Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Miscellaneous/2013 July 7

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July 7

How did Gustavo poison the Tequila?

In episode 10, season 4 of Breaking Bad, Gustavo poisons a bottle of Tequila, drinking it himself (apparently prepared with an emetic) and killing his rival and host and the latter's henchmen. Cananyone indicate what the poison was supposed to be? My searches have been luckless. Thanks. μηδείς (talk) 03:10, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

Are you sure he used an emetic ? Other methods might include building up a tolerance for the poison beforehand (only works for certain poisons) or simply drinking less of it. StuRat (talk) 07:25, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

It's a work of fiction - what makes you think that the author had a particular real-world poison in mind? SteveBaker (talk) 13:14, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

I read elsewhere after posting this that he took activated carbon before drinking the poisoned tequila. The show prides itself on its scientific accuracy, to the point that the press and the producer himself have commented on it, which would make it odd for them not to have some specific poison in mind for the episode. μηδείς (talk) 17:03, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

Regarding the show's scientific accuracy, see Breaking_Bad#Scientific_accuracy. μηδείς (talk) 22:06, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

cast iron pots & pans

Can cast iron pots & pans be used to cook food if they get rusty? what is the proper way to clean or remove rust? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.15.250.128 (talk • contribs)

Lodge has some good advice on their website. If it is really rusty, scrub it or sand it, then boil it with vinegar and salt. Then season it well. --  Gadget850 ^talk 15:55, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

Iron in oxidized form (i.e., rust) has very low toxicity -- it passes through the digestive system without being absorbed. However, it does have an unpleasant taste. So it isn't dangerous to eat food cooked in rusty pots and pans, but it isn't a terrific thing to do flavor-wise. Looie496 (talk) 16:46, 7 July 2013 (UTC)

The traditional implement is a Brillo Pad - or S.O.S Soap Pad if you live on the other side of the Atlantic. Alansplodge (talk) 08:03, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

Which contains soap that can leach into the porous cast iron, then leach into the food. --  Gadget850 ^talk 15:43, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

I literally rescued mine from a ditch, where it had been rusting for years. All the suggestions above are good, but I used a dremel tool to clean the rust off faster. Enjoy your pan! SemanticMantis (talk) 15:15, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

I use a brass wire wheel brush that attaches to a drill for really rusty cast iron. --  Gadget850 ^talk 15:43, 8 July 2013 (UTC)

Then after all this make sure it is really dry. Alternately smear oil on the surface to keep off moisture and oxygen. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 11:08, 9 July 2013 (UTC)

I can't imagine that having sharp flakes of rust in you food is good for your digestive system. Clean your pot as described above or buy a new one. Astronaut (talk) 17:48, 10 July 2013 (UTC)