Good Dirt On Food

June 19, 2009

FDA Warns Consumers Not to Eat Nestle Toll House Prepackaged, Refrigerated Cookie Dough
Nestle Voluntarily Recalls all Varieties of Prepackaged, Refrigerated Toll House Cookie Dough

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are warning consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestle Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7 (a bacterium that causes food borne illness).

The FDA advises that if consumers have any prepackaged, refrigerated Nestle Toll House cookie dough products in their home that they throw them away. Cooking the dough is not recommended because consumers might get the bacteria on their hands and on other cooking surfaces.

Retailers, restaurateurs, and personnel at other food-service operations should not sell or serve any Nestle Toll House prepackaged, refrigerated cookie dough products subject to the recall.

See the full article: FDA News Release.

Here is Nestle’s official news release: Nestle USA Recall

Toll House Cookie Dough Products

The best and safest way to thaw meat (or any food) is in the refrigerator which ensures that the temperature throughout the food remains below the danger zone (41-140ºF) to prevent growth of bacteria.  It will take two to three days to thaw in the refrigerator. 

If you don’t have that much time, you can thaw it under cold, running water.  Put the food into an open container under the faucet in the sink.  Fill the container with cold water, and leave the faucet running just a bit.  This keeps the water in the container cold, and the food should thaw within a couple of hours.  If you are really in a hurry, and you plan to cook the food right away, you can thaw it in the microwave, following the manufacturer’s instructions.

We had a number of questions regarding the use of xanthan gum.

Xanthan gum is a natural carbohydrate that is made from a tiny microorganism called Xanthomonas campestris by fermenting glucose or sucrose.  It is frequently used in manufactured products as a thickener and emulsifier.  It produces a nice gel when mixed with liquid.  You can use it to thicken sauces and soups, but you will need to use a blender because the xanthan gum will clump almost immediately in the liquid.  After you have incorporated the xanthan gum into the liquid, it will continue to thicken for 3-5 minutes.  How much to use?  It doesn’t take much.  Some trial and error will be required but a good starting place is about 1/8 teaspoon per cup of liquid.  

It is more easily used in the home as an ingredient in gluten-free baked goods, as it improves the volume and texture of these products.  I would mix it into the dry ingredients before combining with any of the wet ingredients in the recipe.  Start with 1-2 teaspoons per cup of gluten-free flour for breads, and 1 teaspoon per cup of gluten-free flour for cakes.  Cookies do not rely as much on gluten for structure, so I would recommend ½ teaspoon per cup of gluten-free flour, or you may not need any at all.