![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
The problem
I love chili, but only when I make it using the Carroll Shelby mix. However, I don't like to be dependent on companies that may go out of business, may change their recipes, or otherwise may no longer be available to me. Also, when I'm feeling poor or suddenly in the mood when I have the ingredients but not the mix, then I can still make it.
The givens
The recipe
The recipe tells me all the ingredients I need, but some of the quantities are missing:
* 2 pounds ground beef
* 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
* 2 8-oz cans water
* spice packet
* salt packet
* cayenne pepper packet
* masa flour packet
1/3 cup water
(I use only 1 pound ground beef or ground beef substitute and three cans of beans--the horror!--plus try to remember to finely shred a zucchini or something for extra nutrients. I also don't use the cayenne pepper, but it's still useful data.)
The ingredients
The ingredients are listed in order by quantity, I think by weight but maybe by volume. Here is the list:
* corn masa flour
* ground chili peppers
* salt
* garlic
* cumin
* oregano
* onion
* paprika
* cayenne pepper
The nutrition information
* serving size: 2T (19 g)
* servings per container: ~6
* container size: 4 oz or 113 g (19 g x 6 = 114, so that's pretty close)
Per serving:
* calories: 60
* fat: 1 g = 10 calories
* sodium: 1320 mg
* carbs: 12 g
* fiber: 0 g
* sugar: 0 g
* protein: 2 g
* Vitamin A: 30%
* Vitamin C: 0%
* calcium: 4%
* iron: 10%
Math
Measure
I tried to measure the quantities in each packet using my preferred method when I am cooking and also using a kitchen scale. Neither of these involved precision measuring, but I did my best.
* spice packet - 3/4 cup (= 12 tablespoons); 2.6 oz
* salt packet: 1 1/2 teaspoons (= 1.5 tablespoons); 0.3 oz
* cayenne pepper packet: 1/2 teaspoon; did not weigh*
* masa flour packet: 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (= 5 tablespoons); 1.1 oz
*I thought it would be difficult to put the cayenne pepper back in the packet for Robin to use later if I emptied it into a bowl to be weighed, so I didn't weigh it.
Test volume/weight assumption
The ounces per tablespoon for the three pieces of data for which I had both numbers were:
* 2.6/(12) = 0.22
* 0.3/1.5 = 0.20
* 1.1/5 = 0.22
These looked close enough for me to feel comfortable doing all my calculations with volume, even if the ingredient order is based on weight.
Another assumption
I assumed that only the spice packet was a multi-ingredient packet and that it had only the ingredients that were not in the single-ingredient packets.
Deduct and calculate
Masa flour is the first ingredient (5 T). Chili powder is the second ingredient, so there must be 5T or less.
Salt is the third ingredient (1.5 t), so there must be at least 1.5 t of chili powder.
Garlic, cumin, oregano, onion, and paprika were next and above cayenne pepper (1/2 t), so each of these ingredients must be between 1/2 t and 1.5 t. There are five of these ingredients, so the total volume must be between (0.5 x 5 =) 2.5 t and (1.5 x 5) = 7.5 t or almost 1 T to 2.5 T.
Subtracting from the total volume of the spice packet, this leaves between (12 - 1 =) 11 T and (12 - 2.5 =) 9.5 T. Both of these quantities are well above the 5-T limit. Uh oh.
Adjust assumptions
My best guess at the problem is that the spice packet contains additional salt. Dastardly! If so, the 1.5 t measurement for the salt would be too low.
More data and calculations
I looked up the sodium on my container of salt: 390 mg/serving; 1/4 teaspoon per serving
390 x 4 = 1560 mg sodium / teaspoon of salt
Sodium in kit: 1320 mg/serving x 6 servings = 7920 mg
New estimate of salt in kit: 7920 mg / 1560 mg/teaspoon = 5 teaspoons. Yowza!
Estimate of salt in spice packet: 5 t - 1.5 t = 3.5 t or just over 1 T.
New estimate of spice kit ingredients not including salt: 12 T - 1 T = 11 T.
Re-do deductions and calculations
Continue assuming there are 5 T or less of chili powder.
Salt is the third ingredient (5 t), so there must be at least 5 t of chili powder.
Garlic, cumin, oregano, onion, and paprika were next and above cayenne pepper (1/2), so each of these ingredients must be between 1/2 t and 5 t. There are five of these ingredients, so the total volume must be between (0.5 x 5 =) 2.5 t and (5 x 5) = 25 t or almost 1 T to 8.3 T.
