Making Spaghetti? Here are some PRO TIPS to help make it BETTER!

Spaghetti! Who doesn’t like it?

Spaghetti is an easy-enough meal to prepare, and it can be as simple, or as complex, as one desires.

And despite that, as some things often are, they can be deceptively simple, or even challenging to master.

While with recipes, whether found online, on boxes, or in magazines and books, there seems to be a somewhat straight-forward approach to making certain dishes, even with renown and very popular ones, sometimes, the “Whys & Wherefores,” i.e., the rationales, the reasons why one does a certain thing a certain way, are typically omitted. And, that can be to the detriment of a burgeoning cook, or aspiring chef.

So, we’ll set out to, at least in small part, make a correction… at least as concerning spaghetti.

1.) Salt

Salt the water which the noodles boil in — HEAVILY, not a mere sprinkle, or a dash, or two. Lay it on!

Why?

Salt is hygroscopic, which means that it draws, or attracts, water.

And the noodles should be cooked to an “al dente” consistency, a translation meaning

Chinese Junk: It ain’t just cheap crap made in China. It’s also hocus pocus herbal faith healers.

Kung Foo Panda.

Yeah.

It’s Chinese JUNK, folks.

Yes, I’m aware that’s a pun.

But, this AIN’T punny.

It’s your life we’re talking about.

So… who do you trust?

Something that has DEMONSTRATED SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE – or some hocus pocus baloney baloney which is the equivalent of an old wives tale with utterly NO SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE to support its specious claims?

Your “bullshit” detectors should be pinging 100% every time you pass by some “herbalist’s” corner.

If for no other reason, consider this: There is NO inspection of any ingredients used in such so-called “medicine.”

So, yeah… you could be ingesting arsenic.

Why?

Because there’s no inspection required.

Good luck!

And besides… are you really gonna’ believe that some root, gall bladder of bear, or powdered horn of an endangered specie will genuinely cure you?

Or, will it only relieve the symptoms of your wallet?

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Logo of Jiangxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine ---

Samples of traditional Chinese medicine are found to contain harmful ingredients

By Kai Kupferschmidt, Published: April 23

Traditional Chinese medicine is enjoying increasing popularity all over the world. But two recently published studies show that the treatments can be harmful. The papers focus attention on the fact that not all of the ingredients in TCM treatments are listed, or even legal, and that some can cause cancer.

Critics have long warned that some mixtures can also contain naturally occurring toxins; contaminants such as heavy metals; added substances such as steroids, which can make them appear more effective; and traces of animals that are endangered and trade-restricted.

Now, researchers in Australia have investigated the issue using modern sequencing technology. The team analyzed 15 TCM samples seized by Australian officials.

“We took these traditional preparations, smashed them to pieces and extracted the DNA from the powder,” explained molecular geneticist Michael Bunce.

Some products contained material from animals classified as vulnerable or critically endangered, such as the Asiatic black bear and the Saiga antelope, just as the producers of the products claimed. But often, the medicine also harbored ingredients not mentioned on the packaging, the team reported online in PLoS Genetics.

In the herbal preparations that they tested, Bunce and his colleagues found

Sex, Drugs, and Rock-n-Roll

Periodically, friends and family come to me seeking understanding about various medical and health related issues, which often includes information about procedures and medications.

And on occasion, I continue to be asked to identify certain medications.

Particularly problematic are the numerous herbs and Over The Counter (OTC) non-prescription remedies that neither treat nor cure, yet proliferate and line the pockets of those unscrupulous enough to market and sell them to the unsuspectingly ignorant.

On one such occasion, I was asked by a friend to identify several foreign concoctions of apparent Asian origin, which I succeed in identifying, though I suspect I merely added levity to our communication. Fortunately, the request wasn’t anything of any seriously substantial nature.

It’s becoming more difficult to identify many items, though I count myself fortunate to have access to the numerous resources I do.

Here’s the text of my response. Perhaps you’ll find it enlightening.