We usually think about acquiring good cooking habits and ways to improve our masterchef skills by implementing novelties, tips and tricks, and going out of our comfort zone. In fact, we previously wrote a handful of useful posts just about that and you can find them here, here and here.
But the truth is, unless we earn our bread from cooking, most of us are pretty susceptible to daily kitchen mishaps, faux pas and questionable recipes that would make any chef’s hair stand on end. “What bad cooking habits get on your nerves?” asked one Redditor on the Cooking community and added “For me it’s when people use the highest flame setting to cook EVERYTHING. It is wasteful, overcooks food, overboils everything and it really does ruin pans.”
The thread immediately resonated with cooking aficionados who saw it as a perfect opportunity to spill all the bad cooking habits that totally annoy them. And it’s not looking pretty.
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"I can't get my lasagna to taste as good as yours."
"Did you follow the recipe?"
"Yeah, but I don't really like pork so I substituted chicken, and instead of salt, I added extra sugar, because I prefer sugar. "
Putting no salt in anything and expecting the salt shaker at the table to do the job. Nothing seasoned at the table with a salt shaker will ever even approach the flavor of something that was seasoned throughout the cooking process.
Some people have to cook family meals for people with dietary restrictions. I HATE not bring able to use salt when preparing certain holiday meals because my dad is sodium restricted.
Parents who only steam veggies and barely use salt or pepper on them and then act all shocked when their kids don't like it. Of course they won't like that, most adults would be peeved getting something like that.
Something as simple as roasting veggies with some basic herbs and a good olive oil can make a huge difference.
10 years in kitchens here so bear with me...
crowding pans, moving/scraping cut ingredients with the sharp side of knife, knife in the sink, steaming most veggies, not salting pasta water, watering down beer for brats, way too much water when boiling pasta, adding garlic too early & burning it, not toasting buns, not letting leftovers cool before putting in tupper-ware & fridge, etc etc etc.
edit: add to that impatiently flipping/mixing around food while its cooking! whether it's burgers/steaks/veggies whatever! sometimes you need a lil color/char
but also if someone else cooks for me, i will love whatever it is sincerely and not say a word.
Boiling vegetables until they are mush. My husband didn’t eat vegetables for more than half of his life because he thought they were disgusting. I found out it was because his grandmother just boiled everything and then covered it in that nasty “0 calorie” spray butter. ROAST THEM. SAUTEE. GRILL. please don’t boil veg unless for something specific like potatoes or you need to blanch something.
Both my sets of grandparent did this, which meant for a long time my parents did too, because they didn't know how to do it better.
My mother’s glass cutting board. I lack the words to explain the torture of using a glass cutting board. Awful. I did finally buy her a couple good knives that she won’t use. This year I am getting her a nice wooden board for her to not use.
Oh yes, my parents had a glass chopping board when I was a kid and I hated the sound out made.
Stop opening the oven. If you're looking, it ain't cooking!
especially for suffles and profiterolles, which will collapse and be spoiled by opening the oven too soon.
My husband “seasons the pan” instead of seasoning the food. As in, he sprinkles salt/pepper/Italian seasoning into a hot pan and then adds plain, unseasoned protein on top. He seems to think this accomplishes the same thing as seasoning the meat directly. It does not.
Ah, I use this technique sometimes for Indian dishes. But only if you use something wet afterwards, for example coconut milk or (vegan) yoghurt or tofu scramble.. It makes the flavor of the herbs come out.
Yes, in case of Indian recipes, it is usually recommended to either roast the spices in hot pan and then grind and add them later to the dish, or gently fry the spices in fat (oil/butter/ghee) before adding the rest of the ingredients. Also, certain spices are asked to be added directly to oil because they bring out the rich color in the dishes, in which case food coloring need not be added (this is mostly in restaurants).
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OP once read about seasoning cast iron pans, skipped the whole rest of the instructions, and now "seasons" his Teflon pans..
Only if you put Grease or wets to allow spices to adhere to the food. But some spices might burn instead, it's best to do it with herbs and freshes. In fact, if done right, it is often more efficient than regular seasoning.
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He's heard of seasoning the pan but obviously doesn't know what it means.
Actually, a woman from another country taught me that placing seasoning on bottom helps permeate spices during cooking. Just don't forget to season top and baste, baste, baste.
