# Food myths **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225 "2017-03-02T18:18:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/21 "2017-03-02T19:25:26Z")
no mention of the 5-second rule? ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/22 "2017-03-02T19:28:01Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > Dr. Pepper is made from prune juice Locally, we always said Dr Pepper was a mixture of the leftovers from the bottom of the vats holding all the other pop flavors. > [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > Apparently, if I use part of an onion, then put the other half in the refrigerator, it will become highly poisonous. Well, the simple solution is, you take half of the half, and the half you take will be good, and the remaining 1/4 of the onion will become even more poisonous. You can keep doing this until the pebble-sized piece of onion explodes in your fridge. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/23 "2017-03-02T19:31:04Z")
Ramen noodles contain wax that will kill you by coating the inside of your digestive system. Margarine is one molecule away from plastic. > [@Azeotrope](#): > > The cardboard box is more nutritious than the sugary junk cereal inside it. I remember the Mythbusters testing this by making some kind of disgusting soup out of a shredded cereal box. _GAG_ ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/24 "2017-03-02T19:32:22Z")
I have a vague recollection of someone getting a deep fried rat in their bucket o’ KFC. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/25 "2017-03-02T19:46:57Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I have a vague recollection of someone getting a deep fried rat in their bucket o’ KFC. Hey! The rat is the BEST PART! ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/26 "2017-03-02T19:50:27Z")
> [@sitchensis](#): > > Maybe I got it confused with the 50 lbs of fatty plaque coating everyone’s intestines. I still hear ads for stuff to remedy that on SiriusXM. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/27 "2017-03-02T19:57:14Z")
Chewing gum is made from horses’ hooves. Starving children in China were somehow benefited by my eating foods I didn’t like. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/28 "2017-03-02T19:57:16Z")
That there is any reason whatsoever to be even the slightest bit hesitant about eating a product one day after its expiration date. Or, one week after. That, per ounce, potato chips contain more salt then Special K’ That, per ounce, Coca Cola contains more sugar than Special K. That you have to store mayo, kechup, mustard, pickles, relish, bottled sauces in the fridge after opening. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/29 "2017-03-02T20:00:16Z")
Make sure you cook with aluminum foil with the shiny side out, or else. . . something will go wrong. Don’t jump up and down while the cake is baking or it will flop. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/30 "2017-03-02T20:03:43Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > That there is any reason whatsoever to be even the slightest bit hesitant about eating a product one day after its expiration date. Or, one week after. > > That, per ounce, potato chips contain more salt then Special K’ > > That, per ounce, Coca Cola contains more sugar than Special K. > > **That you have to store mayo, kechup, mustard, pickles, relish, bottled sauces in the fridge after opening**. I get all of this except the mayo. I don’t eat it myself so never paid that much attention, but isn’t it lethal if it goes bad? Of course, that’s probably the myth part. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/31 "2017-03-02T20:09:46Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I get all of this except the mayo. I don’t eat it myself so never paid that much attention, but isn’t it lethal if it goes bad? Of course, that’s probably the myth part. I _think_ commercially produced mayo (e.g. Hellman’s/Best Foods) is too acidic to foster the growth of baddies like C. botulinum. Mayo made with raw eggs can carry a salmonella risk. IIRC when Alton Brown talked about this, he said that most times when people think mayo in potato salad gave them food poisoning, it was really cross-contamination from another source. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/32 "2017-03-02T20:17:37Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > I get all of this except the mayo. I don’t eat it myself so never paid that much attention, but isn’t it lethal if it goes bad? Of course, that’s probably the myth part. Commercially prepared mayonnaise is made with pasteurized eggs and is too acidic for most bacteria or molds to grow. The label instructs you to “refrigerate after opening” to preserve the quality of its taste, not its safety. The problem with mayonnaise (one of them, at least) is people contaminate the jar by sticking their utensil into it, spreading it on something, then sticking that same utensil back in the jar with crumbs and shit still on it. