182
votes
Is it possible to remove the smell from rice mistakenly stored in a detergent box?
The simplest trick is to place all the contaminated rice in the detergent box in the nearest trash bin, then obtain new rice. When it comes to cheap food staples like rice it's not worth the risk of ...
- 2,543
116
votes
Is it true that bananas are radioactive?
Yes, it's true that bananas are radioactive, however, the amount of radiation that you get from eating a banana is negligible. It's also true that eating too many bananas can kill you, but if you ...
- 2,847
76
votes
Accepted
Can meat spoil outside the fridge if it's baked into bread as a filling?
There are two differences between your buns and a tin can.
First, your buns were heated to a core temperature of under 100°C. Yes, your oven was probably set way higher, but the water content in your ...
- 58.6k
75
votes
Is it true that moldy jam/pickles are good to eat if you mix the mold into the rest of the mixture?
Unless there is good reason to assume it is not mold/bacterial colonization, but some other precipitate as explained in other answers:
There is no scientific reason at all to assume that such a ...
- 15.3k
74
votes
Accepted
Are rare burgers safe?
Applying USDA standards (which may or may not be the 'same' as elsewhere, but (IMHO) serve as a reasonable standard for "Safe") Hamburger must be cooked to an internal temperature of 160°F [71°C] in ...
- 18.2k
64
votes
What are the tiny white self-moving objects on pasta?
Assuming these are open packets that have been open for a while - you probably have a mite infestation, probably the flour mite (Acarus siro), or a closely related mite. These are tiny almost-...
- 13.9k
63
votes
Accepted
Should one - moreover can one - defrost a frozen lasagna before cooking?
Frozen foods are made for convenience. For most people, convenience does not include remembering to defrost the food several hours before cooking. So the recipe and cooking method are indeed for ...
- 10.6k
63
votes
I accidentally put my canned tuna in the fridge
It is perfectly safe. You've got a pasteurized product that is shelf stable while the can remains sealed. All you did was make it colder for a few hours. This is not a safety issue at all.
- 73.8k
56
votes
Accepted
Why would plant-based cookie dough packaging say "Do not consume raw dough"?
I was surprised at how difficult it was to find the answer, but I eventually found articles by the FDA and CDC.
Consumers should be aware that there are additional risks associated
with the ...
- 711
55
votes
Accepted
Can my freezer be too cold?
One possible consideration is that some frozen desserts (most notably ice creams and sorbets) can be very difficult to scoop if your freezer is too cold. Optimal serving temperature for ice cream is ...
- 932
54
votes
Accepted
What if I microwave Beyond Meat?
There are no health concerns with microwaving food. Microwaves excite water molecules to heat food, they don't change food or make it dangerous. When a product says do not microwave it means one of 3 ...
- 75.4k
53
votes
Accepted
Why is eating pretzels safe when they are bathed in lye?
Basically, the lye reacts with the CO₂ and moisture present during baking to form a non-toxic carbonate. This makes it safe to eat.
The reaction:
CO₂ (g) + H₂O (l) ⇄ H₂CO₃ (aq)
H₂CO₃ (aq) + ...
- 4,081
52
votes
Dirty sheet pan left in oven for over a month. Is the oven safe to use?
The oven is safe. When you bake chicken plenty of fat ends up on the inside of the oven, the chances are there's more on the oven walls than the pan you left in there. You don't need to run the oven ...
- 75.4k
51
votes
Accepted
Is it safe to drink grain alcohol mixed with snake blood?
According to Biological risks associated with consumption of reptile products International Journal of Food Microbiology, Volume 134, Issue 3, 15 September 2009, Pages 163-175:
People are documented ...
- 906
50
votes
Steak dropped in soapy dish water
Dish soap won't kill you. You probably eat it, in traces, with every meal.
If you can't smell it or taste it, then no real harm done.
- 29.7k
50
votes
If one tomato had molded, is the rest of the pack safe to eat?
Yes - the mold is an indication that the spores have entered that tomato, but do not indicate any problems with others. Mold usually enters fruits like tomato through the stem site or damage to the ...
- 13.9k
48
votes
Accepted
I used olive oil to finish my salad serving utensils - now what?
Do nothing, or maybe give them a soap wash.
You seem to be very worried about what are very small effects. Sure, the oil can oxidize over time. It won't turn your utensils into a big ball of funk. ...
- 137k
48
votes
Bacteria in steak from cutting with household scissors by mistake?
You will be fine.
The food was cooked...
Just clean the "house" scissors with soap and hot water and dry them so that there is no rust.
- 20.5k
47
votes
Accepted
Is it possible to remove the smell from rice mistakenly stored in a detergent box?
Don't eat the smelly rice because it is probably irremediably mixed with chemicals that may be harmful. But you may use that non-edible rice for other purpose detailed below.
The rice smells like ...
- 640
46
votes
Accepted
Can mold grow in vinegar?
Normal vinegar concentration (usually around 5% acetic acid) is too acidic to grow mold in the vinegar itself. Mold can sometimes grow on the bottle or on the surface of the vinegar. It isn't ...
- 47.5k
45
votes
Is it true that bananas are radioactive?
In addition to the answers explaining that bananas do contain radioactive potassium, but in small amounts, it's also worth noting that your body maintains a fixed amount of potassium through ...
- 551
45
votes
Accepted
Is IKEA frozen salmon safe to eat raw in sushi?
Unless if it's labelled "sushi-grade" or "sashimi-grade", they probably don't freeze it deeply enough, so I wouldn't recommend it as-is. This is because of Salmon's high risk of parasites. However, ...
- 585
44
votes
Accepted
How can oak leaves be made edible?
I cannot find any internet source that recommends eating oak leaves, however treated. The level of tannins in oak leaves isn't just bad-tasting; it's sufficiently strong to cause kidney or liver ...
- 61.4k
44
votes
How can oak leaves be made edible?
Take the oak leaves.
Feed to a goat. (mix in some other feedstuffs: hay or grass).
Eat the goat (or drink its milk)
Goats are browsers, and have a gut, kidneys and liver that can deal with oak ...
- 1,250
43
votes
Accepted
How is rare steak made safe to eat?
First, 145 °F (63 °C) and higher is the temperature for a well done steak. So, with the addition of carry-over cooking, your results don't surprise me. If you are shooting for rare, cook to an ...
- 73.8k
42
votes
Accepted
How can I seal a crack in a teapot in a foodsafe manner?
Potter here. Those cracks are very bad, and are the kind that will continue to spread each time the teapot heats and cools; I doubt you have too many uses before it falls apart entirely. You should ...
- 61.4k
41
votes
Uncooked peppers and garlic in olive oil fizzled when opened
Without further ado, that’s an indication of biological activity. Both garlic and hot peppers are used for making fermented hot sauce, but using specific recipes known to (or designed to) stop ...
- 4,286
39
votes
Why store food in an airtight container when it's in the fridge?
Airtight packaging doesn't slow down bacteria growth. There are a few myths about them which don't apply in practice:
Bacteria are not kept out, despite popular belief – the air within the container ...
- 137k
38
votes
Accepted
Why should (or shouldn't) we wash rice before cooking?
Reasons to wash your rice:
Reduce/Control Starch levels
Often when you're cooking rice you want distinct grains of rice and for your rice to have texture. In the case of Chinese fried rice for ...
- 11.2k
38
votes
Why is eating pretzels safe when they are bathed in lye?
The purpose of dipping in lye (or other basic solution, like baking soda...or even baked, baking soda) is that it promotes coloring, as the solution reacts with the surface of the dough. It also ...
- 73.8k
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