This person doesn't understand cooking, because unless he is seasoning the pan wrong it will accomplish the job better than seasoning the food directly. Also seasoning your cutting board is better than seasoning the meat directly
My bad, didn't fully read what was posted, yes he is seasoning the pan wrong, but the technique of seasoning pan or cutting board is actually better than seasoning meat directly
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I usually do that with oil or butter when I cook my meat but I also season it beforehand. It makes such a good sauce afterwards when you deglaze it
I season the pan all the time, but I also season the top side of the meat as well
My boyfriend does this, but not like that. It's a preparation you do before ever cooking with cast iron, and you still add seasoning to the pan.
Many people use oil to season cast-iron when lard is the proper way to season it.
Is actually better way of seasoning your food as it brings out more of the flavor! Second if your husband is cooking why are you complaining!!
James Beard had a technique for cooking steak in a cast iron pan that involved heating the pan and adding a big shake of salt to cover the bottom. THEN add the steak. But herbs and pepper would burn long before the meat is done unless liquid is added after about 30 seconds.
Sprinkle pepper in a hot pan... It will burn the sinuses out of your head!🤣🤣
This does work with 1 Protein... Steak. Heat IRON SKILLET 5 mins on stove on high, dont add anything to it yet till 5 mins gone by. Then Generously sprinkle salt & only salt in the hot skillet, throw a steak that sat on the counter 30 mins to take the chill off of it so it doesn't seize up in the pan. The steak will absorb that hot salt like a sponge. Then flip it over onto the other side of the pan after a few mins to cook the other side & get the rest of the salt. It's so good. Pepper & herbs/spices will burn if you use this method with anything other than salt.
It's a good technique if you are doing large stir-fries or sautéing veggies with a lot of surface space, like cabbage and spiraled veggies. But you have to add the seasoning to a pan with hot oil in it right before adding the ingredients you are sautéing, and add more seasoning to the top to even out the seasoning. Hands down, the best cabbage I've ever had is when I cut it into thin strips, then LIGHTLY sauté it with garlic salt and lemon pepper--just until bright green and al dente. Same with zucchini and other yellow squash. Undercooking is key, but the combo of garlic salt, lemon pepper, and olive oil is a 100% winner.
Does this pertain to 'seasoning' cast iron pans? If so, whole different thing.
My biggest kitchen faux pas is when people think that "seasoning" a cast iron pan means never washing it and leaving all the food oils and gunk on the pan. Heck no! Scrub all the gunk out with course salt and a paper towel, wash with water and a gentle, natural dish soap, then season it with flax seed oil (my personal favourite) and then wipe out the excess. Follow that with a bake in the oven at a higher temp than the smoke point of your oil after every few washes and voila! You'll have this beautiful non stick seasoning that isn't going to go bad like the food gunk you leave on your pan lol. I think I've finally got it down to a science!
This is a great technique if you want to "toast" the seasoning, like for Indian curries etc.... But I'm sure this isn't what he's doing.
I agree 100%! I've just never heard of toasting salt and pepper before haha
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I often put sea salt on the pan instead of directly on food, especially when frying fish or shrimp. These helps prevent the food from sticking.
My biggest peeve with cast iron is when someone takes soap and water to my irons. I don't care how burnt on something may seem. There are ways to remove it and clean the pan without ever allowing soap and water to touch it. (Just to clarify, obviously water in the pan for whatever dish you are cooking is one thing. I'm talking about water used specifically for cleaning)
I think he’s confused about the term “seasoning the pan”, which actually means that after cleaning & drying the pan you rub it with oil or grease, then wipe out the excess, to keep the cast iron ready to use & be naturally non-stick. Men! 🙄😉
Chef here; doing this with pepper or nuts will create a bitter "acrid" tasting dish
yeh certain ground, & whole spices need this treatment, but mostly not! esp herbs! I read a great article recently in Cooks mag about how to layer spices in a dish, when in cooking to add depending on what u want out of them. it was very educational, and I grew up cooking!
"Season the pan" means to fry lard, bacon or salt pork in a cast iron pan and never use soap to clean the pan. If you use soap in the pan you must reseason the pan before using the pan for cooking.
I'm not the only one who knows the proper way to season the pans!, Our great grandmothers and grandmothers didn't use vegetable oil, it was lard all the way around and that is why their cast iron was perfect.
