Hamburgers & French Fries Watch 12/29/10

Hamburger Watch - Day 63

French Fry Watch - Day 42

Mold Watch (in baggies) - Day 17

One thought keeps coming to mind as I continue on with this experiment... "Have it your way." Do you remember that Burger King jingle?

You really can do a lot of different things with a simple burger or fries, regardless of where it came from or who prepared it. Whether you want it to last for years or just for days before it is overcome by mold. I believe the original "Terry Guinn Hamburger Experiment" has reached its climax... But I have been surprised before. We will keep watching the fries, as we will watch everything and perhaps there is some excitement left there. As for my sealed burger and fries, the french fries have been overcome by a white fuzzy mold that continues to spread. It also has a small area under some of the white fuzz that is turning green. In the sealed burger, I see what I believe to be signs of mold starting to sprout.

The sealed burger and fries have been a bit of a surprise to me in that, based on everything I have seen on the internet, I really expected the burger to be overtaken by mold first. I guess you really can't believe everything you read or see on the internet. LOL

Below are the current pictures of my hamburgers and french fries.

Next update... Next year on Wednesday, 1/5/10

Hamburgers & French Fries Watch 12/23/10

Hamburger Watch - Day 57

French Fry Watch - Day 36

Mold Watch - Day 11

It seems that I am wrong again. Based on what I have seen in reports, articles and videos on the internet, my expectations were that the hamburger sealed in the plastic bag would start molding fairly quickly and that the fries would probably not mold.

I had it backwards. Although I do expect the hamburger to turn soon, the french fries have a good start already. Notice the big white fuzzy area left center?

No change in the other hamburgers & french fries. Next report Wednesday, 12/29/10.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Hamburgers & French Fries Watch 12/19/10

Hamburger Watch - Day 53

French Fry Watch - Day 32

Mold Watch - Day 7

Very little to report today. The pictures are posted below of the french fries and sealed burger and fries, for record.

I expect that with the Terry Guinn Burger & Fries mold project, the ones in baggies, we should see mold within the next seven days... At least on the hamburger.

Next update Thursday.

Hamburgers & French Fries Watch 12/16/10

Hamburgers Watch - Day 50

French Fries - Day 29

Mold Watch - Day 4

Just when I thought my french fries had nothing left to offer, I found that they had a growth spurt over the past three days. The mold is starting to show a little green in it.

There are now three spots growing on the lighter group of my own fry creation. The two that had already sprouted are almost detectable with the camera. In the fries on the top of the group of my fry creation, one fry looks like it might be being eaten from the inside out.

The french fry, in the blue box at the top near the bun, with a very dark spot is turning green within the dark spot that is a defect in the fry.

And last but not least, day 4 of my mold watch has, no surprises here, not shown any change. This is a Terry Guinn action experiment. The other products are taking to long to show any change and I want to see some action.

To recap... I now have four hamburgers that will probably not change... ever! I have four sets of fries and with the exception of two single fries in the purchased fast food fries and my own creation that is very slowly decomposing, I think three sets could possibly last as long as the burgers. And then there is the new burger and fries in baggies. I am not sure what to expect, but I believe the burger will mold badly and the fries will mold some as well.

Next update Sunday.

Hamburgers & French Fries Watch 12/13/10

Hamburger Watch - Day 47

French Fries Watch - Day 26

Mold Watch - Day 1

MOLD Watch??? Yes, experiment # 3 has begun.

Pictured to the left is a hamburger and French fries that I bought today at McDonalds (sorry McDonalds). Since my hamburgers and french fries (that are now weeks old) have likely dried out and will probably last for years to come, I have sealed these new items in baggies to see if we can get them to rot away.

I have seen examples on YouTube of french fries, both in the open air and in a glass jar, that have not changed in appearance or molded. I need to see it for myself!

Pictured above are my 26 day old fries. The fries in blue and my own creation have a few spots where a white fuzzy mold has grown, but the mold seems to have stopped growing. The hamburgers have not changed for quite a while.

Perhaps we can get some action on the new mold watch... Show me the moldy!

Next update Thursday night. I am now a day behind because of circumstances beyond my control.

Hamburgers & French Fries Watch 12/8/10

Hamburger Watch - Day 42

French Fries Watch - Day 21

The mold is growing on two sets of fries and it won't be long until I can get a clear enough picture. Also, It's decided. I am going to start another experiment on Sunday to develop some mold.

If you look closely at the Burger King fries (blue package), you can see a dark spot in the middle of the fry that is on top of all the others. It is mold! And there is a bigger spot growing under some of those fries.

You can't tell from this picture yet, but there is white fuzzy mold growing in three spots on the lower (lighter in color) bunch of my fry creation. There appears to be something happening to the set on the top of my fry creation. There are spots darkening in an uneven pattern which I suspect is mold.

Next update on the Terry Guinn, "show me the moldy" project will be Sunday.

