Hi all, I am doing some writing on the history of baking, and I was wondering when flour became pure. We take for granted the fact that flour in our grocery stores is free from insect larvae, twigs, and other contaminants. I have heard that the purpose of sifting flour was once to get this stuff out. Now we sift for nostalgia's sake or possibly to make flour fluffy. I want to say that flour became pure with the advent of large flour millers in the 19th century like Wasburn-Crosby and Pillsbury (both now are part of General Mills). But that is just a guess. When did things really get cleaned up? Do any of you foodies and bakers know? Thanks!
posted by tnygard on Feb 5, 2009 - 23 answers

My Zojirushi rice cooker is contaminated with some kind of bacteria or mold. If I leave cooked rice in it for more than 24 hours, the rice goes mushy and stinky. This never happened with my $15 cooker. Help! [more inside]
posted by rxrfrx on Jul 23, 2008 - 20 answers

Given the recent reports about seafood from China that is both bacterio- or viral-contaminated and chemically contaminated, does anyone have info about exactly which fish/shellfish to stay completely away from, especially in restaurants?
posted by yazi on May 6, 2008 - 5 answers