SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Fast Coexist reports on the Edible Insect Desktop Hive, a kitchen gadget designed to raise mealworms (beetle larva), a food that has the protein content of beef without the environmental footprint. The hive can grow between 200 and 500 grams of mealworms a week, enough to replace traditional meat in four or five dishes.
The hive comes with a starter kit of "microlivestock," and controls the climate inside so the bugs have the right amount of fresh air and the right temperature to thrive. If you push a button, the mealworms pop out in a harvest drawer that chills them. You're supposed to pop them in the freezer, then fry them up or mix them into soup, smoothies, or bug-filled burgers. "Insects give us the opportunity to grow on small spaces, with few resources," says designer Katharina Unger, founder of Livin Farms, the company making the new home farming gadget. "A pig cannot easily be raised on your balcony, insects can. With their benefits, insects are one part of the solution to make currently inefficient industrial-scale production of meat obsolete."
Of course, that assumes people will be willing to eat them. Unger thinks bugs just need a little rebranding to succeed, and points out that other foods have overcome bad reputations in the past. "Even the potato, that is now a staple food, was once considered ugly and was given to pigs," says Unger adding that sushi, raw fish, and tofu were once considered obscure products. "Food is about perception and cultural associations. Within only a short time and the right measures, it can be rebranded. . . . Growing insects in our hive at home is our first measure to make insects a healthy and sustainable food for everyone."
(Score: 2) by takyon on Friday November 20 2015, @07:29PM
Try tofu in saag paneer. It is a vegan replacement for the paneer, a type of cheese, and a common dish at Indian restaurants these days.
Fried tofu has a nicer texture and flavor. You can do it on the stove. Add some spices like cumin or something.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by dyingtolive on Friday November 20 2015, @07:35PM
I actually enjoy saag paneer quite a bit and I've made my own before, but it never comes out quite like a good Indian place does. Paneer is pretty easy to make and I've never cooked for a woman who wasn't impressed as hell when I tell them I made it from scratch.
I haven't tried a tofu variant though. I normally go for chicken masala or vindaloo if I feel like being in pain for a couple hours after, but I'll give it a shot next time I'm out. Thanks for the recommendation!
Don't blame me, I voted for moose wang!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 20 2015, @09:43PM
The Taiwanese fast food place here (part of the Quickly chain) does up their fried tofu with a batter coating, optionally containing chili powder. The outside is rough and crisp but the center is hot and soft.