php var_dump($object) or print_r($object) to a log file

Question

This question is generic, and I would simply like to know how to dump objects to log files. In order to clarify things, i am elaborating through an example.

I have been

Answer 1

Mage::log(
    $object->debug(), //Objects extending Varien_Object can use this
    Zend_Log::DEBUG,  //Log level
    'my.log',         //Log file name; if blank, will use config value (system.log by default)
    true              //force logging regardless of config setting
);