Learning how to cook is a never-ending journey. You can't perfect it. You just get better at it. If you are willing to put in the hours and burn a few pans, of course. However, eager students of the craft often run into a big problem: inconsistent or even misleading information. What makes matters even worse is that when you're just starting out, you can't distinguish it from practices that are actually helpful and develop bad habits. So in an attempt to straighten things out, Reddit user u/Swimmin_Duck made a post on the platform, inviting everyone to share what they think is overhyped and useless cooking advice.
In order to understand how we can find our way around the pots quicker, we also spoke with Kacie Morgan, the creator of an award-winning blog called The Rare Welsh Bit, where she covers, among other things, bespoke recipes, restaurants, local cuisines, and food travel destinations.
So continue scrolling to check out how Reddit users contributed to the discussion and Morgan's thoughts on the subject.
This post may include affiliate links.
Measuring things like chocolate chips, you measure that with your heart, not a spoon
"I have come across a number of instances of misinformation around cooking in the media in the past," Kacie Morgan told Bored Panda.
"Personally, I believe one of the issues that have caused this to spiral is the increasing prevalence of social media influencers claiming to be 'experts' in food or cooking, despite not having any real experience in the food and drink industry. While this certainly isn't true of all content creators and I don't wish to tarnish all of my peers with the same brush by any means, as an experienced food writer with over 11 years of experience in my field, I often pick up on flaws or inaccuracies in some of the claims made by others within my niche."
Some people discard the whole brick of cheese when there is mold on a bit of it.
I generally chop off the chunk of the mold with some buffer and carry on.
"Furthermore, misinformation around cooking in the media can also be linked to cultural appropriation, in the sense that an authentic dish from a given culture could lose its true essence or authenticity when prepared by a chef or cook from a different culture, who may not be aware of the traditional ingredients and cooking methods required to recreate the original dish," Morgan explained.
If you want to see this phenomenon in action, just open this YouTube video where master Italian chefs react to popular internet personalities and publishers making spaghetti carbonara. You'll immediately realize that buzzwords such as "classic" are often thrown around just to entice clicks. Viral videos produced by charismatic hosts can definitely inspire someone to cook, but they can also, for better or worse, make people form unrealistic opinions about dishes from all over the world.
"It's interesting to hear that Jamie Oliver has recently appointed cultural appropriation specialists to advise him on his new cookbooks," Kacie Morgan continued. "Only four years or so ago (back in 2018), I was completely astounded (as someone who has spent a few months living in Jamaica and exploring the local culinary scene) to hear about the launch of his microwaveable 'jerk rice'. In actual fact, this 'jerk rice' bore very little to no resemblance whatsoever to the concept of jerk. In fact, according to this BBC article, it didn't even contain any of the ingredients found in authentic Jamaican jerk marinade."
By the way, Oliver appears in the aforementioned YouTube video as well. I'm not saying he's a lousy cook. I just want to illustrate that those with multi-million followings are making mistakes too.
"cook onions for 3 minutes until translucent" lol ok, I'll comes back to you in 10 minutes when they start getting there
The biggest offender for cooking time in my cookbook is something we eat at Christmas with roasted duck: sauteed red cabbage with onions. Every recipe says saute it for 3-4 minutes. CABBAGE. It takes a LONG time for that to even start getting softer. In 3-4 minutes it doesn't even warm up. When I first encountered it I was sure it was a typo. But no, tons of recipes say the same thing.
"If you want to take your home cooking to your next level — while also ensuring that the medium you're learning from is both trustworthy and authentic — I recommend reading reputable, specialist cookbooks and/or niche blogs focusing on the cuisine you're looking to cook and following trusted, experienced food and drink bloggers, as opposed to the latest trending Instagram or TikTok influencers, who are often not the people who are really 'in the know' when it comes to food preparation," Kacie Morgan said.
"This isn't to say that you can't find trusted information around food or cooking on these platforms, but only too often, the information I come across on these channels is incorrect, poorly researched and published by people who lack any genuine credibility or expertise in what they say they do."
"If you're keen to improve your cooking skills, you could also consider enrolling in cookery classes, whether online or in person, ideally held by an experienced chef or cook within the cuisine you're looking to specialize in," the foodie added.
One of the joys of cooking is the thrill of eating dishes you created. But serving food to others and watching a smile take over their face feels just as (if not more) gratifying. The ability to prepare a tasty meal can take time to master but it's well worth the effort on so many levels. Setbacks are natural, but if you focus on the process, the results will eventually come. And hey, you're going through this post, so you're already on the right track!
When a recipe calls for “two cloves of garlic” I usually add 5-10.