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Some things are actually best to toast in the pan first... (lot of Indian dishes use this technique, also toasted rice, sesame seeds etc.) But something like this is just silly. Especially with protein. With some meats like a good steak or anything you'll be grilling (direct on the grate) it's best to over season and put it directly on the food! Will help build a beautiful crust and season inside and out.
what person seasons the pan? when i cook my chicken, i put it on a plate and use the spices and seasoning i like and spread them with my hands, ( i like to use powder free nitrile gloves as they are good for cooking.) then i place them on the pan with both sides seasoned the cook until its cooked on the outside, cut it into small pieces, ones that are uncooked on the inside are put back on the pan until done, and repeat.
In scouts we used to put salt on our cast iron skillet before we made pancakes. The first batch were throw aways but after that, none of them would stick. No oil or butter, just salt. I never did understand why.
Because the metal expands when heated creating grooves. The salt fills the grooves so your food won't stick. I use salt to clean all my non sick pans, even cast iron. Put the pan on the stove with oil and let it heat up, once it's hot dump the oil and put a layer of salt then scrub. Some people use a potato but I just use a rag. The salt will turn black but all the grim will be cleaned out of the grooves of the pan.
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I can’t deal when they put the onion and garlic in at the same time and expect the onions to be caramelised. I need more time than the garlic will allow !
Following the recipe even when your food is clearly going to sh*t. Looks burnt at 20 mins? Maybe don't cook it for 25.
There’s a guy I work with that makes me cry when he cooks a steak. Toss a cold steak in a cold pan and cook on med-low, flips it at 15 minutes for another round. Cooked meat should not be gray.
More of a lack of a habit than a habit, but not sharpening knives regularly is one of the worst things to do to your knives. And 9 out of 10 times, people cut themselves on a dull knife, not a sharp one. Its also just better for the food you are going to end up eating; your veggies wont be so bruised, your steaks wont be that little bit extra tenderized from forcing a dull knife through it. The dullest knife ive ever seen couldnt slice through the skin of a baked potato. So it is in your interest and the food's also.
Every. Single. Thing. My. Dad. Cooks.
He puts good meat in a slow cooker with nothing but water. Slowly boiled meat. Yum.
Puts all ingredients in a pan before he heats the pan
He uses a glass cutting board
"As far as I'm concerned, the microwave is the best way to cook _____."
A thick layer of aerosol cooking spray on meat before grilling it.
Never give this man a ribeye.
My Dad cooked one meal a year and acted like it was going to be a gourmet experience for all. I remember him describing the best way to cook green beans: put them in a casserole, with french onion soup mix and water and cook slowly for an hour. My step mother and I looked at each other and said "uh, no". Steam them for a minute or two and put some butter on. Let the green beans be green beans and speak for themselves. I think my father was thinking slow cooked meat is yummy so slow cooked beans would be too.
I have had to teach so many of my friends to TASTE THEIR FOOD AS THEY COOK IT. Shocked me that apparently that wasn’t obvious to some people
Dirty cooks. Leaving the knife dirty, not wiping down the counter, cross contaminating everything.
"I don't cook with salt."
And people who only use shortcuts that get mad because they tried my recipe and it didn't work.
Putting the noodles into the water before it's boiled, like legit the water is straight out of the tap and the stove's not on yet. Read the goddamn instructions, boiling water takes longer than 3 minutes and thats why your ramen is fucking mushy.
When people press down hard on everything they’re cooking...I am thinking of one person in particular that is an absolute dumpster fire in the kitchen. Making pancakes? She flips them and then mashes them down with the spatula! Fried eggs? Smash em!
Also when people don’t let meat rest after it’s cooked. Or cut with the grain.
For me, heat is part of the joy of eating meat. So what if some juices run from the meat when it's cut. The juices mix with other food on the plate anyway, so it all gets consumed.
My mother uses metal utensils when cooking in our Teflon pans, then complains that they wear so easily. Even AFTER I've explained you never use metal in the pans, she does it anyway and says she forgot.
We have gone through 3 non-stick pans so far.
Plating food, then moving a screaming hot pan to the sink and dumping cold water all over it. Had to explain to a friend why she couldn't do this to her roommate's brand new Le Creuset braiser.
Cross contamination. Whether it’s products or utensils with raw to cooked foods. Washing hands in there too... these things get on my nerves for real.
Margarine. It is NOT the same as butter. Got into a fight with my mom last Christmas over her wanting me to use margarine in the macaroni and the mashed potatoes.
