Claim: Using the "African method" of sitting over a steaming cooking pot can help you avoid contracting COVID-19.
Verdict: REFUTES

Retrieved passages:
title: Thermal cooking
text: dish. Some foods, such as kidney beans, fava beans, and many other varieties of beans contain a toxin, phytohaemagglutinin, that requires boiling at 100 °C for at least 10 minutes to break down to safe levels. The best practice is to bring briefly to a rolling boil then put the pot in the flask. This keeps it hottest longest. With big chunks of food, boil a little longer before putting into the flask. Variants of thermal cooking, though a better name would be "heat retention" cooking: A different kind of vacuum cooker is used in the candy manufacturing industry to

title: Outdoor cooking
text: alternative is the use of a metal thread or mesh fire basket. This allows continued airflow through the fire while providing optimal heat. The one down side to this form of cooking is that the pots will become blackened with soot and ash, which can be difficult to scrub off. The ash and soot build up can be easily avoided by applying a thin layer of dish soap (preferably biodegradable) to the outside of the pot before cooking. The ash and soot will stick to the soap which is then easily rinsed off later. Steaming is possible with plants such

title: Vaginal steaming
text: is not necessary. The marketing and perception of vaginal steaming falls within a mix of ideologies including post-feminist, new age, and inherently sexist notions in which the female body is on the one hand a dirty, defective thing, yet one that a woman can "optimize" to become "goddess-like". Vaginal steaming Vaginal steaming, sometimes shortened to V-steaming, and also known as yoni steaming, is an alternative health treatment whereby a woman squats or sits over steaming water containing herbs such as mugwort, rosemary, wormwood, and basil. It has been practiced in Africa (Mozambique, South Africa), Asia (Indonesia, Thailand), and Central America

title: Vaginal steaming
text: Vaginal steaming Vaginal steaming, sometimes shortened to V-steaming, and also known as yoni steaming, is an alternative health treatment whereby a woman squats or sits over steaming water containing herbs such as mugwort, rosemary, wormwood, and basil. It has been practiced in Africa (Mozambique, South Africa), Asia (Indonesia, Thailand), and Central America (among the Q'eqchi' people). It has become a fad for women in the Western world. It is described in spas as an ancient Korean treatment for reproductive organ ailments and is claimed to have other benefits. There is no empirical evidence supporting any of these claims. According to

title: Vaginal steaming
text: a study on vaginal practices by the World Health Organization published in 2011, one of the ways in which women practice vaginal care is by "Vaginal steaming or smoking: the 'steaming' or 'smoking' of the vagina, by sitting above a source of heat (fire, coals, hot rocks) on which water, herbs, or oils are placed to create steam or smoke". For that study, over 4,000 women in Tete (Mozambique), KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), Yogyakarta (Indonesia), and Chonburi (Thailand) were asked about their vaginal care. When it came to vaginal steaming/smoking, very different results were obtained, and very different reasons were given:

title: Steaming
text: preferring to avoid additional fat intake may prefer steaming to methods which require cooking oil. A 2007 USDA comparison between steaming and boiling vegetables shows the most affected nutrients are folic acid and vitamin C. When compared to raw consumption, steaming reduces folic acid by 15%, and boiling reduces it by 35%. Steaming reduces vitamin C by 15%, and boiling reduces it by 25%. Steaming, compared to boiling, showed 42% higher amount of glucosinolates in broccoli cooked for medium firmness. Phenolic compounds with antioxidant properties have been found to retain significantly better through steaming than through boiling or microwaving. Steaming

title: Couscous
text: Africans use a food steamer (called a"Taseksut" in Berber, a "kiskas" in Arabic or a "couscoussier" in French). The base is a tall metal pot shaped rather like an oil jar in which the meat and vegetables are cooked as a stew. On top of the base, a steamer sits where the couscous is cooked, absorbing the flavours from the stew. The lid to the steamer has holes around its edge so steam can escape. It is also possible to use a pot with a steamer insert. If the holes are too big, the steamer can be lined with damp

title: Cassava-based dishes
text: and roasted groundnut (peanut) to taste, and add evaporated milk if one desires. "Garri" soakings prepared with coconut water are also popular. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the leaves are washed with hot water, pounded in a mortar, and boiled. In the boiling process, the pot is not covered, which facilitates the escape of the toxin, hydrogen cyanide. It is covered when ingredients such as oil, onion, fish, etc. are added, and opened as needed for stirring. The sauce eaten with rice, plantain or cassava paste is called "mpondu" in Lingala, "sombe" in Swahili or "sakasaka" in Kikongo.

title: Traditional African medicine
text: practitioners use a wide variety of treatments ranging from "magic" to biomedical methods such as fasting and dieting, herbal therapies, bathing, massage, and surgical procedures. Migraines, coughs, abscesses, and pleurisy are often treated using the method of "bleed-cupping" after which an herbal ointment is applied with follow-up herbal drugs. Animals are also sometimes used to transfer the illness to afterward. Some cultures also rub hot herbal ointment across the patient's eyelids to cure headaches. Malaria is treated by both drinking and using the steam from an herbal mixture. Fevers are often treated using a steam bath. Also, vomiting is induced,

title: Steaming
text: shrimp, ginkgo nuts, kamaboko and mitsuba) into a bowl with a lid. Glutinous rice. Instead of boiling, glutinous rice is steamed to eat. *Okowa as it is called, receipts with ingredients and vessel chestnuts (kuri okowa) or wild herbs (sansai okowa) are popular. There are receipts where sauce is added to the main ingredients, aiming to control smell or aroma, or keep moisture to the ingredients. Receipts named after the container. Sweets: steaming is an important process in Japanese sweets making such as manjū, yōkan, uirō, karukan or suama. Overcooking or burning food is easily avoided when steaming it. Individuals

