To lye or not to lye? That is the question when you’re making pretzels.
On the one hand, lye gives pretzels their distinctive flavor, kind of a sharp flatness, if that makes sense. It’s what keeps a pretzel from tasting like pretzel-shaped bread.
On the other hand, lye is ridiculously dangerous. It will burn you if it gets on your skin and blind you if it gets in your eyes. And if you happen to eat it, it can kill you.
That could scare some people, considering that pretzels are generally eaten.
Lye is also used for unclogging drains. It is used to strip paint. And if you’re a gangster with a body that needs to disappear, it can be used for that, too.