food myths

[Ken Gargett]

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  1

  
  Hawaiian Pizza Was Invented By A Canadian
  Greg Nicholas via Getty Images
  Sam Panopolous, a Canadian from London, Ontario, invented the Hawaiian pizza in 1962 --at least according to Panopolous and Wikipedia.
  

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  2

  
  Americans Eat Nearly A Ton Of Food In A Year
  Vico Collective/Michael Shay via Getty Images
  According to the USDA's Economic Research Service, the average American ate 1,966 pounds of food in 2011. That's almost a ton, and that is crazy. Now we've lost our appetites. For a few minutes, at least.
  

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  3

  
  Parmigiano Reggiano Is Not Vegetarian
  Parmigiano Reggiano
  Neither are a lot of cheeses. Many cheeses are made with animal rennet, an enzyme that comes from the stomachs of animals like cows and goats. Check out all the other cheeses that aren't vegetarian.
  

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  4

  
  Almonds Are Part Of The Peach Family
  Kevin Summers via Getty Images
  Almonds are actually a hard-shelled fruit from the almond tree. They're part of theprunus family, which includes other trees that bear fruits like plums, cherries and peaches. Now that you think about it, though, almonds do kind of look like peach pits, right?
  

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  5

  
  French Fries Are Not French
  Gasienica via Getty Images
  Both France and Belgium lay claim to the French fry, and nobody knows for sure where the actual concept originated. Apparently we call them French fries because American soldiers stationed in France in World War One liked them so much that they dubbed the pommes frites French fries.
  

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  6

  
  Watermelon and Avocados Are Berries, But Strawberries Are Not
  Anissa Sariatu via Getty Images
  Stay with us. A berry, by definition, is a "fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary." This puts watermelon and avocados in the berry family, but leaves strawberries out. Strawberries are "accessory fruits," which means the seeds come not from the ovaries but from the receptacle in which the ovaries are found. So no, a strawberry is not a berry and we can all just go home now.
  

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  7

  
  Twinkies Do Not Have An Infinite Shelf Life
  AP
  Sad but true, folks. Sad but true. Twinkies actually have a shelf-life of about 45 days. That's not forever at all!
  

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  8

  
  Honey, However, Will Stay Good FOREVER
  Anthony-Masterson via Getty Images
  Honey never expires. While it may crystalize or change in color over the years, it will always be safe to consume.
  

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  9

  
  Your Jar Of Peanut Butter May Contain Rodent Hair And Insect Parts
  Image Studios via Getty Images
  Sorry. We're really sorry. But it's true, and the FDA has confirmed it. There may be up to an "average of 30 OR MORE insect fragments per 100 grams" and an "average of one OR MORE rodent hairs per 100 grams." (Emphasis our own.) The FDA lists the "significance" as "aesthetic." Really?
  

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  10

  
  Number Of Rows On An Ear Of Corn Will Always Be Even
  Copyright Crezalyn Nerona Uratsuji via Getty Images
  What? How? Assuming a regular environment, the number of rows on an ear of corn will be even, because kernels come from pollinated flowers, and these flowers occur in pairs. Or something.
  

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  11

  
  Fast Food Signs Can Affect Your Behavior
  AP
  The mere sight of a fast food logo or packaging can affect your behavior. It can stimulate a sense of impatience and lead to a decreased capacity to savor and enjoy a pleasant experience. Yes, fast food is bad for you in more ways than one.
  

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  12

  
  One In Two Sandwiches Sold In France Is Now A Hamburger
  Lauri Patterson via Getty Images
  While we're all for hamburgers, we don't understand how they're trumping all the other wonders of French cuisine. It seems kind of like a crime that almost half of all sandwiches sold in France are burgers, especially when so many of them come from McDonald's.
  

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  13

  
  Most Of The Salmon We Eat Is Dyed Pink
  Holger Leue via Getty Images
  Wild salmon are pink in color because of the krill they eat, but farmed salmon -- which accounts for two-thirds of the salmon we eat -- are fed pellets to dye their skin pink, which is otherwise naturally grey.
  

[Ken Gargett]

i meant to ask if anyone has any others. (the edit button wouldn't work).

[dvickery]

celery is a negative calorie food ... it takes more calories to chew/swallow/eat celery than the stalk contains .

litttle peanut butter and some rasins and this ones out the door !!!

derrek

[potpest]

Eating eggs increases cholesterol

Searing steak seals in the juices resulting in more moisture content in the meat

[NJP]

Remove added water and air from food and packaging and the shelf space in a supermarket can be nearly halved.

[CBL]

I'm going to add the term "accessory fruit" to my daily vocabulary!

[Philski]

celery is a negative calorie food ... it takes more calories to chew/swallow/eat celery than the stalk contains .

Urban myth, I'm afraid.