Then she tried to cook asparagus in the microwave (with margarine) but I'm hoping that was just a her thing.
I can't even think of a single place where I think the use of margarine is justified, exept for, perhaps, if you are cooking for a lactose intollerant person. Especially if you are making Danish pastry, you MUST use butter. Those substituting it width margarine, make a product where the fat just coats the upper part of your mouth in a thin film, that will not dissolve as you eat it.
When people f**k with the timer/burner when I’m cooking. I had some tomato sauce going at a nice even simmer, but apparently someone else in my household thought it should be boiling like pasta water, so they jacked up the temp to high and added more time to the timer...
Same thing happened to me, difference they reduce the flames when I wanted to boil something. I kept wondering why on earth won't this water boil realised it 10 mins later.
Starting a big cooking project with dirty dishes in the sink. Not cleaning while you go.
I will wipe down the kitchen table and stove before and after cooking.
Refusing to use salt when seasoning a dish. My friend thinks that she has "discovered" how to season food with herbs and spices and that she doesn't need to use boring old salt. It is kind of pretentious and her food is very bland.
When you make the effort to do a BEAUTIFUL roast dinner for someone for the first time and they immediately drown it in cheap sh*tty tomato sauce. Happened to me last week. It cut a little bit, I’ll admit.
If that's the way they are used to and they enjoy it, why is it a problem. It's not a reflection on your cooking, it's just about different tastes. Wouldn't it be worse if they turned their nose up at it and refused to eat it because they didn't like it plain?
Nonstick pans don’t hold heat well. So if you’re trying to get a sear on meat, as soon as you put the meat in the nonstick, the heat transfers and the pan temp goes down. So getting consistent browning and crust is impossible.
I’ve had really expensive pans of all kinds, and nothing has outperformed my $18 cast iron skillet. Everything from searing meat, to browning veggies, to baking pizzas and breads. Nothing compares. If it’s the Maillard Reaction you’re trying to achieve, it’s the best option in my opinion. If you prefer carbon steel or stainless steel, I won’t argue with you because the differences aren’t super noticeable. But from my taste buds and experiences, it’s cast iron.
I have all 3. Have never had issues getting a sear in a nonstick pan though.
This is burned into my memory: I was at a friend's house and she was making guacamole. Her idea of pitting the avocado was wielding the chef knife in a stabbing motion directed point first at the pit, while she was holding the avocado half in her other hand. I thought I was watching a slasher film. I was TERRIFIED.
You don't need to use the knife at all. Just quarter the avocado from top to bottom, and you can pop the pit right out of the one quarter it sticks to. Without the knife.
Not seasoning food. Unless for health reasons. Also, salting a plate before tasting.
I hate it. Why add something to a plate without tasting. To get my revenge I added a tad extra salt before serving and my family member added salt without tasting. You knw what happened.
Pots on the stove with the handles sticking out. It’s so easy to elbow-bump one and have boiling water on your knees. Don’t cook barefoot!
When they put 5 grains of salt instead of a good pinch.
A friend puts a tiny pinch of salt in his pasta water (and oil😖)... and then complains, that the pasta tastes so bland, when he cooks a pasta dish.
I have many but adding garlic on the pan too early and burning it to bitter. Looking at you, Facebook videos I end up watching even when I haven't subscribed.
People cutting up things one at a time. Example: celery stalks. Grab a few at a time!!!
Note: this post originally had 49 images. It’s been shortened to the top 32 images based on user votes.
My parents grew up in very rural areas during the Great Depression where they would overcook the food to kill anything that would make you sick. They didn't learn to cook any differently when they got older so I grew up with bland, mushy vegetables, hockey puck steaks, and tough dry chicken. Never liked beef or veggies much until I got out on my own and learned how to properly cook them. They were only cooking how they knew, but overcooking is my big pet peeve.
I still remember my depression-era grandfather, who was born in 1910, saving EVERYTHING and eating it months later. He would try to eat meat that'd been in the fridge for weeks. He also never rinsed dishes when he washed them "to preserve water". Going over to see him was a gastric nightmare if he ever tried to cook for you. And, to this day, my father (who was born in '45 and is a multi-millionaire) makes fresh coffee on Monday, leaves the grounds in the maker all week, and just tops it off with a sprinkling more of new coffee each morning. I live far away from them and didn't know this until all three of my siblings approached me at once after my dad handed me a cup of coffee on a visit and said, "You do NOT want to drink THAT!"
