Teaching a child to cook is about far more than just following a recipe; it is one of the most effective ways to instill lifelong kitchen safety habits. When children understand the mechanics of the kitchen, they move from following abstract rules to respecting the real-world reality of heat and sharp edges. However, the biggest … Read more
Sometimes I come across something on Reddit that makes me stop everything and say, “Hey, why haven’t I written about that?” Around a month ago, a Reddit user in the Cooking subreddit brought up something that bugs the heck out of me. It’s the “thaw overnight in the refrigerator” lie! If you’ve ever placed a … Read more
Usually, when you buy fresh potatoes they seem clean. At other times, you may notice a small amount of visible dirt on the surface of the potato. Potatoes grow as a root under the soil, so they certainly are not clean when harvested. This variability in cleanliness makes people wonder whether commercial potatoes are washed … Read more
How often do you use half of an onion and store the other half in a plastic bag inside the refrigerator? You may have heard the claim that leftover cut onions are a particular hazard and cause of food poisoning. This claim states that cut onions are somehow a magnet for bacteria and that you … Read more
Any food additive with “cyanide” in the name makes me pause. Cyanide is one of the deadliest poisons known to man. Cyanide releasing compounds are found in some of the foods we eat and these foods must be thoroughly cooked or processed to render them safe. So, why in the world add such a compound … Read more
Can you eat raw pasta? Physically, yes, but your stomach might have a different answer. Many snackers assume that because pasta is dry and shelf-stable, it is “pre-cooked” or sterile. In reality, dried pasta is a raw agricultural product that hasn’t been treated to kill germs. Beyond being remarkably hard to digest, raw pasta can … Read more