Hamburgers & Fries Watch 12/5/10

Hamburger Watch - Day 39

French Fries Watch - Day 18

Well, this is really boring! No changes since Wednesday. The mold I thought was on one of the Burger King fries with a defect, is in fact mold. It actually shows better now than the white fuzzy mold on a couple of my own fries.

Next update Wednesday... I thing I am going to try to create some moldy fries and a hamburger.

Hamburgers & Fries Watch 12/1/10

Hamburger Watch - Day 35

French Fry Watch - Day 14

Is it just me, or do experiments sometimes create more questions than answers? I am considering starting another experiment. I am bored with the same old watch that is going nowhere. I want action! I want destruction! I want MOLD! Just like in this video.

You may not be able to tell, but in the picture above, on the left, the french fries on the right in the blue wrapper... On the top, there is a french fry with a dark spot that appears to be mold in a hole in the fry. We will just have to keep watching. The fries on the left are a little greasier than I remember.

Of course my fries on the right, in the picture on the right (the bottom group), have developed a little white fungus in a couple places and my fries in the same group, at the top, appear to be darkening on the inside.

Boring!!!

Here is the real scope!

Did you know that when we fry some foods, like french fries, a chemical process occurs that creates varying levels of acrylamide. Acrylamide caused cancer to animals exposed to high doses (based on studies) and causes nerve damage in people exposed to very high levels at work. Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid during certain types of high-temperature cooking, such as frying, roasting, and baking (and some say in some microwaved foods). The FDA has not yet determined the exact public health impact, if any.

Heres the good news!!!

Part of the production process conducted by most suppliers of your favorite fast food fries is to put your fries through a blanching process that removes the excess sugars, so as a result (through logic) reduced formation of acrylamide. Ok, they still have to add the sodium acid pyrophosphate to help maintain color. And don't even get me started on the dimethylpolysiloxane added to the vegetable oil used to prepare the fries.

The reality is that fast food is not good for us for a lot of reasons and if we could survive on fruits and vegetables, we would be a lot better off. But who can resist the great tasting french fries that McDonalds has spent millions to perfect? There addicting... As McDonalds has intended.

Next update on Sunday.

Hamburgers & Fries Watch 11/28/10

Day 32 - Hamburger Watch

Day 11 - French Fry Watch

My burgers are officially a month old now. I have officially wasted a month watching hamburgers dry out. Note: The Wendys burger that was oily/greasy most of this month has changed little, except that the original droplets are now more of a greasy film.

My son thinks someone could reheat the french fries and not notice a difference because the fries still have a strong french fry smell. I keep the tray covered by a big box, so the smell lingers a while after removing the box. The only change is with my own french fry creation. It is turning a darker color and it is possible, based on a close inspection, that they are rotting on the inside. Time will tell.

Next update: Wednesday - I will have more information on "Acrylamide". I found a video on good & bad foods that mentioned french fries, among other things, can affect short term memory. In searching further, I discovered that acrylamide occurs naturally when cooking foods such as french fries and is a possible carcinogen. I will research further and report on Wednesday.

Hamburgers & Fries Watch

Day 28 - Hamburger Watch

Day 7 - French Fries Watch

I really need a better camera. The picture to the left just doesn't do these foods justice.

What can I say about the burgers except... Same story, different day. I will however continue to watch the Wendys burger closely.

The fries are a bit of a different story. The three fast food french fries are as expected, unchanged. My fries are sporting a white fuzz in a couple spots. My camera does not pick it up clearly, but I expect in another week or so we should see some clear changes.

So what about these fast food fries? Just as we allow our hot dogs and other processed meats to contain chemicals to help us find them pleasing to the eye, so to do we accept our french fries to be treated for our appeal. Lets face it, who wants to buy grey hot dogs or bologna and who wants dark colored french fries with a less than fluffy consistency?

Thats right, these fast food french fries go through a special process to help them maintain color and consistency... Just before they are frozen, packaged and shipped to a restaurant near you for a quick fry and serve.

For starters: These french fries include either sodium acid pyrophosphate (maintain color) or Disodium Dihydrogen Pyrophosphate (color protector), both are chemical food additives that are GRAS (generally recognized as safe).

In looking over resources on french fry ingredients, what I found was that I could find more details on the McDonalds fries than the others. The details I found or didn't find, raised some more questions on processing which I will explore further and report back at a later date.

Next update Sunday. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Did you know I have another Blog? Please check out A Healthier You Too

Hamburger & Fries Watch

Day 25 - Hamburger Watch

Day 4 - French Fry Watch

We have already determined that it is highly unlikely that the hamburgers are going to render any new surprises, aside from the slim potential of the Wendys burger that has an oily/greasy film that was droplets.

The droplets on the Wendys burger are slowly dissipating and it won't be long before this burger is dried out like the rest. Maybe!