That's because garlic these days is s***. I come from a country that used to be famous for its onions and garlic before our agriculture was destroyed. Now if I go to a store I have to look very closely to find garlic that did not come from f*** China. Not that I don't think China can produce some wonderful stuff but garlic sure ain't one of them. It's weak, has barely any flavour. I can't wait for the weather to let up a bit so I can plant my own and enjoy some proper garlic again.
"save the bones for stock"
Nah man, I ain't got room for that in my freezer. I like Ice cream.
I never ever add garlic at the same time as my onions to saute. I only saute garlic for 30 seconds.
When you render fat from ground beef or something and use the same pan to cook something else, they always say "drain the fat". f**k that! fat is flavor! when I make chili I always cook my celery and onions in beef fat.
Times for meat on the stovetop. "Cook the chicken for 2 minutes, then turn and cook for 2 minutes more...." What kind of stove do you have, guy? My burners at home certainly aren't going to cook a breast all the way through in 4 minutes.
I always use salted butter, I find that it tastes better, specially in sweet baked goods.
I always take away 1/3 of the sugar in cake recipes, i find that gives more of a balanced flavour and the finished cake is less sickly sweet so you can eat more of it
When cutting onions, I do not make the horizontal cross-cuts on the “face” of each onion half. I only make the vertical cuts and then the final, perpendicular chopping cuts. I figure those face cuts are redundant because the onion is layered already. Right?
Some chefs act like there is only one "right" way to chop an onion. I've heard of people applying for cook jobs where chopping an onion was part of the interview process, because the chef wanted to make sure they did it "right". I worked in kitchens for 35 years - just chop the onion. It does not matter.
Same. I'm a chef and I never make the horizontal cuts.
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Guilty. Also, you see the most injuries when people do that horizontal cut. Speaking as one who does sutures. Unless you own a chain-mail glove. THen go to it!
I do have a chain mail glove, because I am the idiot who grates their knuckles
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I seem to fail with any method and wind up just chopping the hell out of all the pieces. My tongue doesn't seem to care whether I have perfect cubes or not.
no, it's curved and you end up with larger chunks at the base unless you compensate with the angle of your knife.
I used to do the horizontal cuts, but lately I've been doing it this method. It saves a bit of time and the onion layers separate when you cook them anyway.
Also, your tear ducts get less of a blast if you save the cross-cuts for last.
If you don't cut into the root area then it saves your tear ducts! Also holds the onion together making it far easier to chop. Taught by a chef.
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Failing that, grate them - if you want the full on 'kick', retain the juice, if you want something milder, drain off and just use the grated flesh.
Even better: Cut radially from the edge towards the centre. Make alternate deep and shallow cuts.
At catering college we were taught to make the horizontal cuts AFTER the vertical ones. If I bother (seldom!) I do them first, as it’s a bit of a risky manoeuvre and the uncut half is more stable.
Surely it all depends on how fine you want it chopped? If I want really tiny 'cubes' I add the extra horizontal slices.
Isn't that the way EVERYONE does it?? Except for my SIL's better half :-( who chopped them into 1cm square pieces --as though I was cooking Chinese :-(
As a cooking apprentice some 40 years ago I got to to a heated argument with our teacher. A lot of follow-up problems for trying to be more clever and wittier than her. Figured it out at age 14.
I've never heard of anyone making horizontal cuts... you certainly don't see it in cooking shows
So you get longer bits of onion, is what you’re saying? Those are good.
no, you don't the onion is layered - so you don't change anything with the one horizontal cut when you dice the onions
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Mise En Place. I'm just going to get the water boiling/pan heating/oven preheating and then prep as I go. Separate little dishes for all of the components? Do people cook on the weekdays? Do people do dishes?
I can't be bothered to rinse my rice. I know, I know, I'm going to hell.
My mom used to be the operations manager at a culinary college. They specifically told the students not to use expensive wine. They recommended boxed wine like Franzia because the wine stays sealed from the air and stays good for longer. By the time you're done cooking with it, anything that would make an expensive wine taste better will be destroyed, and your expensive wine will be ruined.
Most recipes online targeted at an English audience (e.g. U.K./USA) which originate from elsewhere are extremely stingy with herbs and spices. “Half a teaspoon of oregano”, “a pinch of paprika” etc. bollocks to that. My Italian wife calls it “Italian food for English people”. It takes a lot of experience to know herbs and spices intuitively but start by increasing the amounts they suggest if they’re small and go from there.
