Probably didn’t learn it from YouTube and it’s not exactly cooking related either but tapping the lid of a carbonated drink can before opening it does absolutely nothing.
What actually reduces the fizz explosion you’re trying to prevent is tapping the side of the can multiple times while rotating it so that the bubbles stuck to the inside of the can rise to the surface.
It was sort of proven more than 40 years ago that there’s no point to do any of these rituals. You’re just have to wait for the gas to reabsorb. The tapping rituals basically give time for that to happen and act as a placebo for the person so time can elapse.
No. They’re called nucleation sites. These are microscopic imperfections on the inside of the can. When you shake the can a small gas bubble might form there and after that more CO₂ can diffuse into it until the bubble grows large enough to detach and rise. A small pocket is however left behind, so the same site keeps making a steady stream of bubbles. These are what cause the can to immediately overflow when you open it. Tapping the sides before opening causes these small trapped gas bubbles to detach and rise to the surface and then it can be safely opened. If it haven’t been shaken, then there’s no need for this, though there’s no harm either.
Probably didn’t learn it from YouTube and it’s not exactly cooking related either but tapping the lid of a carbonated drink can before opening it does absolutely nothing.
What actually reduces the fizz explosion you’re trying to prevent is tapping the side of the can multiple times while rotating it so that the bubbles stuck to the inside of the can rise to the surface.
I can confirm people have been pointlessly tapping soda can lids since decades before the existence of Youtube.
It was sort of proven more than 40 years ago that there’s no point to do any of these rituals. You’re just have to wait for the gas to reabsorb. The tapping rituals basically give time for that to happen and act as a placebo for the person so time can elapse.
But then it would be less carbonated, right? So what would be the point?
No. They’re called nucleation sites. These are microscopic imperfections on the inside of the can. When you shake the can a small gas bubble might form there and after that more CO₂ can diffuse into it until the bubble grows large enough to detach and rise. A small pocket is however left behind, so the same site keeps making a steady stream of bubbles. These are what cause the can to immediately overflow when you open it. Tapping the sides before opening causes these small trapped gas bubbles to detach and rise to the surface and then it can be safely opened. If it haven’t been shaken, then there’s no need for this, though there’s no harm either.