[TheGriffin]

This is probably a strange question but I am very interested in exploring the ancient cooking method of nixtamalizing corn to make tradition Mexican dishes. I could buy some food grade lye (usually NaOH) but I would like to make a chemistry experiment out of it as well as practice the ancient art of making lye from wood ash! But...I have some concerns.

Now, I understand that working with a caustic solution will require some precautions which I am prepared to manage those risk. However, when I read that lye is found in drain cleaners like drano, which is known for melting away innards, I become a bit hesitant to give this a try!

So I want to consult you chemists on this: Is this a fool's task? Am I setting myself up for a catastrophic failure or am I being overly cautious? I've asked several people, many of whom say I'm crazy while a few others (who have actually tried it) say it is perfectly fine. When I ask them about the risk of ingesting it, they say very matter of fact like that you rinse the corn before eating. Is it really that simple?

One person who tried it stated:

My collaborator was taught by a traditional Mohawk Indian. She uses 1:1 Ash:corn. With ashes fresh from the stove he uses 1:2 and says that seems too strong. Cooking times are heavily dependent on the variety of corn.

After I've rinsed the corn briefly in a colander I haven't noticed the skin on my hands drying out from handling fresh hominy.

Bases are neutralized by acids... Hominy is often served in a tomato/vinegar based soup which would neutralize any residual base. The stomach is acidic, which would also neutralize any residual base, and thus protect the stomach and intestines from being eaten away... Not so much for the throat!!! NO TASTING THE COOKING WATER... The key to safety is to rinse the hominy well before eating...

Dried masa harina or hominy is not of concern, because any residual hydroxide in it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and thus becomes inert.

For thousands of years, people have been nixtamalizing corn and eating it immediately after rinsing. Three to Five rinses with water is sufficient to thoroughly remove the lime/lye and residual skin. Hydroxides are highly attracted to water and only a little attracted to corn.

[thetada]

it seems like your concern is, should I use NaOH to cook when the same stuff can be found in drano. But as you also said, hydrochloric acid is found in the stomach, but that doesn't mean you'd want to pour concentrated HCl on your skin. The NaOH in drano is highly concentrated, so if you did cook with it ( which I wouldn't recommend), you'd want to dilute it first, significantly. Can you get someone who has made it by the traditional method with ashes to show you how to do it? That's what I'd do.

[Arkcon]

There's some half-truths in your screed, specifically, you can't guarantee all hydroxide will convert to sodium carbonate on drying.  But yes, masa and hominy have been made fro generations and through rinsing is all that's required to make the food safe.

If you're very interested in the process, get some pH indicator.  You'll be able to see when you've rinsed the product to the point that its pH is indistinguishable from water.