title: Boil
text: certain diseases. Such diseases include food poisoning, septic shock, toxic shock syndrome, and scalded skin syndrome. Almost any organ system can be infected by "S. aureus". Squeezing or cutting boils in the danger triangle of the face can be particularly dangerous if done outside a medical setting, as blood vessels in this area drain into the brain and can carry serious infections there. Naturally the cause is bacteria such as staphylococci that are present on the skin. Bacterial colonisation begins in the hair follicles and can cause local cellulitis and inflammation. Myiasis caused by the tumbu fly in Africa usually

title: Phaseolus vulgaris
text: minutes at boiling point (100 °C, 212 °F). Insufficient cooking, such as in a slow cooker at 80 °C/ 176 °F, however, is not sufficient to deactivate all toxin To safely cook the beans, the U.S Food and Drug Administration recommends boiling for 30 minutes to ensure they reach a sufficient temperature for long enough to completely destroy the toxin. For dry beans, the FDA also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water which should then be discarded. Outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with cooking kidney beans in slow cookers. The primary symptoms of phytohaemagglutinin

title: Vaginal steaming
text: in Chonburi, 67% of women reported having performed vaginal steaming or smoking, "which they associated with maintaining wellness and feminine identity", especially after having given birth (85.5%). In Tete, only 10% of women practiced steaming or smoking, "mostly intended to enhance male sexual pleasure by causing vaginal tightening (64.1% of users) and drying (22.9%)". In the two African locations, 37–38% of women said they practiced it to enhance "male sexual pleasure"; in the two Asian ones, 0% gave that answer. Conversely, of the Asian women 26% reported their "feminine identity" was a reason, compared to 0% of the African women.

title: Steaming
text: compared to boiling retained β-carotene in carrots. The effect of cooking food may increase or decrease the nutrients. Steaming Steaming is a method of cooking using steam. This is often done with a food steamer, a kitchen appliance made specifically to cook food with steam, but food can also be steamed in a wok. In the American southwest, steam pits used for cooking have been found dating back about 5,000 years. Steaming is considered a healthy cooking technique that can be used for many kinds of food. Some of the world's earliest examples of steam cooking were found in Gunma

title: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
text: eating, and heat stress may help determine the best strategy for managing symptoms. POTS has also been divided into several types (see § Causes), which may benefit from distinct treatments. People with neuropathic POTS show a loss of sweating in the feet during sweat tests, as well as impaired norepinephrine release in the leg, but not arm. This is believed to reflect peripheral sympathetic denervation in the lower limbs. People with hyperadrenergic POTS show a marked increase of blood pressure and norepinephrine levels when standing, and are more likely to suffer from prominent palpitations, anxiety, and tachycardia. POTS treatment involves

title: Hot sauce
text: effective way to relieve the burning sensation is with dairy products, such as milk and yogurt. A protein called casein occurs in dairy products which binds to the capsaicin, effectively making it less available to "burn" the mouth, and the milk fat helps keep it in suspension. Rice is also useful for mitigating the impact, especially when it is included with a mouthful of the hot food. These foods are typically included in the cuisine of cultures that specialise in the use of chilis. Mechanical stimulation of the mouth by chewing food will also partially mask the pain sensation. Hot

title: Microwave burn
text: The oven was still operating. She felt "hot pulsating sensation" and burning in fingers and fingernails and a sensation of "needles" over the exposed areas. Jabbing pain, swelling, and red-orange discoloration of dorsal sides of both hands and forearms appeared shortly afterwards. The next day she sought medical help. Since then, she has undergone treatment with oral and topical cortisone, Grenz rays, ultrasound, and later acupuncture, without relief. Symptoms persisted, including high sensitivity to radiant heat (sun, desk lamp, etc.) and growing intolerance to pressure of clothes and to touch in hands and forearms. Neurological examinations in 1980 and 1981

title: Poaching (cooking)
text: never be allowed to boil but kept as close to boiling as possible. A more contemporary technique of shallow poaching involves BPA-free plastic bags and is very convenient for the home cook. This technique is similar to shallow poaching but the product is fully submerged. The pot used for deep poaching should hold the food, liquid, and aromatics comfortably, with enough room to allow the liquid to expand as it heats. There should also be enough space so that the surface can be skimmed if necessary throughout cooking. A tight-fitting lid may be helpful for bringing the liquid up to

title: Pressure cooking
text: burn onto the interior base of the pressure cooker after prolonged heating. Sauces should be thickened after pressure cooking. Never fill your inner pot of your pressure cooker more than 1/2 full when cooking beans. Food is placed inside the pressure cooker with a small amount of water or other liquid such as stock. Food is either cooked in the liquid or above the liquid to be steamed; the latter method prevents the transfer of flavors from the liquid. The lid is closed, the pressure setting is chosen and the pressure cooker is placed on a stove on the highest

title: Slow cooker
text: away at work in places with unreliable power supply. Slow cookers are less dangerous than ovens or stove tops due to their lower operating temperatures and closed lids. However, they still contain a large amount of foods and liquids at temperatures close to boiling, and they can cause serious scalds if spilled. Raw kidney beans, and, to a lesser extent, some other such beans as broad beans or fava beans, contain the toxin phytohemagglutinin. Boiling destroys this toxin, but the far lower temperature of a slow cooker does not. This means that dry beans must be boiled at for at