[698969]

In Nepal, my parents always warned me before eating at some rest stops because they said the food was doctored with baking soda to make you feel fuller, guess it was true after all and not just an urban legend heh.

[ihaveajob]

I've heard the same from South Indian friends, so I guess it's pretty widespread.

[valarauko]

I've sometimes used baking soda to accelerate softening of beans, and I imagine the effect is more appreciable at higher altitudes perhaps? Some of the usage of baking soda could be innocent enough.

[scorpionfeet]

Alkalinity softens the husk of legumes. Look up nixtamalization. It’s what the Aztecs invented.

[ChrisMarshallNY]

Try using it on meat. Turns it into pink slurry.

[papercrane]

You're using too much! Its commonly used to improve meat texture, especially in Chinese cuisine. It's called "velveting".

[torhorway]

you're thinking of corn starch

[Hikikomori]

Both are used, for different reasons, but it's a pretty loose term. Can also use enzymes or other alkaline things. With or without a marinade. Pass through oil or water, or just stir fry with a little extra oil.

[MengerSponge]

No reasonable person would be confused by use of baking soda as an ingredient in cooked food (reasonable) vs the addition of baking soda after cooking as an adulterant.

[SketchySeaBeast]

Did we discover a new diet hack?

[scorpionfeet]

A few thousand years ago:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixtamalization