Cooking For Engineers

[jillelaine]

My husband recently replaced some cheap under-cabinet fluorescent lights with LED-strip lighting. He used color 'Neutral White 6000K' from http://www.ledsupply.com/led-strips/high-density-led-flex-strips

We both noticed the color of the light was more 'blue' than we expected. It is a rather unpleasant contrast to the rest of the kitchen warmer lighting. But I had my eureka moment cleaning and inspecting organic home-grown produce under the LEDs: it was so much easier to see pests such as aphids & bad areas of leaves with the bluer light.

So, now I wonder about ultraviolet (or other color) light for produce inspection. I suppose UV light could also be used to check for cleanliness of various kitchen utensils. Does anyone have any experience with lighting for such purposes? Husband says he needs specs :-)

[Dilbert]

not being a fan of "warm white" can't make an opinion on the conflict of warm to daylight white. I much prefer the higher K even in incandescent lighting.

however, as to UV - it causes specific compounds to fluoresce brightly - if not overpowered by other 'daylight' light sources. meaning that you may need a "dimmed light" area for a UV source to be effective at highlighting targets of interest.

whether some/all bugs glow under UV, I can't say. nor what % might. probably need an entomologist to get a good answer there.

or, as you are growing you own,,,, there are el cheepo UV lights available - usually battery powered - used for seeking out pet odors, etc. mounting up one of these and checking your homegrown produce should answer every maiden's prayer as to what works / does not work.

[jillelaine]

Ah, thank you for the good suggestion. Will get a UV 'torch' to test. I'll post back with what, if anything, I learn.

I am becoming more of fan of the whiter/bluer lighting. I did not realize it made such a difference in the kitchen.

[jillelaine]

I purchased this UV flashlight to test it in the kitchen. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R18VQ5W

For garden produce inspection, aphids on leafy greens, such as kale, do fluoresce a bit under the UV light. The aphids are actually easier to see under a bright white light though, so no advantage there.

What did stand out under the UV lights were the occasional spots of some type of animal 'refuse'...probably bird droppings? Well, I guess that reinforces the need to wash the produce before consumption.

My conclusion was that adding a UV light area in the kitchen wasn't worth the effort. YMMV. As for using the UV flashlight to check for 'pet urine stains' elsewhere in the house, I am truly sorry I looked.

To report back on the 'bluish' Neutral White 6000K LED under-cabinet lights installed a few months ago, we've grown to like the color of their light and intend to convert all of the kitchen task lighting to this color.

[Dilbert]

thanks for the follow-up. it sounded like a neat idea . . .

in USA the conventional incandescent bulbs are being phased out. first we had "compact fluorescent" and now LED type bulbs as replacement for the 60 watt bulbs. which come in warm and cool white - last week I replaced a couple in the closet - makes an enormous difference - much more light than a 60 watt using just 9 watts!