Are the potatoes sold by street vendors cooked using drain cleaner powder?

Instead of normal cooking, a potato can be cooked by soaking it in water and drain cleaner for 20 minutes. Is this the way we usually cook potatoes?

Potatoes can be cooked without boiling.

A girl named CCĐ shared: "Have you ever seen a sack of boiled corn, packed in a plastic bag, and then wrapped in a woven polypropylene sack? Someone told me it was boiled using septic tank cleaner powder."

The potato slices cooked through in just 20 minutes thanks to drain cleaner powder. Photo: FBNV

To verify this information, D. took a piece of raw potato, put it in a plastic bag, mixed a spoonful of drain cleaner with water, and sealed the bag tightly. After 20 minutes, the potato showed signs of cooking.

The experiment horrified many people, prompting them to conduct similar experiments with corn, potatoes, and cassava. Many obtained similar results to D. and joined the call to "boycott" these favorite foods.

Regarding the question of whether or not drain cleaner powder is used to cook potatoes/corn/cassava, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Duy Thinh, a staff member of the Institute of Biotechnology - Food Technology (Hanoi University of Science and Technology), stated that he had not received this information. However, he noted that drain cleaner powder generates heat, softening and breaking down waste and dirt clogging drains. Therefore, while experiments like the one described might show the potatoes softening, cooking them for sale in the market as is currently done is a different matter.

According to Associate Professor Tran Hong Con, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Vietnam National University, Hanoi, there are many types of drain cleaning powder. To analyze their harmful effects and toxicity, it is necessary to specifically identify and analyze each of its components. If it is used to soak and cook food as reported, then relevant authorities need to investigate because, by its nature, it is not a food additive.

"We need to be cautious when asserting whether street vendors use these chemicals to ripen their products before selling them to customers because, in reality, there is no evidence of this. It could just be a rumor affecting their livelihoods," Associate Professor Thinh said.

Previously, the information about using batteries to boil corn, which caused panic among many people, was actually just an unfounded rumor.

“Batteries are not allowed in the production and processing of any food because they contain many chemicals, including heavy metals such as lead, mercury, and cadmium, which are very toxic to the brain, kidneys, digestive system, and reproductive system of humans. However, batteries do not have the effect of cooking food in that way because the reactions that occur are negligible. It's also not easy to find batteries to put in a pot. Meanwhile, they can openly use sodium hydroxide (NaHCO3) to cook food faster,” he explained.

Chemicals can be used to cook food.

According to Associate Professor Côn, the use of catalysts to speed up food cooking and reduce cooking time is not a new concept.

In fact, for a long time, to make corn, potatoes, peanuts, beans, and sticky rice cakes cook faster, people have known to use sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), a stomach ulcer remedy still sold in pharmacies, by adding it to the pot, reducing cooking time to only 1/3 or 1/2 of the actual time.

According to regulations from the Ministry of Health, 1-2 tablespoons of this salt can be used per kilogram of food. This type of salt is permitted and safe for the digestive system.

Concurring with this view, Associate Professor Thinh also stated that sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) has the effect of regulating acidity, preventing clumping, and creating a porous texture. Therefore, tenderizing powder is often used to cook food quickly, saving time and energy during cooking.

"Many of the powders sold on the market today are actually this type of salt," Associate Professor Thinh affirmed.

According to Zing.vn