I have high hopes for the French Fries. Here are todays pictures and except for my own creation, my 10 year old wants to heat up the fries and eat them.

While the fast food fries look as fresh as the day they were bought, my own French Fry creation is already looking a little weathered. I really expect these to start growing fungus at some point.

Did you know that many fast food french fries have in them things like potatoes... It may be hard to believe, but aside from the way the potatoes are processed before shipping and some of the "ingredients" used to prepare them, they are after all... Just potatoes. Until anyone can show me otherwise, I will continue to search for information to prove otherwise. I will also explore further the processing of these fries and the "ingredients" used for preservation.

For now, I will leave you with this reminder. We know that eating to often at fast food restaurants is not good for you and that a good home cooked healthy meal is best for a lot of reasons... Including bringing the family together at home.

Look for my next update on Wednesday.

Day 21 - Hamburger Watch

Day 21 - Hamburger Watch

As you can see, I have added french fries to my selection. So today we begin "Day 1 - French Fry watch". From left to right, we have hamburgers and fries from McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's and of course, my own creations. Note also how I have a mixed bunch of fries on the right. I have a perfect for eating bunch near the bottom of the picture, a slightly over cooked bunch next to my hamburger and an overcooked bunch in the middle. I tried to get a good variety for what I expect to be an interesting experiment.

To tell you the truth, I am not sure what to expect with the fries. With the burgers, as I have suspected from the beginning, all four have the potential for surviving for years. Perhaps the Wendy's burger may surprise me because of the existing oil/grease on the surface that is not dissipating, but is changing consistency somewhat from a clear oily substance to a not so clear slimy substance. Also, the small amount of mold growth on my own burger has faded away.

Here is what I have been able to find about all of these hamburgers. There is nothing different about them other than possibly suppliers, cuts used and seasoning. No magic chemicals that I can find are keeping them alive. What is keeping them from molding is completely in my control. They, like many examples before them, have or will simply dry out. If I wanted to create mold on them, I could have sealed them in plastic bags to contain the moisture and promote molding or left them out in warmer weather to allow the bugs to get at them. Mystery solved! However, in my research I have discovered that GMO's may be more a part of our life than we think, including much of the meat we eat. More to come soon.

As for the fries, I still have some work to do with these because the fries are not simply made from 100% potatoes. They have a laundry list of ingredients that I will start analyzing.

Check back on Sunday, 11/21 for an update. Here are some other shots of my burgers & fries.

Day 18 - Hamburger Watch

Day 18 - Hamburger Watch

Very curious. Like watching grass grow, you know things are progressing but the changes are so subtle that you can eventually... Get very bored with the whole thing.

I never expected all four hamburgers to last this long, so what does that say about my experiment and for those who have experimented before me? I am going to need to do some more in-depth research.

Check back Wednesday night for the next update. Even grass can only go grow so much!

Day 16 - Hamburger Watch

Little has changed since the last report on Wednesday.

The Wendy's burger seems to have stopped sweating. The grease/oil is heavier on the bottom now, but it appears that the droplets that have pooled together may be starting to harden or at least become discolored from the clear liquid they were.

Next report Sunday.

Day 14 - Hamburger Watch

Day 14 - Hamburger Watch

The only change since Monday is the appearance of more grease/oil

on the bottom of the McDonalds burger. Not yet enough to photograph.

I thought that I would surely be measuring or reporting new mold growth on my burger or the Burger King burger.

Next post Friday.

I have the honor of speaking to Veterans at a ceremony in LaSalle IL on Veterans day. Thank you to all of our service members past & present and a special thank you to their families for their sacrifice and support.

Day 12 - Hamburger Watch

Day 12 - Hamburger Watch.

Not a big change from yesterday.

McDonalds hamburger - Just a hint of grease/oil on both sides of the hamburger and a bottom bun that is cracking.

Burger King hamburger (pictured below - on left) - Just a hint of grease/oil on both sides of the hamburger and although it is hard to be sure because of the way the bun had stuck to the burger in the beginning, I believe fungus may be growing on the burger/bun where the bun is stuck to the burger.

Wendy's hamburger (pictured below - on right) - This burger continues to amaze me. The grease/oil that covers both sides of the burger has got to be leading to something. Just picking it up, even though I try to do it carefully, leaves my fingers greasy. There is little bread residue on this one. Most of what you can see in the picture is grease/oil. This bottom bun is also beginning to crack.

Terry's Burger - Not much change in this one. The mold is there, but growing slowly in just the one spot.

I was talking to my older children about the burgers this evening and we were joking about eating them soon... Yuck! Of course, in the back of my mind, I still wonder what they might taste like or how hard they would be to bite into and of course there is the question of food poisoning. My children are already fighting about who gets what hamburger, assuming the burgers out live me, when I pass and become worm food.

I will report back Wednesday with the next update. Away for the day again tomorrow and back tomorrow evening in time for a late meeting at church.