Continued from Ted Allen Hosting Food Detectives.

One of Ted Allen’s food techs tests on Food Detectives? Whether or not double-dipping a chip spreads germs. But what about other stuff that they test on the show?

Here are a few examples:

Does baking soda really take away nasty refrigerator odors? After filling two refrigerators with rotting, rancid food, the food techs added a pound of baking soda to one of the fridges. They then timed how long they can keep their head in each fridge to determine if the baking soda cuts the stench.

The answer: Yes.

Is it OK to eat food that falls on the floor if you pick it up within five seconds? The techs place shrimp, french fries and hard candy on three different surfaces: a lab floor, an office desk and a sidewalk. One sample is left for five seconds, one is left for six seconds and the third is left for a full hour before each is whisked away to test whether the food is still edible or will cause some major stomach problems.

The answer: Turns out, sometimes one second is too long.