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Some of these things really don't matter at all. I also find all the knife comments annoying. If your knife cuts your food to your satisfaction, then why does it matter? Not everyone needs to have some professional set of expensive knives to make good food.
I mean, I get having cheap knives. I do. I've lived with them most of my life, and I turned out alright. But you need👏 to👏 sharpen👏 them! 👏👏 I don't care if you use one of those cheap handheld drag-it-through things or a whetstone, just sharpen your damn knives! It's safer, easier to use, and faster! And no, the honing stick doesn't count, but use that too.
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I just love all these bored panda lists that have the same thing repeated in it multiple times and they'll title it something like 30 great tips and it's really 22 different tips and 1 tip repeated 8 times
And, actually, as it turns out, like1actual tip and 40 entries where people are just bïtching to feel superior.
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Yea although some are legit complaints, some of these stuff are just people being a d**k because they think they know something around the kitchen. Like "not cleaning as i go". Wth, i clean after i finish cooking. I don't splash dirty sink water into my food. Or those snobby people with their fancy knifes and pans, it doesn't even have to be the money. Some people don't have access to quality products. You're telling me they all don't eat proper? Nonsense. Awful, BP.
Dear God... the salt/no-salt cults are as bad as the political ones here. Forget medical reasons, people seem to be personally offended if someone disagrees. Example: unless my pasta is plain or in a VERY mild sauce, I cannot tell any difference so why waste salt by adding it?
If you like me, reads cookbooks from history - for example Hanna Glass "The Complete Art Of Cookery (late 18'th century), you soon realise that meassuring salt and seasoning is a rather new thing. Even in the 1800's it often said something like "salt and seasoning to taste". Leaving you to guesstimate how much to put in the food. It was not even a sure thing they listed all the herbs/spices you were supposed to out in the pan.
I love historical cooking! Erik, have you seen Townsends? https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson
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I've got beefs with some of the salt comments. Yes, salt your food while cooking and taste as you go, etc, but Americans really do eat way too much salt. Whenever I get back from an international trip everything here tastes so salty in comparison. And don't even get me started on Chicago, even a 4 star restaurant there was inedibly salty.
The other side of this is that some people unknowingly over-salt as a way to intuitively self-treat medical issues (like problems with electrolytic balance and low blood pressure). I have had an autonomic disorder for 35 years that causes my blood pressure to.drop to dangerously low levels (50/30, 60/40), and my electrolytic balance is constantly out of whack (I've even had a heart attack because of it). So I always craved and ate tons of salt to help counter it AfterI was properl diagnosed, I was told that I SHOULD be eating 6-7 gr of salt a day--which I often would--just to counter the impact of having a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system. It's the most effective treatment for low blood pressure and electrolytic imbalance bc it doesn't cause many side effects. People have always joked about how much salt I eat. Better than having another heart attack or alway passing out when I stand, though..like many people who constantly crave salt but don't know why. Intuitive eating.
Load More Replies... Salt AND oil go in the pasta water. Neither of those are for flavor! The salt is to raise the boiling point of water, and the oil is to help prevent foaming and boiling over. Learn your sh!t, people! (Edit) AND FFS, if you drink or cook with fluoridated tap water, use regular **iodized** salt on your food.
You only add oil to pasta water if you're stunned. It leaves a coating on the pasta and then the sauce doesn't stick. Also, people add oil so the pasta doesn't stick together, nothing to do with foaming? Lol Never use oil for pasta unless you don't want the sauce to stick
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What's wrong with a glass cutting board? I don't have one I'm just genuinely asking. I always thought they were "better" because wood soaks up juices which always seemed unsanitary to me. I have a wood one because it was handed down to me and I just never bought another, but still what's with the hatred of glass?
Brrrr shudder. The sound alone gives me the w*****s ... Get a plastic one.
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I hope salt it properly in some of these points mean salt it properly and not the far more common: I can't taste the salt in your food because my taste buds allready commited suicide!