[ogus]

That sugar packet will turn to fat but you lose fat if you eat all that ribeye fat

Turkey and chicken have to be washed and cooked endlessly that apple that has been in storage for a year and half just bite into it

It's easier to peel the banana opposite the stem end

Fruit will spoil on a counter in three days but juice lasts three years in a fridge

[CaptainQuintero]

Mmmmmmm keep your bananas out of your fruit bowl as they will make the other fruit over ripen quickly

[dafrey23]

Eating eggs increases cholesterol

Searing steak seals in the juices resulting in more moisture content in the meat

My understanding is that the "sealing in the juices" argument has been debunked. The purpose of searing a steak is more about the Maillard reaction (browning) that adds so much flavor to the steak. The juices in the steak aren't affected by this process. Could be wrong though, so if anyone has any links showing otherwise send them through.

[shlomo]

there is parmesan cheese available without rennet. i have bought it many times.

also pommes frite is fried apples.....

for fast foods, the colour choices of all th restos are so becsuse they trigger a hunger response in ones brain. warm colours like red, yellow, orange make people eat more

[potpest]

My understanding is that the "sealing in the juices" argument has been debunked. The purpose of searing a steak is more about the Maillard reaction (browning) that adds so much flavor to the steak. The juices in the steak aren't affected by this process. Could be wrong though, so if anyone has any links showing otherwise send them through.

Aren't myths supposed to be untrue?

[Nedule]

Mmmmmmm keep your bananas out of your fruit bowl as they will make the other fruit over ripen quickly

True, you can use bananas to ripen tomatoes, or acetylene gas

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[Nedule]

Did you know a banana is 70% water. And a banana can be easily split into 3 equal parts, gently stick you finger into the bottom end of a banana (aka bananus) & the banana will split into 3 equal parts

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[Fuzz]

True, you can use bananas to ripen tomatoes, or acetylene gas

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I think you mean ethylene gas.

[Colt45]

If you crack open a peach pit and eat the very center, it tastes like an almond.

[dafrey23]

Aren't myths supposed to be untrue?

Yes, but from what I gather in Ken's post, he's posting the truth to debunk myths. I was just posting the truth about that particular myth since it was left out.

[Nedule]

I think you mean ethylene gas.

No, I mean acetylene. Ethylene is used for other fruit ripening but you can use acetylene for tomatoes, just put them in a bag & turn on your welding torch.

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[CaptainQuintero]

No, I mean acetylene. Ethylene is used for other fruit ripening but you can use acetylene for tomatoes, just put them in a bag & turn on your welding torch.

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Ive always wondered do these processes truly ripen the whole fruit or just make the skins go full-retard?

When I used to food shop at supermarkets, the fruit always looked great but tastes unripe and flat.

After going to only buying local in season stuff, the difference is huge.

[mk05]

I'm never eating peanut rat butter ever again.

also pommes frite is fried apples.....

This makes me wonder if you just look up stuff on google to say, "actually..."

Actually, it's a French derivative on the history of pomme de terre.

QED

[DWC]

Peanut butter isn't the only thing to worry about. The FDA has allowable "defects" in all sorts of foods.

Check it out: http://www.fda.gov/F...56174.htm#CHPTD

Is 'Mammalian excreta' in fennel seeds etc. what I think it is? I'm afraid to look it up.

And that's for food products. I wonder what the allowable "defects" are in tobacco? No wonder we get so many different subtle nuances from each individual stick. "I'm picking up a little toasted rodent hair in the 2nd 3rd of this cigar" Can't help but wonder what we're smoking sometimes.

Dan

[AndrewNR]

Tomato sauce has a certain allowance of mold and maggots I believe..

You'd be astounded how many lactose intolerant people don't eat mayonnaise.. Nobody even bothers trying to explain to them there isn't any in it.

There's a few things like that but I can't remember them now

[CaptainQuintero]

In the US minced beef can contain up to 5% (essentially an average sized bite out of the total size of a burger patty) fecal matter before being declared unfit for human consumption

[Fuzz]

No, I mean acetylene. Ethylene is used for other fruit ripening but you can use acetylene for tomatoes, just put them in a bag & turn on your welding torch.

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Using acetylene to ripen tomatoes is possible, but not nearly as effective as ethylene, and can cause some severe health problems.

[shlomo]

I'm never eating peanut rat butter ever again.

This makes me wonder if you just look up stuff on google to say, "actually..."

Actually, it's a French derivative on the history of pomme de terre.

QED

Maybe it is an ancient or even current French derivative, but a pomme is an apple. I have never heard of anybody calling a potato a pomme as that would just be confusing.

It is posts like these that add nothing to a thread that makes me wonder if all you enjoy doing with your life is to follow my posts and nitpick whenever you see the slightest opening....