Yes, you can safely eat raw mushrooms but it’s best to do so in moderation. Slicing raw white buttons or creminis onto a salad won’t poison you or trigger acute toxicity. Yet an enduring internet myth insists that eating raw common button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) is a gamble. Rumors warn commercial portobellos harbor dangerous carcinogens, … Read more
Yes, tilapia is completely edible and safe. It’s one of the most widely consumed fish in the world. Yet for over a decade, tilapia has been dogged by viral horror stories. According to hundreds of online graphics and chain emails, tilapia is a synthetic frankenfish with no bones, grown in a lab. As if that’s … Read more
Since the 1960s and up until quite recently, Americans have relied on a convenient frozen staple that allowed them to have access to fruit juice at a moment’s notice. The freezer case of almost any grocery store in America was stocked with these little cardboard cylinders labeled Minute Maid, Donald Duck. Seneca, Tree Sweet, or … Read more
There is no “secret recipe vault” that captures the public imagination quite like the formula of Coca-Cola. And yes, there is supposed to be a bank vault in Atlanta housing the recipe, guarded like Fort Knox. For over a century, the company has cultivated a legend about two executives who supposedly know only half the … Read more
The cinematic origin story of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, and the almost cultish devotion of its fans, far exceeds anything actually found in the recipe. This snack is the subject of so much intrigue and media content that some readers may know the story by heart. Or at least the story we’ve been fed. Countless social … Read more
Self-styled whisky aficionados love to confidently trot out a piece of fiction about whisky. The typical claim goes something like, “Single malt is pure whisky, but “Scotch” refers specifically to a blend.” Some amateur historians push this myth further with linguistic gymnastics, insisting that “Scotch” derives from an old culinary or butchering term meaning to … Read more