[ food analysis ] -- anyone highly knowledgeable and experienced in food that can recommend best sites for science-based food questions?

for example,

whole durum wheat = not safe to eat raw

there's toxins in it, which you likely know or have experienced, or have researched

so that's safety reason for why you have to cook it

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for both whole durum wheat pasta

and for semolina pasta

* what is the minimum cook time (about) that makes each of these pasta technically cooked, and thereby safe?

question applies more to whole durum wheat

dunno if semolina is safe to eat raw or not

all else equal, same pot, same amount, same stove, etc. etc. etc.

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[ food analysis ] -- anyone highly knowledgeable and experienced in food that can recommend best sites for science-based food questions?

designparadise
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8 Comments

BerryBaby
BerryBaby June 15, 2017
Serious Eats has all the scientific info! BB
 
designparadise
designparadise June 16, 2017
* 2 most helpful content from that source if you said they have 'all the scientific info'?
 
Heidi L.
Heidi L. June 14, 2017
Here's an article that cites a good number of scientists explaining why the FDA has issued a warning about consuming raw flour. https://www.livescience.com/55336-why-uncooked-flour-can-make-you-sick.html

The issue that provoked the warning is the danger that flour, which comes from a filed crop, may become contaminated by E.coli just as other field crops are.
 
Heidi L.
Heidi L. June 14, 2017
oops. field crop not filed crop.
 
Shannon S.
Shannon S. June 14, 2017
you shouldn't be eating any flour raw... why would you eat it raw??? I suggest the library if you want to know about flours. About eating it raw, talk to your doctor.
 
Stephanie B.
Stephanie B. June 8, 2017
If worse comes to worst, you can always try to find primary research on your questions on PubMed.
 
creamtea
creamtea June 8, 2017
Grains are generally cooked until "al dente" because they are more palatable that way, not because of toxicity. But it's not common to eat wheat or other grains raw in any case. Having said that, Nancy provides a thorough answer to assessing popular diet and toxicity claims.
 

Voted the Best Reply!

Nancy
Nancy June 8, 2017
Some authors and bloggers known for the chemistry (and/or physics) of how food cooks...Harold McGee, Shirley Corriher, Kenzi Lopez-Alt at Serious Eats.
For nutrient analysis and food safety, it is hard to get reliable up to date verdicts because information changes often, depending on both new studies and the way studies are publicized.
On any one question, I would look for multiple reports (at least 3) from a medical school, university, laboratory or recognized research authority.
If sponsored by a food manufacturer or a category association, be very skeptical of the information and conclusions.
Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition at both NYU and Cornell, is a good resource, both in books and online.
http://www.foodpolitics.com/tag/whole-grains/
Will be interested to see what authorities other food52 members recommend...
 
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