People, that are too aware of everything considered as healthy and unhealthy food and always annoy you or try to teach you like you dont know, with their knowlege about industy and ingreediients and so on. Often, i care about organic food, sometimes there must be fastfood for pleasure. Got noting to do with inconsequency
People, that are too aware of everything considered as healthy and unhealthy food and always annoy you or try to teach you like you dont know, with their knowlege about industy and ingreediients and so on. Often, i care about organic food, sometimes there must be fastfood for pleasure. Got notjing to do with inconsequency
My in-laws are salters, they use an obscene amount of salt while cooking, and then salt it again at the table, the first few times I ate with them I was awestruck
To everyone that answered my glass cutting board question... thank you :) I get it now.
Growing up in a major metropolitan area and moving to Appalachia, I was surprised how many people ONLY fry their vegetables, steaks, potatoes etc, and ONLY in lard, and only deep fry chicken. My wife was talking to a couple of women about cooking and she told them that she doesn't fry anything, and doesn't cook with lard. The women looked at her with puzzled faces and asked her how she cooks ANYTHING? She tried to explain how we sautéed foods, baked and grilled meats etc, and they looked at her like she stepped off a UFO. A lot of people around here cook everything to "well done" PLUS, including seafood. When my wife explained how we season food, things like adding Feta cheese and veggies to scrambled eggs, or hot sauce to things, they, like a lot of people around here, just said ""We don't like seasoning on our food. Besides, if I don't fix it like my mother in law did, my husband won't eat it."
All the ones adding heaps of salt to their foods. Your palate simply SUCKS
These are some good tips. Someone should collect them, put them down on paper, bind the paper up, and sell it. I'd bet they could make a lot of money.
People who insist on peeling everything. It can turn a quick prep time into a long one. As long as the peel is edible, leave it on.
I really don't care for skins in my mashed potatoes or on my fries.
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Have a sibling who cooks everything to mush, then wonders why no one eats at her house.
My parents grew up in very rural areas during the Great Depression where they would overcook the food to kill anything that would make you sick. They didn't learn to cook any differently when they got older so I grew up with bland, mushy vegetables, hockey puck steaks, and tough dry chicken. Never liked beef or veggies much until I got out on my own and learned how to properly cook them. They were only cooking how they knew, but overcooking is my big pet peeve.
I still remember my depression-era grandfather, who was born in 1910, saving EVERYTHING and eating it months later. He would try to eat meat that'd been in the fridge for weeks. He also never rinsed dishes when he washed them "to preserve water". Going over to see him was a gastric nightmare if he ever tried to cook for you. And, to this day, my father (who was born in '45 and is a multi-millionaire) makes fresh coffee on Monday, leaves the grounds in the maker all week, and just tops it off with a sprinkling more of new coffee each morning. I live far away from them and didn't know this until all three of my siblings approached me at once after my dad handed me a cup of coffee on a visit and said, "You do NOT want to drink THAT!"
Load More Replies... Some of these things really don't matter at all. I also find all the knife comments annoying. If your knife cuts your food to your satisfaction, then why does it matter? Not everyone needs to have some professional set of expensive knives to make good food.
I mean, I get having cheap knives. I do. I've lived with them most of my life, and I turned out alright. But you need👏 to👏 sharpen👏 them! 👏👏 I don't care if you use one of those cheap handheld drag-it-through things or a whetstone, just sharpen your damn knives! It's safer, easier to use, and faster! And no, the honing stick doesn't count, but use that too.
Load More Replies... I just love all these bored panda lists that have the same thing repeated in it multiple times and they'll title it something like 30 great tips and it's really 22 different tips and 1 tip repeated 8 times
And, actually, as it turns out, like1actual tip and 40 entries where people are just bïtching to feel superior.
Load More Replies... Yea although some are legit complaints, some of these stuff are just people being a d**k because they think they know something around the kitchen. Like "not cleaning as i go". Wth, i clean after i finish cooking. I don't splash dirty sink water into my food. Or those snobby people with their fancy knifes and pans, it doesn't even have to be the money. Some people don't have access to quality products. You're telling me they all don't eat proper? Nonsense. Awful, BP.
Dear God... the salt/no-salt cults are as bad as the political ones here. Forget medical reasons, people seem to be personally offended if someone disagrees. Example: unless my pasta is plain or in a VERY mild sauce, I cannot tell any difference so why waste salt by adding it?
If you like me, reads cookbooks from history - for example Hanna Glass "The Complete Art Of Cookery (late 18'th century), you soon realise that meassuring salt and seasoning is a rather new thing. Even in the 1800's it often said something like "salt and seasoning to taste". Leaving you to guesstimate how much to put in the food. It was not even a sure thing they listed all the herbs/spices you were supposed to out in the pan.
