# Did you know you can eat lye



## Relle (Oct 15, 2011)

Have a read of this  :shock: -

http://www.davethefox.com/words/0112lutefisk.htm


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## Bubbles Galore (Oct 15, 2011)

Oh well some people will eat anything.  :shock:


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## Sunny (Oct 15, 2011)

lutefisk is vile. very popular here in minnesota.


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## carebear (Oct 15, 2011)

sodium hydroxide is an ingredient in many foods.  hard pretzels and ripe olives just to name two.  and used in a zillion things as a pH adjuster - toothpaste, eye drops...


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## maya (Oct 15, 2011)

tasha said:
			
		

> lutefisk is vile. very popular here in minnesota.



god is it ever just VILE. its like nasty gelatin fish gone bad. with a lye taste. oy.


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## cinta (Oct 16, 2011)

:shock:  :shock:  :shock:


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## dagmar88 (Oct 16, 2011)

Ever had these?







 How do you think they get the skins off?


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## Bubbly Buddha (Oct 16, 2011)

> Ever had these?
> 
> 
> 
> How do you think they get the skins off?



Ack!! :shock: I had no idea!!!


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## carebear (Oct 16, 2011)

why the ack?


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## dagmar88 (Oct 16, 2011)

carebear said:
			
		

> why the ack?



Right, they're yummie.
People just don't know what is in food anymore...
The average instant gravy package contains weirder things


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## Bubbly Buddha (Oct 16, 2011)

> why the ack?




I never really gave much thought as to how they got the skins off.  It's a little disturbing to think of them sitting in a mixture of drain cleaner.  I am interested where things come from, but then sometimes I wish I didn't know once I find out!!


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## Relle (Oct 16, 2011)

carebear said:
			
		

> sodium hydroxide is an ingredient in many foods.  hard pretzels and ripe olives just to name two.  and used in a zillion things as a pH adjuster - toothpaste, eye drops...



I must be naive, never knew all this, I was watching something on TV the other day and they tried the lutefisk. Mmm, must read more labels.


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## AmyW (Oct 16, 2011)

I got food grade lye from essential depot just so I could make German pretzels and then never got around to it before I used up all the lye LOL 

I didn't know that about mandarin oranges though - I figured they went through a machine peeler? Thought I saw a How it's Made episode where they did that.

ETA: must have been something else I was thinking of:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_orange


> Canned mandarin segments are peeled to remove the white pith prior to canning; otherwise, they turn bitter. Segments are peeled using a chemical process. First, the segments are scalded in hot water to loosen the skin; then they are bathed in a lye solution which digests the albedo and membranes. Finally, the segments undergo several rinses in plain water.



Pretty cool!


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## Sunny (Oct 16, 2011)

dagmar88 said:
			
		

> Ever had these?
> 
> 
> 
> ...




These are tasty in recipes. I guess I never thought about the skins!

Anyone tried Frog Eye Salad? it's delicious! my grandma makes this.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/frog-eye-salad/detail.aspx


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## Hazel (Oct 17, 2011)

tasha said:
			
		

> Anyone tried Frog Eye Salad? it's delicious! my grandma makes this.
> 
> http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/frog-eye-salad/detail.aspx



Haven't tried it but sounds good to me. 

I loved tapioca when I was young until my brother told me it was fish eyes.  :shock:  It was years before I ate it again.


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## Soapy Gurl (Oct 17, 2011)

I found it on the ingredient list of face cream...


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## Maythorn (Oct 17, 2011)

Bubbly Buddha said:
			
		

> > why the ack?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



But it's not just drain cleaner is the way I think of it.  And actually isn't a good drain cleaner at all for a major clog. I love mandarin oranges with cottage cheese.  I also heart soft pretzels.

I have some cleansing cream with lye listed in it and when I wear more eye makeup than usual I use it but am careful not to get it in my eyes like it says on the label.  It could sting and is really oily.


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## IrishLass (Oct 17, 2011)

Hazel said:
			
		

> [I loved tapioca when I was young until my brother told me it was fish eyes.  :shock:  It was years before I ate it again.



   

Lye is also used to process hominy, and in the hair conditioner I use as well. It's also used to process chocolate. Ever heard of Dutch Processed chocolate? It's processed with lye. No need to freak out over it, though. It's perfectly safe when used and handled within the proper boundaries of whichever application it's being used for. Like bleach, for instance. I would never drink it out of the container, but I sometimes use a diluted solution of it to sanitise things that I eat off of. It's also in my city's water supply that people drink and bathe in.    

It's good to remember all of these things that lye is used in and for because they make for a great defense whenever anybody comes up to you and says in horror, "Gasp! You use lye in your soap?!"    

IrishLass


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## Stacey (Oct 20, 2011)

IrishLass said:
			
		

> It's good to remember all of these things that lye is used in and for because they make for a great defense whenever anybody comes up to you and says in horror, "Gasp! You use lye in your soap?!"
> 
> IrishLass



Love this!  I've had people Gasp at me about the lye in soap too.  I never knew about the mandarin oranges. Wow!

The board never ceases to amaze me with all the knowledge that oozes  out of it on a regular basis.  

Cool.  Just way cool.


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## soapbuddy (Oct 20, 2011)

Toothpaste has lye. Take a look at your ingredient label. Commercial lotion might have it too. It's used as a pH adjustor.


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