Oh yes. My grandmother taught me how to cook Indonesian food. The so called recipes are for "white" people. When she cooked she used original indonesian recipes and the taste was incredible. She herself learned in Indonesia from friends and family. Some of my best memories are in my grandmothers kitchen ...
I use cornstarch as a thickener. I’m never too fancy for cornstarch.
No use of soap on cast iron !!
That one is a classic, “no soap” thing is an old rule from way back when soap contained lye and other harsh stuff
Most measurements, especially where garlic or salt is concerned.
And whatever color the onion needs to be since I plan on using whatever onion I have available.
"Don't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink"... honey I'll drink pruno if that's what you've got, it's not a high bar
My spices get poured from the jar. Sometimes it ends up as an "oops, guess this one's gonna be extra paprikaey"
For any spices in my dishes, a teaspoon is some in my palm, a tablespoon is more in my palm, a pinch is whatever I pinch, and anything less than a teaspoon either doesn't exist or gets rounded up to whatever I pour out into my hand.
People rave about "how well seasoned" my cooking is, so who the hell even cares. The only thing I'm careful about is salt because oversalting is a thing and will ruin a dish. MSG though...I've never heard anyone call my dishes too umami!
The number of servings. As I usually cook one main dish, if the recipe says it serves 4 people, it usually serves 2, if it serves 6 and we're 3 there might be a chance of "some" leftovers... sometimes.
Adding oil to your pasta water will not prevent the noodles from sticking. The oil will remain separated from the water instead.
I found that adding oil kept the sauce from clinging to the pasta properly.
Salad dressing recipes will tell you to stream in the oil while whisking. Nah, just throw it all in a jar and give it a shake
I rinse my mushrooms with water
(Comes from prep in commercial kitchens. If you are using them right away, rinsing with water is fine. If they’re going to sit in a pan for hours or days before being used, they’re going to get slimy and gross.)
I'm with the op on this one. Wash them in running water quickly, wash off any dirt, job done, into the pan they go. No water sucked up unless you let them sit in water for a long time. When I was a kid I was also taught that you're supposed to peel them. As in break off the stem, then with the back of a knife hold a piece of the their outer layer to your thumb, and peel it off. Repeat until all the "skin" is off. My mom hated doing it because it takes forever so I was the "lucky" one to always get this task. When I started cooking myself I got brave one day and said fudge the peeling! Nobody noticed the difference. So I never peeled again and later started thinking my mom actually got this wrong, misunderstood something when she started learning to cook or something. But no, I recently asked a bunch of people who are my mom's age and they all peel to this day. Some of them were quite socked when I told them it's totally unnecessary.
I’ve heard to never wash your mushrooms in water and instead wipe off the dirt. I also know that mushrooms are grown with animal feces… I always wash my mushrooms.
Contrary to popular belief mushrooms are not grown in manure. ... Mushrooms are in fact grown in a pasteurized substrate, which yes does contain manure, but once the whole process is finished it is not even close. But yes, always wash them and all fruits and vegetables before use.
Using pre-shredded cheese isn't always going to ruin whatever you're making.
Follow the recipe. My opinion: it only really matters in beginners baking. Once you get the feel for the food and how you want it to taste, the rest is up to you.
Sugar measurements. I routinely use half or a third of what is called for and NEVER miss it.
Baking is chemistry though, no? I don’t bake because ima clutz and favor savory over sweet, but sugar is n a ton of non-baked foods. I love food.
I refuse to omit salt, ever.
I know every baby boomer mom and cardiologist is probably frowning at this comment too.
I rarely bother making my own stock. It's just not practical for me; I don't have the space to freeze big batches of it and I don't have the time to regularly make smaller batches of it.
Most of the time, I find stock cubes work fine. They taste fine in most applications. The only thing I tend to miss in stock cubes is the gelatin, but in cases where I want that I just sprinkle some powdered gelatin into the stock.
I've never seen stock cubes with gelatin, why is it in there? I make my own stocks usually overnight in a slow cooker. Meat bones from a roast, bacon rind, washed veg peels, water and seasoning. Slow cook overnight, strain and freeze. Old leftover bagged salad like coleslaw is perfect for this and better than throwing it out. If I have some, I'll chuck in leftover wine. I keep veg peelings, bacon rind, meat fat etc in small food bags in the freezer just to make stock. Maybe I'm old fashioned but I also buy reduced veg when I can and blanch and freeze them for winter soups. Saves me lots of money and I know what's going in my meals.
Note: this post originally had 83 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
Admittedly, I've been cooking for a very long time, but it doesn't matter whether I'm baking or stewing or roasting or any other kind of cooking, I really don't bother with recipes or amounts. I've been doing it long enough to know when it looks/feels/smells/tastes right. And nobody ever complains about my cooking, so I guess I'm doing something right.
