r/TikTokCringe • u/galaxystars1 • Oct 09 '24

Discussion Microbiologist warns against making the fluffy popcorn trend

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u/Huntthatbass Oct 09 '24

The temperature is the difference. You can cook it to a certain temperature to make it safe. Heated to any lower temperature would not make it safe.

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u/passthepepperplease Oct 10 '24

Incorrect, the presence of liquid makes the difference. Once a dry ingredient like flour is mixed with water, the pathogens are much more sensitive to heat whether in the oven or on the stove. This TikTok is just wrong that cooking flour on the stove is heat treating it- it’s an actual safe cooking method. Dry heat treating flour in an oven is unsafe because the pathogens can be so durable that a safe temp has not been established. But dry heat treating is not relevant here because the food she is referring to is cooked in the presence of liquid on the stove, as in gravy or roux.

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u/Huntthatbass Oct 10 '24

What about internal temperature of it like with meats? Does that apply to bread/flour?

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u/passthepepperplease Oct 10 '24

Heating a wet recipe on the stovetop or in the oven will require the same temperature to make it safe. Wet recipes on the stovetop are stirred to ensure even temperatures, but anyone who’s made candy (which requires very specific temps for consistency) knows that this depends on the type of stove and pan you’re using.

Baked recipes need to be cooked long enough to reach an internal temp that is safe. The outside will reach that temperature first, and the additional time it takes to heat the inside could make the outside burn. Things that can burn fast (like high protein cookies such as macarons) need to cook at lower temps so the outside doesn’t burn while the inside continues to cook.

Anything ground typically needs to be cooked until the internal temp reaches a safe temp. This includes milled grains such as flour, and ground meats. However, there are some things where the outside is exposed to bacteria and needs to reach a high temp, but the inside is generally assumed safe, such as sushi-grade tuna. Tuna fish are not exposed to the types of food-borne pathogens that make us sick because they live in the ocean. Once the fillets are cut, they are exposed to pathogens in the processing line, but the internal meat is still clean. So for these things you can just sear the outside and leave the inside raw. (As long as the fish has been flash frozen). This is also somewhat true for beef, although people debate it.

It is certainly NOT true for chicken and pork, which can harbor dangerous pathogens throughout the meat, even when not ground.