I can use a method or any other tool without utilizing all of it's possible benefits. To utilize something is to use it in the best way possible...

Right?

Metalwing,

I have thoroughly enjoyed your participation in this thread. You actually followed the OP quite literally and without ever mentioning exactly what you were doing, have given very sound arguments.

Cheers to you, and much deserved recognition!

(2) Finding that it is easy to communicate with some people does not mean that it is effective. Many of the most easefull communications I have observed are amongst people who only want to hear themselves talk, and have their opinions validated by others - therefore they gladly listen and validate others' opinions - so we have pairs and groupings of people who don't even understand each other or care to, but who believe they are communicating well, and with ease.

Thats an extreme case, but a common one. There is similar case, in which few within the group care about precision or accuracy, and those few have learned to 'let it go' while the majority of the group actually fail to achieve precision in the communication, but few notice or care.

From the people who sell it (carrageenan is an ice cream stabilizer):

"Carrageenan is a seaweed extract common in the Atlantic Ocean near Britain, Continental Europe and North America.

Things like liquids and cheese can be even more problematic, because their natural inclination is to separate, foam, melt, precipitate, et cetera, especially after they bounce down the road for a thousand miles.

That's why many foods contain chemicals known as gums. Two gums that are pretty familiar are gelatin and corn starch. If you look at processed food, you see all sorts of other gums like carrageenan, xanthan gum, cellulose gum, locust bean gum, agar, and so on. Food scientists (not cooks -- food scientists make processed foods) use these substances for four main reasons:

1. They thicken things: Ice cream, marshmallow fluff, pancake syrup, etc., all benefit from thickening.
2. They emulsify things: They help liquids to stay mixed together without separating.
3. They change the texture: Generally, a gum will make something thicker or chewier.
4. They stabilize crystals: A gum might help prevent sugar or ice from crystallizing.

These are all handy capabilities when making food products that have to look good for several months after trucking them across the country. The reason why a normal cook usually does not need to use things like carrageenan or xanthan gum is because the food a normal cook makes gets eaten quickly and is not mistreated. A cook can also use less expensive things like gelatin, flour or eggs because the time span between cooking and consumption is so short.

Carrageenan, by the way, is a seaweed extract. This particular type of seaweed is common in the Atlantic Ocean near Britain, Continental Europe and North America. You boil the seaweed to extract the carrageenan. In that sense, carrageenan is completely "natural" -- it's not much different from tomato paste in its creation."

However, semantically speaking of course:

"STOMACH ACHES CAUSED BY CARRAGEENAN

Some folks can eat just about anything. Some people might
have no problem producing a tall glass of homemade soymilk,
then converting it to chocolate milk by adding the
following ingredients: Three teaspoons of sugar. One
teaspoon of chocolate powder. Two tablespoons of Vaseline
petroleum jelly. The Vaseline might produce gastric
distress, and the soymilk drinkers would erroneously
conclude that they are "allergic" to soy. Some people
do not experience gastric discomfort caused by the
Vaseline-like food additive, carrageenan. Many people do.

Carrageenan is a commonly used food additive that is
extracted from red seaweed by using powerful alkali
solvents. These solvents would remove the tissues
and skin from your hands as readily as would any acid."

And of course the next stop on the semantic voyage:

"Carrageenan™ Personal Lubricant: For the best ever

Women across the nation are saying Carrageenan™ personal lubricant is "most like me." When it’s time to slip into sexy there's no better alternative, natural or synthetic, than Carrageenan.

Carrageenan, the key ingredient in Carrageenan™ personal lubricant, is 100% natural and derived from ocean plant life while other leading brands use silicone or propylene glycol. A team of scientists formulated Carrageenan™ with women's health as the #1 priority."

You scream, I scream, we all scream for carrageeean!