Subtracting from the total volume of the spice packet, this leaves between (12 - 1 =) 11 T and (12 - 8.3 =) 3.7 T. One of these quantities is now below 5-T limit. Whew.
More data and calculations
I decided to assume that the vitamin A came virtually exclusively from the peppers. I looked up the nutrition facts for my chili powder, but it did not list vitamin A. So I looked online. Mostly I just found information on fresh chilis (which also have plenty of Vitamin C, which does not exist in the mix), but then I found The World's Healthiest Foods which lists 9% per 2 t or 4.5% per t.
The kit lists 30% per serving or (30 x 6 =) 180% for the whole kit. That implies (180 / 4.5 =) 40 t = 13.3 T. Even assuming cayenne has a similar amount of Vitamin A and subtracting that 0.5 t, that still leaves way more than 5T for the chili powder. Oh, well.
Nearly random guessing
Next, I guessed the additional quantities based on things like the color of the spice packet (it looked like a pastel version of chili powder color, implying lots of white ingredients like garlic powder and onion powder--and salt). And I also guessed based on the yumminess of the ingredients and based on my experience with other recipes.
* chili powder - 1/4 cup (= 4 T) (assuming if it was equal to the masa flour, they'd probably rather list that first, therefore it's probably less, but not much less)
That leaves (12 T - 4 T chili powder - ~1 T salt =) ~7 T (21 t) for the other ingredients, each of which must be less than or equal to 5 t, but more than or equal to 0.5 t. The average would be about (21 / 5 =) 4.2 t each.
Usually people put less garlic than onion in their recipes, so I was surprised that this kit reversed that. Tex-Mex recipes usually have just a small amount of oregano, and so I assumed that was happening here, too. So I'm guessing there's significantly more of the first two ingredients below than the other three. Only, there's not much room for there to be much difference, so:
* garlic - 5 t
* cumin - 5 t
* oregano - 4 t
* onion - 4 t
* paprika - 3 t
Conclusions
I should try making chili with the following ingredients and see if I like it:
* 2 pounds ground beef (actually, 1)
* 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
* 2 8-oz cans water
* 1/4 cup chili powder
* 5 t garlic
* 5 t cumin
* 4 t oregano
* 4 t onion powder
* 3 t paprika
* 5 t salt
* 5 T masa flour
* 1/3 cup water
* 3 cans beans
* 1 zucchini, finely shredded
I love chili, but only when I make it using the Carroll Shelby mix. However, I don't like to be dependent on companies that may go out of business, may change their recipes, or otherwise may no longer be available to me. Also, when I'm feeling poor or suddenly in the mood when I have the ingredients but not the mix, then I can still make it.
The givens
The recipe
The recipe tells me all the ingredients I need, but some of the quantities are missing:
* 2 pounds ground beef
* 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
* 2 8-oz cans water
* spice packet
* salt packet
* cayenne pepper packet
* masa flour packet
1/3 cup water
(I use only 1 pound ground beef or ground beef substitute and three cans of beans--the horror!--plus try to remember to finely shred a zucchini or something for extra nutrients. I also don't use the cayenne pepper, but it's still useful data.)
The ingredients
The ingredients are listed in order by quantity, I think by weight but maybe by volume. Here is the list:
* corn masa flour
* ground chili peppers
* salt
* garlic
* cumin
* oregano
* onion
* paprika
* cayenne pepper
The nutrition information
* serving size: 2T (19 g)
* servings per container: ~6
* container size: 4 oz or 113 g (19 g x 6 = 114, so that's pretty close)
Per serving:
* calories: 60
* fat: 1 g = 10 calories
* sodium: 1320 mg
* carbs: 12 g
* fiber: 0 g
* sugar: 0 g
* protein: 2 g
* Vitamin A: 30%
* Vitamin C: 0%
* calcium: 4%
* iron: 10%
Math
Measure
I tried to measure the quantities in each packet using my preferred method when I am cooking and also using a kitchen scale. Neither of these involved precision measuring, but I did my best.
* spice packet - 3/4 cup (= 12 tablespoons); 2.6 oz
* salt packet: 1 1/2 teaspoons (= 1.5 tablespoons); 0.3 oz
* cayenne pepper packet: 1/2 teaspoon; did not weigh*
* masa flour packet: 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon (= 5 tablespoons); 1.1 oz
*I thought it would be difficult to put the cayenne pepper back in the packet for Robin to use later if I emptied it into a bowl to be weighed, so I didn't weigh it.
Test volume/weight assumption
The ounces per tablespoon for the three pieces of data for which I had both numbers were:
* 2.6/(12) = 0.22
* 0.3/1.5 = 0.20
* 1.1/5 = 0.22
These looked close enough for me to feel comfortable doing all my calculations with volume, even if the ingredient order is based on weight.
