A host of hidden culinary dangers lurk in kitchen cupboards around the world that have the potential to be extremely harmful.
Almonds
There are two very different kinds of almonds – sweet almonds and bitter almonds. The oil from sweet almonds is often used in the kitchen to rustle up all manner of delicious dishes and almonds are also used in salads, curries and in cake baking. Bitter almonds, though, contain hydrogen cyanide, which is extremely poisonous. They are safe to consume, however, if the poison has been removed through heat, although countries like New Zealand have gone as far as banning them altogether.
Hot dog
How safe is the humble hot dog? Well, it’s probably not as safe as you may think as the American Academy of Pediatrics hit the headlines back in 2010 by calling for the iconic snack to come complete with a warning label highlighting the potential threat of choking on the sausage and bun combo. Statistics released at the time revealed the hot dog accounted for an alarming amount of cases of asphyxiations among children – parents have been warned!
Mushrooms
No traditional English breakfast is complete without a lovely portion of mushrooms and people around the world also use them in dishes such as omelette, stroganoff, stir fry, lasagneand bolognese. People who go out foraging for mushrooms in the wild, though, need to be very, very careful about what they pick and what they leave well alone as several varieties are poisonous. Spotting poisonous is quite tricky, so play it safe and let the experts pick the right ones for you.
Peanuts
Peanuts are a great source of protein, fibre and healthy fats – unless you’re allergic to them that is! The number of people with nut and peanut allergies is on the rise, so much so that peanut allergies among children in America reportedly tripled between 1997 and 2008. As it’s an ingredient used commonly in cooking, peanuts can often be in a dish without the person eating it even knowing it and there are often cases when people fall ill or even die after exposed to peanuts by accident. One story emerged in 2005 when a 15-year-old girl in Canada with a peanut allergy died in tragic circumstances after kissing her boyfriend shortly after he had a consumed a peanut butter snack.
Red Kidney Beans
There’s a lot of debate about whether red kidney beans are poisonous.When raw,red kidney beans contain toxins that can cause extreme nausea, abdominal pain and severe diarrhoea. Cooking the red kidney beans, though, will ensure they are safe to consume and it pays to always check if you buy tinned red kidney beans whether they have already been cooked.
Avoid these dangers by getting green fingered and growing your own food! UK flower experts Interflora are the perfect guys to ask about your green fingered adventures.
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