription service that delivers those right to your home. So for the holiday meal season, they send a double box, which has twice as much food. and the focus is on varieties of potatoes. Colored Potatoes, potatoes that have been grafted and hybridized with garlic so they grow fully flavored - just butter and bake them and that's a perfect meal. Sweet Potatoes, sweet potato sugar. Also beets, and beet sugar. And that's just this month. There are radish-themed, and carrot and onion and lily themed boxes throughout the year. The whole service runs $1,000 credits a year, and you get three months worth of root vegetables for that. Here, we're using the sweet potatoes in a casserole, by boiling them in water until they're soft, mashing them up with spices, fat, and sugars, and roasting them in that 400 degree convection for another 7 or 8 minutes until the top is caramelized like this.” AW: “And what to do with those frozen green beans? toss them with some fat, I used an oil here, and salt and pepper a bit of starch and give them about 5 or 6 minutes in your convection oven to get them crisped up. This is also helping to get you the variety of foods and vitamins that really does improve your overall health. Most people don't get enough fats in their diet, because they're eating the straight pre-processed soy based meals and fats are, frankly, pricey. Lipids are absolutely vital to maintaining your weight, your energy levels, and generally lubricating all your organic bits, including your brain. Check the fat content of anything you're getting, and aim to get at least 50 grams of fat a day. Margarine and vegetable oils can do that for you, and if you have a friend that grows hemp? Those seeds are a wonderful source of useful nutty fats.” HW: “Also, fat makes things taste good. And that is because we need them, so we're programmed to respond to them with happiness. Lab Grown Meats let you select fat percentages. But if you get the UmamiCorp Ribeye Stalk; you're going to want to add some fat, for sure. UmamiCorp works in fungus and fungus-based supplements. So besides a Soykaf alternative that gives you energy through the nutrients in the mushrooms, they grow mushrooms in different environments to encourage different flavors, and I use their product in Tao in the Seared Scallop Stalk with beurre blanc reduction and lemon foam. Again, they're cost effective, filling and flavorful. Especially when you treat them just like Alice did the Tofurkey. Slice it into servings, slather it in an infused fat, and sear the crap out of it before throwing it into the convection to temper down and seal up. You can get six packs of their Filet Shitake for under 50 credits and that'll easily impress any date, er-guest.” AW: “Dates too. And wow. We've gone a bit over on this one, I was having so much fun I wasn't watching the time. I promised Dad I'd give him a minute to tell you all about something he's working on, that I think is pretty cool.” HW: “Thanks, sweetie. When Alice started working with and promoting the RISE Program from MGM, I wanted to help, of course. I've worked with refugees to help provide them opportunity and skills, and have partnered several with investors to open restaurants on the new stations being built. I want to offer that opportunity to anyone on Mars who's been displaced or disadvantaged, or had their business destroyed. We want to help you rebuild. So please, reach out and let us know if we can help.” AW: “Thanks, Dad. And that's our show! Join us next week!” |
[EXIT MUSIC AND CREDITS - AN MGM PRODUCTION, SYNDICATED BY ONN]