SETIsLady
11-24-2004, 12:25 PM
How the Virgin Mary's grilled cheese stayed mold-free for 10 years.
By Brendan I. Koerner
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004, at 2:35 PM PT
With a winning bid of $28,000, the online casino GoldenPalace.com won the auction for one of eBay's most coveted oddities: a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich, one side of which bears the Virgin Mary's image. The seller, Diana Duyser of Hollywood, Fla., claims that the sandwich never sprouted a single spore of mold, despite having been stored in a less-than-airtight plastic box. Is it possible for a decade-old sandwich to remain mold-free without divine intervention?
The odds are against a pristine sandwich, but it's hardly impossible. The fact that Duyser's sandwich was a grilled cheese was likely its saving grace, assuming she followed the traditional American recipe. The homespun favorite is usually prepared either by slathering the bread with margarine or by cooking it in a pan or press that's been well-lubed with the fatty butter substitute. Margarine consists primarily of hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is rich in trans fats. The fungi that love bread are typically averse to trans fats—they don't digest them well.
Full Story (http://slate.msn.com/id/2110075/)
By Brendan I. Koerner
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2004, at 2:35 PM PT
With a winning bid of $28,000, the online casino GoldenPalace.com won the auction for one of eBay's most coveted oddities: a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich, one side of which bears the Virgin Mary's image. The seller, Diana Duyser of Hollywood, Fla., claims that the sandwich never sprouted a single spore of mold, despite having been stored in a less-than-airtight plastic box. Is it possible for a decade-old sandwich to remain mold-free without divine intervention?
The odds are against a pristine sandwich, but it's hardly impossible. The fact that Duyser's sandwich was a grilled cheese was likely its saving grace, assuming she followed the traditional American recipe. The homespun favorite is usually prepared either by slathering the bread with margarine or by cooking it in a pan or press that's been well-lubed with the fatty butter substitute. Margarine consists primarily of hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is rich in trans fats. The fungi that love bread are typically averse to trans fats—they don't digest them well.
Full Story (http://slate.msn.com/id/2110075/)