Magazine

Your Honey Jar is a Sweet Golden Trap Your Honey Jar is a Sweet Golden Trap (image credits: pixabay) That innocent honey jar sitting on your counter might as well have a neon sign flashing “All You Can Eat Buffet” for ants. Ants are attracted to honey because of its sugar content, with more diluted honey being particularly attractive to ants. But here’s what most people don’t realize – it’s not just the honey inside that’s the problem. Even if honey residue exists on the outside of your jar, ants will still get attracted, and they should be lucky to … Read more

Whole Grain Flours and Nuts Turn Rancid Surprisingly Fast Whole Grain Flours and Nuts Turn Rancid Surprisingly Fast (image credits: rawpixel) Most people think flour lasts forever in the pantry, but that couldn’t be further from the truth when temperatures climb. Whole wheat flour and cornmeal should be kept in a zipper-lock bag stored in the freezer to prevent the oil in the product from becoming rancid. The natural oils in whole grain flours break down rapidly in heat, creating that unmistakable musty, bitter smell that ruins your baking plans. What’s shocking is that this process accelerates dramatically when your … Read more

Storing High-Ethylene Producers with Sensitive Fruits Storing High-Ethylene Producers with Sensitive Fruits (image credits: unsplash) One of the most damaging mistakes you can make is keeping ethylene-producing fruits next to sensitive ones. A significant contributor to global food waste is the overexposure of fruits and vegetables to ethylene during ripening and storage, accounting for 45-50% of all harvested fresh products lost or wasted in the food supply chain annually (approximately 1.3 billion tonnes, equivalent to $680 billion USD). Think of ethylene as an invisible aging hormone that speeds up ripening dramatically. When exposing broccoli to ethylene producers, the shelf life … Read more

The Nutritional Powerhouses Everyone Knows The Nutritional Powerhouses Everyone Knows (image credits: unsplash) Soybeans reign supreme in the legume kingdom, dominating global markets alongside their close companions chickpeas and lentils. Despite the dominance of a few legumes in commercial markets like soybean, groundnut, chickpea, and lentil, numerous indigenous varieties such as adzuki bean, horse gram, and moth bean remain underexplored. These popular varieties have earned their spot through impressive nutritional profiles and versatility in cuisines worldwide. One serving of legumes, which is one-half cup, provides about 115 calories, 20 g of carbohydrate, 7–9 g of fiber, 8 g of protein, … Read more

That can of cooking spray sitting in your pantry might look innocent enough. You spray it on your pan, watch your eggs slide around effortlessly, and think nothing more of it. Yet what if I told you that some of these convenient little cans have been at the center of serious safety concerns and even pulled from circulation? The reality behind cooking sprays is more complex than most people realize, involving chemical propellants, controversial ingredients, and even explosive incidents that have landed people in hospitals with severe burns. PAM Cooking Spray with U-Vent Design PAM Cooking Spray with U-Vent Design … Read more

Walk into any kitchen from the 1960s and you might be shocked. What seemed perfectly normal back then would now send health inspectors running for the door. The gleaming Formica countertops and cheerful pastel appliances concealed practices that could make you seriously ill, or worse. Honestly, it’s a miracle any of us made it through dinner unscathed. Let’s be real here, the ’60s were a different time. Food safety wasn’t the obsession it is today. There were no celebrity chefs yelling about cross contamination on TV. Home cooks relied on traditions passed down through generations, many of which were, frankly, … Read more

Washing Raw Meat Before Cooking Washing Raw Meat Before Cooking (image credits: pixabay) Your grandmother probably taught you to rinse that chicken before putting it in the pot, but this seemingly harmless habit is actually one of the most dangerous mistakes in the kitchen. Don’t wash raw meat, especially chicken, before cooking. Washing it doesn’t remove germs, instead it spreads them to your sink and kitchen surfaces, where they can contaminate other food. When you rinse raw meat under running water, you’re essentially creating a bacterial splash zone that can reach up to three feet in every direction. Today, meat … Read more

Remember pouring yourself a giant bowl of your favorite cereal on Saturday morning, planting yourself in front of cartoons, and thinking life was pretty much perfect? Those were the days when breakfast wasn’t just fuel for the day but a sugary ritual that defined your childhood. The 90s gave us some of the most inventive, outrageous, and downright delicious cereals the world has ever seen, but sadly, not all of them survived into the new millennium. Some disappeared overnight, leaving fans heartbroken and desperately searching grocery store aisles for one last box. The good news is that the fight isn’t … Read more

The Pineapple Pizza Battle That Divides Nations The Pineapple Pizza Battle That Divides Nations (image credits: unsplash) When you mention pineapple on pizza, watch the dinner table suddenly turn into a battlefield. According to new data from YouGov Omnibus, 12% of Americans who eat pizza say that pineapple is one of their top three favorite pizza toppings. But here’s the kicker—in a study conducted in America, 34,000 people were asked about their opinion on pineapple pizza. The results were close, with 54 percent of the people saying no to the pizza. Furthermore, the survey showed that 12 percent of the … Read more

Introduction (image credits: unsplash) Common Foods That Are Secretly Causing Inflammation Sugar: The Sweet Culprit Sugar: The Sweet Culprit (image credits: pixabay) Sugar is present in almost everything, from your morning coffee to that delicious dessert you can’t resist. While it may seem harmless, sugar has been linked to promoting inflammation in the body. When consumed in excess, sugar can cause spikes in blood sugar levels, leading to the release of inflammatory cytokines. These substances are like little messengers that tell the body to become inflamed. Over time, this can contribute to chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease. It’s … Read more