Another assumption
I assumed that only the spice packet was a multi-ingredient packet and that it had only the ingredients that were not in the single-ingredient packets.
Deduct and calculate
Masa flour is the first ingredient (5 T). Chili powder is the second ingredient, so there must be 5T or less.
Salt is the third ingredient (1.5 t), so there must be at least 1.5 t of chili powder.
Garlic, cumin, oregano, onion, and paprika were next and above cayenne pepper (1/2 t), so each of these ingredients must be between 1/2 t and 1.5 t. There are five of these ingredients, so the total volume must be between (0.5 x 5 =) 2.5 t and (1.5 x 5) = 7.5 t or almost 1 T to 2.5 T.
Subtracting from the total volume of the spice packet, this leaves between (12 - 1 =) 11 T and (12 - 2.5 =) 9.5 T. Both of these quantities are well above the 5-T limit. Uh oh.
Adjust assumptions
My best guess at the problem is that the spice packet contains additional salt. Dastardly! If so, the 1.5 t measurement for the salt would be too low.
More data and calculations
I looked up the sodium on my container of salt: 390 mg/serving; 1/4 teaspoon per serving
390 x 4 = 1560 mg sodium / teaspoon of salt
Sodium in kit: 1320 mg/serving x 6 servings = 7920 mg
New estimate of salt in kit: 7920 mg / 1560 mg/teaspoon = 5 teaspoons. Yowza!
Estimate of salt in spice packet: 5 t - 1.5 t = 3.5 t or just over 1 T.
New estimate of spice kit ingredients not including salt: 12 T - 1 T = 11 T.
Re-do deductions and calculations
Continue assuming there are 5 T or less of chili powder.
Salt is the third ingredient (5 t), so there must be at least 5 t of chili powder.
Garlic, cumin, oregano, onion, and paprika were next and above cayenne pepper (1/2), so each of these ingredients must be between 1/2 t and 5 t. There are five of these ingredients, so the total volume must be between (0.5 x 5 =) 2.5 t and (5 x 5) = 25 t or almost 1 T to 8.3 T.
Subtracting from the total volume of the spice packet, this leaves between (12 - 1 =) 11 T and (12 - 8.3 =) 3.7 T. One of these quantities is now below 5-T limit. Whew.
More data and calculations
I decided to assume that the vitamin A came virtually exclusively from the peppers. I looked up the nutrition facts for my chili powder, but it did not list vitamin A. So I looked online. Mostly I just found information on fresh chilis (which also have plenty of Vitamin C, which does not exist in the mix), but then I found The World's Healthiest Foods which lists 9% per 2 t or 4.5% per t.
The kit lists 30% per serving or (30 x 6 =) 180% for the whole kit. That implies (180 / 4.5 =) 40 t = 13.3 T. Even assuming cayenne has a similar amount of Vitamin A and subtracting that 0.5 t, that still leaves way more than 5T for the chili powder. Oh, well.
Nearly random guessing
Next, I guessed the additional quantities based on things like the color of the spice packet (it looked like a pastel version of chili powder color, implying lots of white ingredients like garlic powder and onion powder--and salt). And I also guessed based on the yumminess of the ingredients and based on my experience with other recipes.
* chili powder - 1/4 cup (= 4 T) (assuming if it was equal to the masa flour, they'd probably rather list that first, therefore it's probably less, but not much less)
That leaves (12 T - 4 T chili powder - ~1 T salt =) ~7 T (21 t) for the other ingredients, each of which must be less than or equal to 5 t, but more than or equal to 0.5 t. The average would be about (21 / 5 =) 4.2 t each.
Usually people put less garlic than onion in their recipes, so I was surprised that this kit reversed that. Tex-Mex recipes usually have just a small amount of oregano, and so I assumed that was happening here, too. So I'm guessing there's significantly more of the first two ingredients below than the other three. Only, there's not much room for there to be much difference, so:
* garlic - 5 t
* cumin - 5 t
* oregano - 4 t
* onion - 4 t
* paprika - 3 t
Conclusions
I should try making chili with the following ingredients and see if I like it:
* 2 pounds ground beef (actually, 1)
* 1 8-oz can tomato sauce
* 2 8-oz cans water
* 1/4 cup chili powder
* 5 t garlic
* 5 t cumin
* 4 t oregano
* 4 t onion powder
* 3 t paprika
* 5 t salt
* 5 T masa flour
* 1/3 cup water
* 3 cans beans
* 1 zucchini, finely shredded