Dipped in lye, & that's no lie

Here's something you might not know about those two-for-a-dollar pretzels you just bought: They've most likely been dipped in a liquid solution of baker's lye. Baker's lye is caustic soda, a/k/a sodium hydroxide, a chemical that's been used to: relax hair, strip paint, unclog drains and (feel free to stop reading now) digest flesh. For pretzels, it adds a golden-brown finish and a surface that makes salt stick.

Baker's lye is diluted in water, a concentration that's "very small parts per million," said Marty Ferrill, vice president of franchise development at Mayfair-based Philly Soft Pretzel Factory. Ferrill said his franchisees "take extra precaution" with the food-grade chemical. And, as far as we know, there's never been a death by soft pretzel.

- Lauren McCutcheon