FAQs
Lye, or caustic soda, is a mixture of sodium hydroxide and water. This strong alkaline compound is used sparingly in baking due its dominate properties.
What is lye made of? ›
lye, the alkaline liquor obtained by leaching wood ashes with water, commonly used for washing and in soapmaking; more generally, any strong alkaline solution or solid, such as sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide (see sodium; potassium).
Why is lye safe in pretzels? ›
The stronger the alkali, the more intense and impressive the results, which is why German bakers use lye; it features a chart-topping pH of 14 and produces the ultimate pretzel experience. (Rest assured, you're not ingesting a dangerous chemical: The oven's heat completely neutralizes lye and makes it safe to consume.)
Why is lye used in food? ›
Lye water is an ingredient used in Asian and African cooking for cooking meat, rice or noodles and vegetables like corn, beans, maize or okra to soften or add flavour or keep vegetables colour. It is usually added as part of the recipe in small amounts (spoonfuls).
Is lye a toxic chemical? ›
Contact with very high concentrations of sodium hydroxide can cause severe burns to the eyes, skin, digestive system or lungs, resulting in permanent damage or death. Prolonged or repeated skin contact may cause dermatitis. Repeated inhalation of sodium hydroxide vapor can lead to permanent lung damage.
Is lye bad for your body? ›
Sodium hydroxide does not produce systemic toxicity, but is very CORROSIVE and can cause severe burns in all tissues that it comes in contact with. Sodium hydroxide poses a particular threat to the eyes, since it can hydrolyze protein, leading to severe eye damage.
What is lye used for in murders? ›
Due to its low cost and easy availability, it has also been used to dispose of corpses by criminals. Italian serial killer Leonarda Cianciulli used this chemical to turn dead bodies into soap. In Mexico, a man who worked for drug cartels admitted to having disposed of more than 300 bodies with it.
Are bagels dipped in lye? ›
Well yes, lye can do that but did you also know it is used to make bagels? Some bakers will dip the bagel in a lye solution as it speeds up the process that creates the distinctive bagel crust and taste.
What foods are treated with lye? ›
In the realm of food preparation, lye is used to cure olives, process cocoa, make noodles (similar to ramen), produce hominy (similar to the nixtamalization of corn for masa using calcium hydroxide), make bagels, and bake pretzels, which belong to a class of German/Alsatian baked goods called Laugengebäck.
Does Auntie Anne's use lye? ›
Well, the cheery ladies were very clear with me: they do NOT use lye. No sodium hydroxide/poison/caustic soda—none whatsoever—in their pretzels. (They do, however, dip their pretzels in a baking soda solution.) So there you have it.
Many working class colonists opted to make soap themselves because it made use of materials they already had on hand. Lye, the alkaline substance needed for saponification, could be made by pouring water over ashes from the fireplace.
What is a good substitute for lye in food? ›
To make the lye water for use in most recipes (such as for Mooncakes), use a ratio of 1:4 (1 part baked baking soda : 4 parts water). So if a recipe requires 1 teaspoon of lye water, simply mix 1/4 teaspoon of baked baking soda with 1 teaspoon of tap water.
What neutralizes lye? ›
It's true that vinegar can neutralize lye, but it generates heat as a by-product. This is called an exothermic reaction. You see, while lye is a strong alkaline, vinegar is a fairly weak acid.
Is lye a carcinogen? ›
The Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have not classified sodium hydroxide for carcinogenicity in humans.
Why did people stop using lye soap? ›
Traditionally, lye soap was so harsh that it way only used to wash dishes, clothing, and other household items. This harsher lye soap wasn't good to wash the hands or body.
Does Ivory Soap have lye in it? ›
Perfect example of this is good old Ivory Soap. Yep, they use lye and even tallow. They disguise the use of lye by listing the saponified ingredients ("out of the pot"). Once the oils and fats get saponified they no longer remain in their original form.
What does lye do to human remains? ›
The basic process involves placing a body in a heated, pressurized metal chamber and hastening its decomposition by adding lye (water mixed with a small quantity of potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide) to break down proteins, fats, DNA, etc.
What is lye in the Bible? ›
The term “lye” is used in the English Bible in a figurative sense on at least three occasions. In each case it is used as a means for the removal of sin. Job recognized the depth of his own sin. Nothing, not even lye, could cleanse his dirty hands (Job 9:30 NAS, NRSV, REB; compare NIV, “washing soda.”).
Is Dove soap made with lye? ›
How It's Made: Sodium Palmitate is made my mixing Palmitic Acid with Lye (a solution containing water and an alkali). Summary: This Dove soap ingredient cleanses your skin, but may dry it out.
