This video gives the saying "watch what you eat" a whole new meaning! Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for those foods that can become lethal, or cause some kind of health hazard, if either stored, cooked or prepared improperly.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for those foods that can become
00:11lethal or cause some kind of health hazard if either stored, cooked, or prepared improperly.
00:22Number 10.
00:23Rice.
00:24With my rice I like to have some cow, cow, cow, it tastes so very good I don't know how,
00:30how, how.
00:31Rice, both uncooked and cooked, can harbor bacteria known as Bacillus cereus, which yes,
00:37can cause food poisoning.
00:38And the longer cooked rice is left out at room temperature, the more time the bacterial
00:42spores have time to multiply.
00:44So what can you do?
00:46Serve cooked rice as quickly as possible for one.
00:49Ideally, cool freshly cooked rice within no more than an hour, and then keep it in the
00:53fridge no more than a day.
00:55Check your country's food safety agency for advice, since some countries differ on timelines,
00:59and when it comes to reheating, do not reheat rice more than once.
01:09Number 9.
01:10Chicken.
01:11With chicken, the number to remember is 165.
01:17That number has nothing to do with calories or grams of protein, but rather, it's the
01:21internal temperature you want to cook your chicken to.
01:24Why?
01:25It's called Salmonella, and it is, according to the CDC, the bacteria responsible for the
01:29most food-borne illnesses and can also kill.
01:32And it's estimated that one in every 25 packages of chicken at the supermarket is contaminated
01:37with said bacteria.
01:38So first off, you want to be careful during the preparation process, and wash everything
01:42that touches the raw chicken, hands, utensils, cutting boards, you name it.
01:47And then, when you cook it, getting that internal temp to 165 degrees Fahrenheit ensures the
01:51killing of any Salmonella and other similar heat-sensitive pathogens.
02:00Number 8.
02:01Kidney beans.
02:02When it comes to beans, you're probably thinking that the most deadly thing about them is what
02:05emanates from people after eating them.
02:07Yeah, we went there.
02:14And while we definitely don't want to discount that, we're talking about actual serious health
02:17risks here.
02:18Raw kidney beans contain a toxin called phytohemagglutinin.
02:21They should be soaked overnight, then have that water discarded, and then must be boiled
02:26for a minimum of 10 minutes at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
02:29And let's not forget about raw lima beans, which contain linamerin, which, when eaten,
02:34turns into cyanide in your body.
02:35So be sure to cook them incredibly thoroughly as well.
02:39Number 7.
02:40Wild game.
02:41Animals raised and slaughtered in sanitized and controlled environments can still have
02:44bacteria on them.
02:45Imagine animals out there in the wild.
02:47Bears, deers, hares, and other animals out in the wild can find themselves filled with
02:51both chemical and natural toxins and parasites from their environments.
02:55And if you eat any of these wild animals, whatever is in them could easily end up in
02:59you.
03:00Which makes proper preparation and cooking that much more important.
03:02Make sure the meat is butchered and cleaned thoroughly, and that it's cooked through to
03:06a proper temperature as well in order to kill any potential bacteria.
03:09Number 6.
03:10Shellfish.
03:11When we talk about shellfish, it's Vibrio bacteria that is the main danger, although
03:22there are others.
03:23This particular form of bacteria lives in the waters where many types of shellfish can
03:27be found, and as such, can easily contaminate them.
03:30This makes proper cooking essential, as Vibriosis can cause great intestinal distress and can
03:35also kill about 1 out of every 5 people afflicted with it.
03:38If we're talking raw oysters, there's no cooking involved, of course, which makes it
03:42a risky meal choice without doing your due diligence in terms of provenance and time
03:45of the year.
03:46Same deal for mussels and shellfish in general, don't cook any with open shells, and then
03:51discard any that do not open during the cooking process.
03:59Number 5.
04:00Halkarik.
04:01If you're from Iceland or have ever visited the beautiful country, then you probably know
04:04what Halkarik is.
04:06For the rest of you, Halkarik, the national dish of Iceland, is fermented shark.
04:11As the meat decomposes, it oozes toxic ammonia.
04:15Or more specifically, fermented Greenland shark, or similar types of sleeper shark.
04:19To say it's an acquired taste is possibly an understatement about the flavor profile here.
04:24But beyond the taste factor, the bigger issue with Halkarik is how dangerous it can be if
04:28not prepared properly.
04:29When the meat is at a perfect rotten state, it's hung to complete the breakdown process.
04:35Greenland sharks have a high level of urea and trimethylamine oxide in their flesh, and
04:40this can be quite poisonous if you eat enough of it.
04:43However, the traditional months-long fermentation and drying preparation, if properly done,
04:47nullifies the toxins, making it safe to eat.
04:54Number 4.
04:55Elderberries.
04:56Talk about two extremes.
04:58On the one hand, elderberries are one of the most popular medicinal plants on the planet
05:02and are also enjoyed for their delicious flavor.
05:04While on the other hand, if not prepared properly, they could make you very sick or even, in
05:09extreme cases, kill you.
05:11And by prepared properly, we're talking about two main things.
05:14First off, the berries must be fully ripened.
05:17And second, the leaves, twigs, and the seeds of the berries can be deadly and must be avoided,
05:22as they contain a glycoside that produces, well, cyanide.
05:26And that ain't good.
05:27So straining and preparing elderberries properly is critically important.
05:30Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries.
05:37Number 3.
05:38Cassava.
05:39While cassava might not sound familiar, they could just be because you know it better as
05:42yucca.
05:43And if yucca still doesn't ring a bell, we're pretty sure you've heard of cassava starch,
05:46or as it's more commonly referred to, tapioca.
05:48We don't want to scare all you bubble tea lovers out there, but yes, those yummy pearls
05:53in your drink originally contained dangerous levels of cyanide.
05:56Prior to being properly prepared and turned into the boba tea that is slurped up through
06:01that extra large straw.
06:02There are two classifications of cassava, bitter and sweet.
06:05And while both need preparation to reach non-toxic levels, the bitter ones require more steps
06:09and said process.
06:15Number 2.
06:16Potatoes.
06:17While some people prefer french fries, some like mashed, and others are all about scalloped.
06:21That's not what we're talking about when we say watch out for cooking potatoes the wrong
06:24way.
06:25We're talking about first taking a good look at your potato and making sure it isn't sprouting
06:28or green.
06:29Here's why.
06:31Potatoes contain glycoalkaloids, including one called solanine, which, if you eat too
06:35much of them, could make you sick or even kill you.
06:38Which brings us back to those sprouts, as they are an indication of elevated levels
06:42of glycoalkaloids.
06:43If they're small and not numerous, you could potentially cut them out, although that is
06:47not a 100% guarantee.
06:49However, too many and too big?
06:51Just throw it all out.
06:57Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified
07:01about our latest videos.
07:03You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
07:06If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
07:13Number 1.
07:14Fugu.
07:15OG The Simpsons fans will know exactly what we're talking about here, but assuming you
07:25season 2 episode, or aren't well-versed in classic Japanese cuisine, allow us to enlighten
07:29you on fugu.
07:30Fugu means a poisonous puffer fish, and we don't use poison lightly here either.
07:34These puffers can kill you if you ingest the wrong part of them.
07:37We won't act like we know the safe way to prepare and serve the fish.
07:40In fact, the safe preparation of fugu is so difficult and precise that restaurant chefs
07:45in Japan, Korea, and many other countries must complete three or more years of training
07:49to even be allowed to prepare it.
07:54Do you know all these food facts?
07:55How about any we missed?
07:56Let us know in the comments.