[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