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/33 "2017-03-02T20:29:51Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > Apparently, if I use part of an onion, then put the other half in the refrigerator, it will become highly poisonous. > > I must be truly blessed that my family has somehow escaped this almost certain death the last 837 times we’ve done this. I think I asked about this many many moons ago on the Dope ([actually, here’s the brief thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=25416) – hey, back from May of 2000, when I joined the Dope, so this must have been one of my first threads), but one of my German friends told me that reheating and eating cooked mushrooms would make you sick. I have no idea where this comes from, or why an intelligent human being such as her would believe it to be true, but she did. And she’s a vegetarian, so I assume she’s eaten her fair share of mushrooms (actually, it looks like the context, which I had forgotten, was her relaying a story about getting sick after eating cooked mushrooms.) Is anyone else familiar with this? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/34 "2017-03-02T20:39:48Z")
I mentioned the mayo thing again in another thread. More than the other condiments mentioned mayo lasts because it’s mainly oil and it creates an oxygen free environment. The little bit of egg used as an emulsifier encapsulates the oil in little tiny droplets also which prevents oxidization of the oil. I haven’t seen any mention of searing meat to seal in the juices yet. The searing is to enhance the flavor from the Maillard Reaction (or Mallard Reaction if you are cooking a duck). It doesn’t seal in juices, the moistness of the meat is determined by proper temperature and cooking conditions. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/35 "2017-03-02T20:42:55Z")
> [@eschereal](#): > > no mention of the 5-second rule? That’s not a myth, that’s REAL!!! I’ll pick damned near anything up off the floor and dust it off and eat it if I just dropped it. > [@DCnDC](#): > > Commercially prepared mayonnaise is made with pasteurized eggs and is too acidic for most bacteria or molds to grow. The label instructs you to “refrigerate after opening” to preserve the quality of its taste, not its safety.\ Can confirm. We use very little mayonnaise\*, so even the small jar I buy gets stale and weird-smelling before we use it up, even being kept in the fridge. \*It’s actually Miracle Whip, because I prefer the tangy zip. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/36 "2017-03-02T20:49:24Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > Chewing gum is made from horses’ hooves. No, that’s JellO. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/37 "2017-03-02T21:00:08Z")
I was told chocolate cause pimples , my parents ate chocolate candy and didn’t have pimples! I bet they wanted it all for their self and told us 4 kids this ! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/38 "2017-03-02T21:14:30Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > My first mother-in-law (hey, I have a collection) used to say that “pepper never leaves your system.” I was putting some black pepper on a baked potato or something. I just smiled and said I must be 10% pepper by now. > > Although she is the only person I ever heard this comment from I can see that she wasn’t the only one. > > [http://www.worldshealthiestfoods.net/genpage.php?dbid=205&tname=dailytip](http://www.worldshealthiestfoods.net/genpage.php?dbid=205&tname=dailytip) I was told this too. The person later clarified that it pass through your system with other non digestible consumables. ---
**Author:** ![Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/soul_brother_number_two/32/3515_2.png) [@Soul\_Brother\_Number\_Two](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soul_Brother_Number_Two)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/39 "2017-03-02T22:53:07Z")
> [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](#): > > Don’t jump up and down while the cake is baking or it will flop. This ain’t true? Come on! ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2017, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/40 "2017-03-02T22:54:49Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I think I asked about this many many moons ago on the Dope ([actually, here’s the brief thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=25416) – hey, back from May of 2000, when I joined the Dope, so this must have been one of my first threads), but one of my German friends told me that reheating and eating cooked mushrooms would make you sick. I have no idea where this comes from, or why an intelligent human being such as her would believe it to be true, but she did. And she’s a vegetarian, so I assume she’s eaten her fair share of mushrooms (actually, it looks like the context, which I had forgotten, was her relaying a story about getting sick after eating cooked mushrooms.) Is anyone else familiar with this? Oh yes, I’m actually German and this is what I was always told when I was kid in the seventies: reheated mushrooms will kill you. My mother never did it. Since I’ve cooked my own food, I’ve let this rule silently slip and reheat my tagliatelle ai funghi merrily in the microwave and can digest them quite well. But my Mom still would never do it… ETA: I’m a vegetarian too, if that matters, and eat my fair share of mushrooms. ETA2: oh, and NEVER eat raw mushrooms, of any kind. They will kill you too. Same bullshit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225.md?page=3)