The video "How to Cook That" by Ann Reardon investigates a series of viral videos claiming to expose "truths" about food additives, ingredients, and production methods. Ann debunks each claim using scientific experiments and research.
The debunked claims include:
* Cheese singles with additives don't melt because of chemicals, but because of their lower fat content.
* Rice mixed with plastic bits is a hoax, and it's not economically viable to add plastic to rice.
* Baby food containing ground-up rocks is also a hoax, and Ann demonstrates how to create a fake video using magnets and baby food.
* Vitamins burning in the oven is not a reliable test of their authenticity.
* Meat glue is a real thing, but it's not commonly used to glue steaks together, and it's not easily visible in cooked meat.
* Ice cream containing washing powder is a hoax, and the cloudiness in ice cream is due to anti-caking agents.
* Salt containing chalk is also a hoax, and the cloudiness in salt water is due to anti-caking agents.
* Coffee sinking or floating is not a reliable test of its purity, as it depends on various factors like grind size, temperature, and water hardness.
* Spices burning or not burning is not a reliable test of their purity, and the video's claim is contradicted by its own previous claims.
Ann concludes that the viral videos are created to get views and shares, rather than to provide accurate information. She criticizes the algorithm-driven social media platforms for promoting such content and calls for responsibility and changes to prevent the spread of misinformation.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. The video being tested is from a channel called Blossom, which has been known to spread misinformation.
2. The video claims that processed cheese with chemicals is difficult to melt, while natural cheese melts easily.
3. The host, Ann Reardon, tests this claim by burning processed cheese and natural cheese under an open flame.
4. The processed cheese burns, while the natural cheese melts and drips down.
5. However, Ann reveals that the processed cheese has a lower fat content than the natural cheese, which is the reason for the difference in melting behavior.
6. Ann explains that food additives are not inherently bad and are often used to improve the quality and safety of food.
7. She also notes that the term "natural" is not well-defined and can be misleading in food labeling.
8. Ann tests another claim from the video that baby food contains ground-up rocks as a "fortified calcium" additive.
9. She finds that the baby food does not contain any magnetic particles, which would be present if it contained ground-up rocks.
10. Ann reveals that she added a magnet to the baby food to create the illusion of it containing ground-up rocks.
11. She also tests a claim that some vitamins are synthetic and can be identified by burning them in an oven.
12. Ann finds that the burning behavior of the vitamins is not a reliable indicator of their synthetic or natural origin.
13. She explains that some vitamins may contain sugar or other additives that can affect their burning behavior.
14. Ann tests a claim that meat glue is used to bind together pieces of meat, particularly in steaks.
15. She finds that meat glue is a real thing, but it is not commonly used in steaks and is more commonly used in processed meats.
16. Ann explains that food laws require that meat products containing meat glue be labeled as "formed" or "reformed" meat.
17. She tests a claim that ice cream containing washing powder will bubble up when lemon juice is added.
18. Ann finds that washing powder would make the ice cream inedible and that the bubbling behavior is not a reliable indicator of the presence of washing powder.
19. She tests a claim that salt containing anti-caking agents will make water cloudy.
20. Ann finds that the cloudiness is due to the anti-caking agent, not the salt itself.
21. She tests a claim that coffee with additives will sink in water, while pure coffee will float.
22. Ann finds that the behavior of coffee in water is affected by many factors, including the grind size, temperature, and type of coffee beans.
23. She concludes that the tests presented in the video are not reliable indicators of the quality or safety of food products.