I rarely follow the rules. I don’t follow recipes, I don’t measure, I follow my tried and true methods, I know how things should taste, I know what flavors work well together. I don’t need other people to tell me those things. Cooking is an art, art shouldn’t have rules.
I agree with you with a small, personal caveat. I needed to learn the basics first, needed to understand the rules so I knew how and when to break them.
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One of the things that my mom suggested was buy what the locals buy. As in, in India, many make rotis daily. Most people who probably have shifted to the city or are too busy or something choose to go to big brands selling the flour.... My mom told me to speak to the cook who made my food. What can she recommend? She told me of a local brand that is good, priced well and does not make the rotis chewy. If you want to make say Indian food, ask the Indian friend where he or she gets his local stuff. You get the good stuff at good price.
I was taught that if you live in a country where markets are the norm, don't shop for fresh produce in grocery stores. (I did it once and got food poisoning for my troubles. I know correlation is not causation, but the experience made me not want to chance it.) The reason I was given was that food gets brought in fresh to the markets daily, but you never knew how long the stuff in the stores had spent on the shelf.
Load More Replies... I find recipes more as a guide than a hard and fast set of rules. I tend to find that you usually need twice the amount of herbs and seasoning they often ask for. It's like when TV chefs say "add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan" and then proceed to empty half the bottle into it!
Whatever temp it says in the recipe, it's going in at 180 degrees. And I have tested 'rested' meat and 'unrested' meat and the only difference I could tell is that one was hot whilst the other was luke warm.
Agreed. I tried that resting stuff once and I guess it's all right if you like cold meat. Every steak house I've been in brings your steak to you still sizzling.
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I've been cooking for almost 62 years, having been taught by both my parents when I was 8 y.o. I don't bother with recipes except the first time I make a pastry. Other than that, I know how to cook, I know what I like in the way of spices and salt, I know I can't stand super sweet anything, so I just go by sight and feel. Haven't had any complaints in the 40 years since I divorced my jerk of a husband (he wanted everything to be made the way his Mommy cooked it 🙄).
Can I fly the flag for DON'T PUT VINEGAR IN THE WATER WHEN YOU'RE POACHING EGGS. I've had to send poached eggs on toast back because they were tainted with vinegar.
Just like a lot of recent articles, this is yet ANOTHER article copied directly from a Buzzfeed. What the hell is going on?!
I refuse to soak beans. I used to. Read somewhere it does nothing but reduce flavor, so I tried it, and I agree.
I always rinse my beans but because I use my crock pot I don't soak them either.
Load More Replies... One of the most useful cooking podcasts I've ever listened to is Bon Appétit: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat episode.
Wash your chicken. There's always a "film" on it. I wash the sink afterwards, so save your "spreading germs" comment. Only an idiot does not realize you can wash the sink.
Same here, thank you! And if a person wants to be extra cautious, they can spray the sink with a bleach solution, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse.
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I never invested in an electronic hand mixer. I need to do so as I like to make homemade sweets on occasion. I've made marshmallows, meringue cookies, and baked goods a without electronic prep equipment. Yeah just a whisk/spoon and bowl for like a loooong time. I'll admit it's a good arm workout. They all turned out very good and folks liked them too. I need to stop being so darn cheap.
Please do not cook lasagne separately each by each, just put it raw with the rest of lasagna and make sure that the rest is super juicy so the pasta soaks that water during baking. I saw people doing lasagne for 4 hours cause they were making pasta one by one in water
When I read stuff like this I swear the single thing that puzzles me most is, what do people in other countries pay for electricity? Or are gas burners more widely used than electric? Why are people boiling water on a stove? Or cooking something for 30-60 minutes on the stove when you can cook it in the microwave for 10-15 minutes? If something needs boiling water, I boil it in the kettle. Pasta, rice, and potatoes all go in the microwave. If I used my stove for cooking every day I would spend half my salary on electricity.
I don't own a microwave. My mother would serve up every dish cooked in a microwave. We had micro-chips, micro-vegetables, micro-meat - you name it. I now refuse to have one in my house.
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I stuff my turkeys. And not once or anyone else has gotten sick. You have to be patient on cooking your turkey, don't assume the recommended times and temperatures. They are just ideal times to get it done quicker. You can a cook a turkey that is moist with stuffing. Screw you phony's on food network...you are just lazy.
