40 Cooking Myths That Have Been Around Too Long And Need To Be Dispelled

Always remember that our ancestors ate grubs out of the ground and other food that was starting to rot. We survived and grew hardy and tolerant due to that - all this health scare nonsense is breaking down our immune systems.

Agree 100%. Many are created by food companies to get people to throw out good food and buy more.

As long as you can catch it when comes out of your fridge, you can eat it.

NO worries! tRump & DOGE are making sure of that. With the cuts and defunding (which will cause deregulations) of the FDA, why do we even NEED food labels and expirations dates? Just a WATSE of ink.

It's just the date that the can guarantee its safe. It's a legal issue. After that date, it's your responsibility.

Yup.. also who cares.. throw into pan whatever that needs using up, have your red wine with fish. Have a Vodka with your bolognese.. if that’s your thing.. do it.

Why bother using expensive or exotic ingedients if you don't like them? You should always enjoy your meal, not eat something only because it is trendy or posh.

Bacon. Ham. 4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed. Sautéed. Add garlic last so it doesn't burn. Cook bacon first. Do all this in same pan. Do not drain. Add cooked pasta, toss well. Remove from heat. Add 1 beaten egg and toss quickly to coat pasta before the egg cooks. Add Parmigiano Reggiano to taste. Serve with additional PR on the side.

The original Cabonara recipe, from the Chef who invented it, used Bacon, the first version of the recipe using Guanciale was in the 1960s (and the original used cream as well). The version every food snob talks about was a later 1960s reinvention of it, as while the original was invented in Rome, it was invented with strong American-Italian influence, and later Italians decided to "Italianize" it, and changed it. So using Cream and Bacon is actually more authentic

Italian here. You absolutely have my and my Nonna's permission to put whatever you like in your Italian recipes LOL

for me it's not so much the prep time, but the dealing with the aftermath - scraps, spills, dirty dishes and tools!

Culinary schools teach "Mise en place" for a reason. It's a total game-changer. Absolutely upped my game.

Eh...technically true depending on the situation. If you've never made the recipe before, probably. If you don't really know how to cook, absolutely. The more egregious thing isn't the prep time, but how long some people seem to think it takes to cook certain dishes. 10 minutes for caramelized onions? More like 40-45 minutes. 45 minutes to roast a chicken? If you want flaccid rubbery skin, it MIGHT technically be cooked through if it's a small bird, but in my experience it's more like 75-90 minutes. Mushrooms, soups, pie fillings, stir fry's....the list goes on and on for recipes that greatly under estimate how long it actually takes to cook something safely within the context of a home kitchen.

Yeah you can definitely tell with some recipes by reading them that they have their times way off.

In many cases the frozen vegetables may actually be fresher than the 'fresh' ones that have spent three days in transit from farm to supermarket shelf, rather than being flash frozen within minutes of harvesting.

Not just frozen. Canned tomatoes are *chef's kiss*. (Literally, in some cases.)

Yes, GMO only matters if you have an allergy to something used in the food, harms plants planted too close (which is now regulated) and harms the markets of small farmers. But that is it.

Agreed

Except if chillis sting your hands. But I just use my marigolds

I onlr use gloves for raw meat

Sensory issues. My daughter will not touch raw meat. She doesn't like the feeling.

I have long nails and wear gloves with certain items that I have to dig out from under my nails.

I used gloves when chopping chiles because I don't want chile oil in any of my mucus membranes. I also typically wear gloves when handling meat because I dislike the feel of the fats on my hands.

salt takes some time to permeate the food

Thyme needs some cooking to release its flavour but never ever cook basil in your food The flavour is simply dead after cooking.

I've NEVER heard that. But I was in the food industry for 30+ years.

Soups, stews, sauces? Yes season at the beginning. Other wise Yes...it does change the result if you "season throughout" by having your spices burn, adding acrid bitterness that most wouldn't quantify as desirable, AND it makes it much more likely that you are going to overseason. Meat should be marinated or dry brined ahead of time, and the surface of the meat should be cleaned and dried before cooking. Aside from burnt seasoning, adding salt while meat is cooking changes the texture, and trying to justify this by saying "i taste as i go" doesn't work because the high temperature of the food dulls the performance of our taste buds. If you're cooking something just for yourself? You do you. If you're cooking for anyone else, it's very likely their standards are different. You can add as much or as little seasoning as you want after the fact, can't take it away.3

Fat also makes you feel fuller, and many types of fat are very low in carbs.

It depends on the type of fat. Natural fats are good for you in moderation, saturated and trans fats? Not so much. Yes, it's important to have some SMALL quantity of body fat. For men it's 10-20% of body weight, and for women it's 20-30% Beyond those ranges, no packing on more body fat is detrimental to your health in the long term.

So so this! In general we should not be scared of unprocessed food. Just the amount of it 😋

For cooking... Just find out how to cook things so they are edible, and then add herbs and spices that you like. And cook with butter. It really is that simple. Just play around with cooking and you will learn what works and doesn't. Add sauces, pies or exotic ideas whenever later when you feel comfortable. But learn how to cook eggs.

Baking is chemistry. You have to really have a deep knowledge of baking to be able to alter recipes without destroying the dish. Most everything else? A recipe is a starting point, not gospel. However...If it's the first time you're making a dish, or you're not very experienced in the kitchen in general, yeah it's probably better to stick to the recipe just to get a feel for it. It's really simple to add spices and flavors after the fact, not so for removing or even masking them.

I play around with recipes all the time - if it lists a spice or one ingredient (capers!) I'll just omit it or add in something.

Absolutely. When I want to change a baking recipe I do research first. But cooking? You can expect me to double the amount of garlic in any recipe I make that calls for it.