I found this question on one of those Wired YouTube videos where experts answer various questions from the web. A microbiologist gave a less than satisfactory answer to this question: Can bacteria survive high temperatures and microwave radiation? Do we really need to clean our microwaves? First of all, yes, you need to clean your […]
Food Science
Is it Safe To Eat Raw Dried Pasta?
Some folks like the crunch of raw pasta. They eat it as a snack or just for something to crunch on. Since fresh pasta contains not only raw flour but also raw eggs, it is definitely unsafe to eat. But, not many people would enjoy the taste of fresh raw pasta and children are more […]
The Great Magical EGG CUTICLE Safety Myth
This is how the story goes: In the UK, they don’t wash their eggs. So, the protective coating on the shell, the cuticle, is not removed. This means they don’t have to refrigerate their eggs. They will last much longer at room temperature. But, in the U.S. they wash their eggs and wash off the […]
Interesting Facts About Brazil Nuts
The Brazil nut is fascinating. Named after Brazil, it is native to the Amazon basin and has long been an important staple food of the indigenous people. The nut was first exported to Europe in the 17th century and came to the United States in the early 1800s. Today, the Brazil nut is a popular […]
Why You Should Not Eat More Than 2 to 4 Brazil Nuts a Day
Brazil nuts are very nutritious. They contain a good amount of protein and healthy fats and are quite rich in essential minerals, including calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc. They also contain plenty of vitamin E. A one-ounce serving of Brazil nuts (6 to 8 kernels) provides more than half of the copper you need in […]
Why the Smell Test Doesn’t Tell You If Food is Safe To Eat
We’ve all done it. You take an old carton of milk out of the fridge and give it a quick sniff to see if it’s sour or still good. Heck, in my house, I’m the go-to smell-tester because I have a nose like a hound. I’m continually being asked to smell miscellaneous leftovers to see […]
Why Using Gloves Does Not Guarantee Food Safety
Most corporate-owned and many privately owned food service establishments require workers who handle and prepare food to wear gloves. Even some home cooks wear latex gloves while cooking, thinking this guarantees that the food will not become contaminated. Gloves are no different from your hands. If the surface of the gloves becomes contaminated, then this […]
Can You Inhale Food Into Your Lungs?
This sounds like a nightmare to me. You are eating and a bit of food goes down “the wrong way.” Instead of going down your esophagus, it goes down your trachea. Most of the time, food that does this gets stuck in our trachea and we are in danger of choking if it is not […]
No, Gravy Is Not an Italian Word At All
There is endless debate as to whether “real Italians” say “gravy” or “sauce.” For Italian Americans, the term gravy often refers to a meat-based sugo or ragù. Sugo alla Bolognese is the full term for what Americans call simply Bolognese (see note below), and sugo came from the word succo, which could mean pan drippings or meat juices […]
Reheating the Entire Pot Instead of a Single Portion of Leftover Chili, Soup, Etc.
I found an interesting question on the Cooking subreddit and it reminded me of an issue I’ve had at home involving the reheating of things like chili, spaghetti sauce, soup, etc. When storing leftovers in the refrigerator, is it better to reheat the entire pot or to reheat only the amount you want to eat? […]