Admittedly, I've been cooking for a very long time, but it doesn't matter whether I'm baking or stewing or roasting or any other kind of cooking, I really don't bother with recipes or amounts. I've been doing it long enough to know when it looks/feels/smells/tastes right. And nobody ever complains about my cooking, so I guess I'm doing something right.
I rarely follow the rules. I don’t follow recipes, I don’t measure, I follow my tried and true methods, I know how things should taste, I know what flavors work well together. I don’t need other people to tell me those things. Cooking is an art, art shouldn’t have rules.
I agree with you with a small, personal caveat. I needed to learn the basics first, needed to understand the rules so I knew how and when to break them.
Load More Replies... One of the things that my mom suggested was buy what the locals buy. As in, in India, many make rotis daily. Most people who probably have shifted to the city or are too busy or something choose to go to big brands selling the flour.... My mom told me to speak to the cook who made my food. What can she recommend? She told me of a local brand that is good, priced well and does not make the rotis chewy. If you want to make say Indian food, ask the Indian friend where he or she gets his local stuff. You get the good stuff at good price.
I was taught that if you live in a country where markets are the norm, don't shop for fresh produce in grocery stores. (I did it once and got food poisoning for my troubles. I know correlation is not causation, but the experience made me not want to chance it.) The reason I was given was that food gets brought in fresh to the markets daily, but you never knew how long the stuff in the stores had spent on the shelf.
Load More Replies... I find recipes more as a guide than a hard and fast set of rules. I tend to find that you usually need twice the amount of herbs and seasoning they often ask for. It's like when TV chefs say "add a teaspoon of olive oil to the pan" and then proceed to empty half the bottle into it!
Whatever temp it says in the recipe, it's going in at 180 degrees. And I have tested 'rested' meat and 'unrested' meat and the only difference I could tell is that one was hot whilst the other was luke warm.
Agreed. I tried that resting stuff once and I guess it's all right if you like cold meat. Every steak house I've been in brings your steak to you still sizzling.
Load More Replies... I've been cooking for almost 62 years, having been taught by both my parents when I was 8 y.o. I don't bother with recipes except the first time I make a pastry. Other than that, I know how to cook, I know what I like in the way of spices and salt, I know I can't stand super sweet anything, so I just go by sight and feel. Haven't had any complaints in the 40 years since I divorced my jerk of a husband (he wanted everything to be made the way his Mommy cooked it 🙄).
Can I fly the flag for DON'T PUT VINEGAR IN THE WATER WHEN YOU'RE POACHING EGGS. I've had to send poached eggs on toast back because they were tainted with vinegar.
Just like a lot of recent articles, this is yet ANOTHER article copied directly from a Buzzfeed. What the hell is going on?!
I refuse to soak beans. I used to. Read somewhere it does nothing but reduce flavor, so I tried it, and I agree.
I always rinse my beans but because I use my crock pot I don't soak them either.
Load More Replies... One of the most useful cooking podcasts I've ever listened to is Bon Appétit: Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat episode.
Wash your chicken. There's always a "film" on it. I wash the sink afterwards, so save your "spreading germs" comment. Only an idiot does not realize you can wash the sink.
Same here, thank you! And if a person wants to be extra cautious, they can spray the sink with a bleach solution, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rinse.
Load More Replies... I never invested in an electronic hand mixer. I need to do so as I like to make homemade sweets on occasion. I've made marshmallows, meringue cookies, and baked goods a without electronic prep equipment. Yeah just a whisk/spoon and bowl for like a loooong time. I'll admit it's a good arm workout. They all turned out very good and folks liked them too. I need to stop being so darn cheap.
Please do not cook lasagne separately each by each, just put it raw with the rest of lasagna and make sure that the rest is super juicy so the pasta soaks that water during baking. I saw people doing lasagne for 4 hours cause they were making pasta one by one in water
When I read stuff like this I swear the single thing that puzzles me most is, what do people in other countries pay for electricity? Or are gas burners more widely used than electric? Why are people boiling water on a stove? Or cooking something for 30-60 minutes on the stove when you can cook it in the microwave for 10-15 minutes? If something needs boiling water, I boil it in the kettle. Pasta, rice, and potatoes all go in the microwave. If I used my stove for cooking every day I would spend half my salary on electricity.
I don't own a microwave. My mother would serve up every dish cooked in a microwave. We had micro-chips, micro-vegetables, micro-meat - you name it. I now refuse to have one in my house.
Load More Replies... I stuff my turkeys. And not once or anyone else has gotten sick. You have to be patient on cooking your turkey, don't assume the recommended times and temperatures. They are just ideal times to get it done quicker. You can a cook a turkey that is moist with stuffing. Screw you phony's on food network...you are just lazy.
