See johnl77. That’s why China can’t increase the salaries and living standards of the b40. Money needed for stuff like this.

Ummm … The name doesn’t inspire much confidence.  Box…

Cheap but what quality? Like Mixue, milk tea no milk or tea, ice cream no ice or cream

"It's just fried dough"

Sure, until you see the additives. They use potassium alum in their youtiao, can read on Wikipedia. Then who knows what oil they use, gutter oil or oil bought from kerosene tanks?

what is the alum for?
makes me think back why I love yoo! youtiao and taufufah cost 2-3x the price of street hawker ones.

“For example, potassium alum is frequently used in leavening of youtiao, a traditional Chinese fried bread, throughout China.[46]”

Come on sodium bicarbonate is cheap…why need to resort to this?

Alum was used by bakers in England during the 1800s to make bread whiter. This was theorized by some, including John Snow, to cause rickets.[47][48] The Sale of Food and Drugs Act 1875 (38 & 39 Vict. c. 63) prevented this and other adulterations.[49]

Potassium alum, under the name "alum powder", is found in the spice section of many grocery stores in the US. Its chief culinary use is in pickling recipes, to preserve and add crispness to fruit and vegetables.

The fak if I know. England banned it in bloody 1875. China food standards are just not safe enough. Same soy sauce also have local and export version, because local food standards so bad that they don't care, export version for overseas less additive

Food

With the same function of sodium aluminum sulfate but used less than the former, it can be used as a slow-acting leavening acid in baked goods, which reacts with sodium bicarbonate to release carbon dioxide in the condition of oven heat.

It can also be used in pickling to maintain crispness of fruit and vegetables.

Europe limited the uses in food

However, the uses of aluminium sulphate (E520), aluminium sodium sulphate (E521), aluminium potassium sulphate (E522) and aluminium ammonium sulphate (E523) in food are decreasing over time in Europe due to the change in legislation coming into force in February 2014, where the applications are only in two categories: candied cherries and only egg white. (1)

China also restricted its uses

China has banned the use of aluminum compounds – acidic sodium aluminum phosphate, sodium aluminosilicate and aluminum octenyl succinate starch as food additives and aluminum-containing food additives shall not be used in the production of puffed food since July 1, 2014.

Meanwhile, potassium aluminum sulfate and ammonium aluminum sulfate are forbidden to be used in the production of wheat flour and its products (except fried noodle products, batter, breading flour, and frying powder). The alum commonly used in making steamed buns and fried dough sticks was potassium aluminum sulfate.

These two aluminum sulfates were widely used in processing food such as fried food and puffed food in China. However, excessive aluminum may enter into the human body and can cause harm to our health, such as memory loss, mental retardation, movement slowness or even neurological disorders – Alzheimer’s disease.

Japan

Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) has also limited the use of aluminum potassium sulfate and aluminum ammonium sulfate to a maximum use level of 0.1 g (as aluminum) per kg in bread, moist cakes and confections since August 27, 2018. (2)

Medicine

Its pharmaceutical grade has already been used for thousands of years to stop bleeding of small cuts based on its astringent, styptic, soften and healing effects. This property is also utilized in some cosmetics – natural aftershaves.

It can also be used as an antiseptic for wounds, tonsillitis and acne.

Is Potassium Alum Safe to Eat?

Yes, the safety of aluminum potassium sulfate as a food additive has been approved by authorities, such as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), UK Food Standards Agency, as well as the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA).

What’re the possible Side Effects of Potassium Alum?

The controversy of aluminum toxicity has existed for decades. The hypothesis in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease pointed out in 2011 concluded that “aluminum significantly contributes to Alzheimer’s disease is built upon very solid experimental evidence and should not be dismissed.” (8)

However, no solid evidence that aluminium toxicity is associated with the increase of Alzheimer’s disease and the controversy is not resolved by the FDA.

Came into this thread to read about EVs…

Mana tau so many comments about taufofaa and fried bread lol