In Nepal, my parents always warned me before eating at some rest stops because they said the food was doctored with baking soda to make you feel fuller, guess it was true after all and not just an urban legend heh.

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ihaveajob 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

I've heard the same from South Indian friends, so I guess it's pretty widespread.

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valarauko 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I've sometimes used baking soda to accelerate softening of beans, and I imagine the effect is more appreciable at higher altitudes perhaps? Some of the usage of baking soda could be innocent enough.

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scorpionfeet 2 days ago | parent | next [-]

Alkalinity softens the husk of legumes. Look up nixtamalization. It’s what the Aztecs invented.

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ChrisMarshallNY 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Try using it on meat. Turns it into pink slurry.

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papercrane 2 days ago | parent [-]

You're using too much! Its commonly used to improve meat texture, especially in Chinese cuisine. It's called "velveting".

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torhorway 2 days ago | parent [-]

you're thinking of corn starch

	▲	Hikikomori 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		Both are used, for different reasons, but it's a pretty loose term. Can also use enzymes or other alkaline things. With or without a marinade. Pass through oil or water, or just stir fry with a little extra oil.

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SketchySeaBeast 2 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Did we discover a new diet hack?

	▲	scorpionfeet 2 days ago \| parent [-]
		A few thousand years ago: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization

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MengerSponge 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

No reasonable person would be confused by use of baking soda as an ingredient in cooked food (reasonable) vs the addition of baking soda after cooking as an adulterant.

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scorpionfeet 2 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Totally an urban legend. What do people think Alia seltzer is made from? You know the thing you take to feel better after eating too much?

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streetfighter64 a day ago | parent [-]

"You" don't take antacid after eating unless "you" have problems with your stomach acid or something. Neutralizing your stomach acid isn't generally a smart thing to do, because it's acidic for a reason (digesting food). Some people even recommend not drinking to much water with your meals because it dilutes your stomach acid, though that might be overly cautious. Whether adding baking soda to food makes you feel fuller I wouldn't know, but it certainly won't make you "feel better", unless you have some medical condition.

	▲	scorpionfeet a day ago \| parent [-]
		>> I wouldn't know, but it certainly won't make you "feel better", unless you have some medical condition. It makes me feel better and I don’t have a medical condition. What is your point? Maybe throw in a fact or two?