Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [cooking]

Any method which prepares food to be eaten.

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Does a lobster feel little/no pain when boiled alive?

Image Source I have just read Cracked.com's "9 Ridiculous Cooking Myths You Probably Believe", that claims: [...] because [the lobster's] nervous system isn't very complex, so it's feeling little to no pain. Emphasis added It references an ABC…
Oliver_C
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Is it dangerous to use wooden cutlery and cutting boards with raw meat?

I have heard multiple times that "one should never cut raw meat on a wooden cutting board nor mix it using a wooden spoon." The reason most often cited is that apparently bacteria can survive in the wood's pores. I also found this PDF from the…
octosquidopus
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Are McDonald's fries coated in sugar before cooking?

I've heard that McDonalds and other fast food chains coat their fries in sugar water before frying to aid in color development, but the official McDonalds nutrition information (see page 2) indicates that their fries contain no sugar. Is there…
Adam Wuerl
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How unhealthy are aluminum cooking pans?

It is regularly stated that aluminum cooking pans are unhealthy, but I come accross them very often. I see people cooking both alkaline and acid foods in them, scrape them with metal, leave food overnight in them, wrap sandwiches in aluminum foil…
user4513
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Are sharp knives safer to use than dull knives for preparing food when cooking?

There seems to be an agreement that sharp knives are much safer than dull ones when you are cutting vegetables, meat, anything you cut with a chefs knife when you cook and prepare food. The reason for it seems to be that you have to use less force…
bogen
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Does pricking eggs before boiling them reduce cracking?

All my life, I have pricked a little hole in the blunt end of an egg before boiling it. I was taught the reason is to let the pocket of air inside escape as the insides swell with the heat, to prevent cracking. WikiHow knows what I am talking…
Oddthinking
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Is non-stick cookware bad for your health?

Apparently Teflon (PTFE) will release toxic fumes when overheated. See this article for a lot of claims without references. You can also kill birds with it. The claim is that heating Teflon over its melting point of 500 Fahrenheit (260 °C) will…
w00t
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Does lemon juice slow the oxidation of guacamole?

It is common belief that adding citrus juice (or in some claims, any acid, including ascorbic acid/vitamin C, vinegar, tomatoes, etc) to guacamole will reduce browning. Examples of the claim: Seasoned Advice You can stop this reaction dead in…
Flimzy
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Does briefly searing a steak on one side before flipping it over once "seal in the juices"?

As long as I can remember when people have fried steak, they have flipped it after the first say 20 seconds to sear it and "seal in the juices", then cooked the other side, then flipped it back to the first side again to finish it off. However,…
Highly Irregular
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Do onions become toxic or otherwise dangerous within a day of a being cut open?

I saw a new "health advice" meme on Facebook today: Please remember it is dangerous to cut an onion and try to use it to cook the next day, it becomes highly poisonous for even a single night and creates toxic bacteria which may cause adverse…
Flimzy
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Is there any reason to tear basil instead of cutting it with a knife?

I've heard numerous times (especially in connection with Italian dishes) that you shouldn't cut basil with a knife, but rather tear it with your hands. I've heard two different reasons for this: the steel knife oxidizes the basil causing the edges…
Dennis
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Does washing vegetables remove nutrients?

There are many people who cook vegetables without washing them (before cutting) because they think it removes important nutrients. This claim is predominant in some Asian countries. Is that true?
TheTechGuy
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Is there formaldehyde in the glue of bamboo cutting boards? Is it dangerous?

Many purveyors of bamboo cutting boards make a point to advertise that the cutting board is made from formaldehyde-free glues. There seems to be fairly widespread advise to avoid formaldehyde in bamboo cutting boards, such as from the following two…
SAJ14SAJ
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Could bread be baked in a mailbox when the temperature is 100°F (37°C)?

Texan journalist John-Carlos Estrada recently reported on Twitter How hot is in Texas?? This woman BAKED BREAD IN HER MAILBOX!! Roberta Wright, who lives in a suburb of Houston, posted these photos on Facebook to show just how hot it is! She truly…
Daniel Franklin
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Does rubbing the end of a cucumber improve its taste?

It's said that cutting off the end of a cucumber and rubbing it at the incision makes the cucumber less bitter. It would be very surprising to me if rubbing just one end of the cucumber could alter the taste of the entire vegetable—is there any…
andyvn22
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