When I was a kid, my mother wouldn't let me eat raw cookie dough. She said it would give me worms. (Mind you, this is from a woman who would nosh on a gob of raw ground beef, liberally sprinkled with salt, any time she made spaghetti with meatballs)

The millions of people who now eat Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough [1] ice cream seem to be doing just fine, but I know my mom must've had a point, when it came to the homemade version. When my fellow blogger, Belinda Miller [1], wondered to me about the evils of eating raw cookie dough, I thought I'd do some investigating for myself, about this myth, as well as a few others.

Read on for my findings...

Myth #1: Eating raw cookie dough is bad for you.
Truth: The harmful ingredient in uncooked dough or cake batter is eggs [2]. In their raw state, they can contain bacteria that can cause salmonella. If you're dead-set on eating your cookies straight from the batter bowl—or if you want to try your hand at making a homemade version of Ben & Jerry's famous flavor—buy pasteurized eggs, which is what is used in commercial cookie doughs meant to be eaten raw. Or, try your hand at making an eggless version [3].

Myth #2: Eating the crusts on your bread makes your hair curly/makes you see in the dark better/is better for you.
Truth: Well, it may not cause your hair to curl, but finicky sandwich-eaters everywhere should know that bread crusts really do have some nutritional benefit that the doughy, soft center of the loaf lacks. Several years ago, German researchers [4] discovered that baked bread crusts contained a high concentration of an antioxidant called pronyl-lysine, which plays a role in cancer prevention. This antioxidant is formed as a byproduct of the effect of heat on the amino acids, starch and sugars in the dough. The scientists found that the concentration of pronyl-lysine is eight times more abundant in the crust than in the crumb. Darker-colored breads, like pumpernickel and wheat, contain more of the antioxidants than white bread.

Myth #3: The fumes from a too-hot nonstick pan can kill birds.
Truth: The jury's out on this one. When it comes to Teflon and other nonstick coatings [5], the issue is PFOA, an agent used in the manufacture of the coatings. PFOA [6] has been known to cause health problems in laboratory animals, and is very persistent in the environment and even in the blood of the U.S. population. Manufacturers like DuPont [7] insist that PFOA cannot be detected in the finished product of a nonstick pan. But consumer watchdog groups, such as the Environmental Working Group [8] advise against using these pans, and the Environmental Protection Agency [9] is working with manufacturers to eliminate the use of PFOA in manufacturing pans. And yes, according to some, Teflon has been suspected to kill birds [10].


Myth #4: You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day to avoid dehydration.
Truth: Not necessarily. Several unrelated members [11] of the medical community have disproved this belief [12], saying that a person's average intake of fruits, vegetables and other liquids likely provides us with more than our share of H20. The best news? Even coffee and other caffeinated beverages count. No word on whether booze does, however.


Got a foodie myth you've always wondered about? If so, let me know and I'll start working on a sequel.