h a l f b a k e r yNo, not that kind of baked.
add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random
news, help, about, links, report a problem
browse anonymously,
or get an account
and write.
register,
|
|
|
I am hearing recently that cheese melts very well, therefore I have been thinking that perhaps it would be very beneficial to manufacture candles using cheese as a replacement for the - more traditional - wax. This has several advantageouses: 1) cheese is far more edible and delicious than wax, and wax
makes for a poor fondue indeed; therefore small meat cubes could be deliciously cooked as a fine by-product of light generation; 2) candles could be effectively carved using cheesewire, as opposed to the more laborious method of sculpting wax using heat engines; 3) cheese is transmogrified as a by-product of cattle farming through an efficient process of fractional distillation, and is thus readily available, whereas wax must be paid for by buying off of human/humen's ears, and at a dear cost at that!
Racletta cheese
http://www.igourmet.com/shoppe.asp?cat=1
Racletta cheese could be used for the purpose... "However, this cheese is traditionally melted (a half wheel is placed in a fireplace, then the melted top surface is continuously scraped off) and layered atop boiled potatoes, pickles, fresh vegetables and sliced meats." [arghblah, Jul 09 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]
Candlefish
http://www.absc.usg...hPopUps/Smelts.html
[rmutt, Jul 09 2000, last modified Oct 04 2004]
[link]
|
| |
Fantastic if you like the "burning cheese" variety of perfumed candles. |
|
| |
You'd have to try and manufacture smokeless cheese, first. Genetically modified cows again? |
|
| |
Why not cut the whole process down to developing genetically engineered smokeless cows? |
|
| |
Personally I love smoke cheese, although no reason why not both. I can see that parmesan candles would make very useful table furniture for italian restaurants. |
|
| |
I think the quality of the candle would depend on the quality of the cheese. Really crummy process cheese isn't even made from milk- it's made from oil, so these should burn very nicely. Unfortunately, good cheese has a lot of protein, which can really stink when it burns. |
|
| |
Still, there's enough fat to burn in most cheeses to make great candles. The variety of cheese is going to make a huge difference here, though. Parmesan, Romano, Danish Blue, Roquefort and Cheddar should make great candles, as they smell great already. |
|
| |
They're also a nice addition to a salad or pasta dish. Don't get enough cheese? Grate the candle! |
|
| |
You won't get most people within ten feet of a Limburger, Brie or Gorgonzola candle, though- they stink badly enough without burning them! |
|
| |
Or- like some cigars- maybe they'd smell BETTER on fire...... |
|
| |
Now I almost want to try it. |
|
| |
But would the molten cheese be sufficiently liquid to "wick" properly? Are some kinds of cheese goopier than others when hot? |
|
| |
As far as edible candles go, my science teacher last year made a candle out of an apple, with a sliver of almond for the wick. It looked like a homemade candle, and there was enough oil in the almond to burn for a few seconds before he ate it. Of course, he didn't tell us what it was made of until after he ate it. Everyone was amazed. |
|
| |
Also, wouldn't the cheese go bad before the candle finished burning? |
|
| |
I recall an old fairy tale about the origin of dairy products. It seems that long ago, only the elves knew how to make cheese and butter, until a man caught one of them. "If you let me go, I'll tell you how to make good things out of cow's milk", it pleaded. So the man agreed, and the elf told him how to turn milk into butter, and then how to turn milk into cheese. Then the man let it go. At this, the elf laughed and said "You fool! If you had kept me longer, I would have told you how to turn milk into wax!" and disappeared. |
|
| |
Wax burns. Cheese will not burn as wax does. Nevertheless, I think a small proportion of cheese could be added to the wax as a filler. |
|
| |