I love historical cooking! Erik, have you seen Townsends? https://www.youtube.com/user/jastownsendandson
Load More Replies... I've got beefs with some of the salt comments. Yes, salt your food while cooking and taste as you go, etc, but Americans really do eat way too much salt. Whenever I get back from an international trip everything here tastes so salty in comparison. And don't even get me started on Chicago, even a 4 star restaurant there was inedibly salty.
The other side of this is that some people unknowingly over-salt as a way to intuitively self-treat medical issues (like problems with electrolytic balance and low blood pressure). I have had an autonomic disorder for 35 years that causes my blood pressure to.drop to dangerously low levels (50/30, 60/40), and my electrolytic balance is constantly out of whack (I've even had a heart attack because of it). So I always craved and ate tons of salt to help counter it AfterI was properl diagnosed, I was told that I SHOULD be eating 6-7 gr of salt a day--which I often would--just to counter the impact of having a dysfunctional autonomic nervous system. It's the most effective treatment for low blood pressure and electrolytic imbalance bc it doesn't cause many side effects. People have always joked about how much salt I eat. Better than having another heart attack or alway passing out when I stand, though..like many people who constantly crave salt but don't know why. Intuitive eating.
Load More Replies... Salt AND oil go in the pasta water. Neither of those are for flavor! The salt is to raise the boiling point of water, and the oil is to help prevent foaming and boiling over. Learn your sh!t, people! (Edit) AND FFS, if you drink or cook with fluoridated tap water, use regular **iodized** salt on your food.
You only add oil to pasta water if you're stunned. It leaves a coating on the pasta and then the sauce doesn't stick. Also, people add oil so the pasta doesn't stick together, nothing to do with foaming? Lol Never use oil for pasta unless you don't want the sauce to stick
Load More Replies... What's wrong with a glass cutting board? I don't have one I'm just genuinely asking. I always thought they were "better" because wood soaks up juices which always seemed unsanitary to me. I have a wood one because it was handed down to me and I just never bought another, but still what's with the hatred of glass?
Brrrr shudder. The sound alone gives me the w*****s ... Get a plastic one.
Load More Replies... I hope salt it properly in some of these points mean salt it properly and not the far more common: I can't taste the salt in your food because my taste buds allready commited suicide!
People, that are too aware of everything considered as healthy and unhealthy food and always annoy you or try to teach you like you dont know, with their knowlege about industy and ingreediients and so on. Often, i care about organic food, sometimes there must be fastfood for pleasure. Got noting to do with inconsequency
People, that are too aware of everything considered as healthy and unhealthy food and always annoy you or try to teach you like you dont know, with their knowlege about industy and ingreediients and so on. Often, i care about organic food, sometimes there must be fastfood for pleasure. Got notjing to do with inconsequency
My in-laws are salters, they use an obscene amount of salt while cooking, and then salt it again at the table, the first few times I ate with them I was awestruck
To everyone that answered my glass cutting board question... thank you :) I get it now.
Growing up in a major metropolitan area and moving to Appalachia, I was surprised how many people ONLY fry their vegetables, steaks, potatoes etc, and ONLY in lard, and only deep fry chicken. My wife was talking to a couple of women about cooking and she told them that she doesn't fry anything, and doesn't cook with lard. The women looked at her with puzzled faces and asked her how she cooks ANYTHING? She tried to explain how we sautéed foods, baked and grilled meats etc, and they looked at her like she stepped off a UFO. A lot of people around here cook everything to "well done" PLUS, including seafood. When my wife explained how we season food, things like adding Feta cheese and veggies to scrambled eggs, or hot sauce to things, they, like a lot of people around here, just said ""We don't like seasoning on our food. Besides, if I don't fix it like my mother in law did, my husband won't eat it."
All the ones adding heaps of salt to their foods. Your palate simply SUCKS
These are some good tips. Someone should collect them, put them down on paper, bind the paper up, and sell it. I'd bet they could make a lot of money.
People who insist on peeling everything. It can turn a quick prep time into a long one. As long as the peel is edible, leave it on.
I really don't care for skins in my mashed potatoes or on my fries.
Load More Replies... Have a sibling who cooks everything to mush, then wonders why no one eats at her house.
