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One of the best ways to learn how to cook is to help out your parents and relatives as a kid while they’re busy in the kitchen. That way, you quickly pick up some great techniques, sharpen your veggie chopping skills, and get used to being around all the clanking and clattering pots and pans. It’s great! On the flip side, you also pick up some of your parents’ cooking misconceptions, too.

Their mistakes become part of your knowledge base. And it sometimes takes years and years for you to realize that your parents might not have had everything figured out when it comes to food. Redditors opened up about some of the weirdest and funniest things their parents taught them about cooking that ended up being completely the wrong way to go about making food.

From completely overcooking pork and salmon into dry inedible meals to undercooking mushrooms and not using any salt and beyond, here are the biggest misconceptions that they shared. Scroll down, upvote the posts that you think everyone should read, and if you have any food lessons to share with the rest of our dear Pandas, you can tell us all about them in the comments.

Bored Panda got in touch with Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, a talented pie artist, food expert, and the author of ‘Pies Are Awesome,’ for a chat about where misconceptions about food come from and about food fads (like the dastardly sugar lobby vilifying fat in the 1960s).

“Culinary knowledge is usually passed down generationally. If that’s how your mum/dad/gran did it, that’s how you do it. There’s a lot of, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ mentality around the dinner tables of the world,” she told us. Read on for our interview with Jessica!

#1

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Their method for hard boiled eggs: start them in cold water, boil for 15 minutes, then wait til the water cools to remove them. Gross grey yolks every time

ETA: whoever downvoted me obviously makes eggs this insane way so I just wanna tell that guy specifically that you can boil a perfect egg in 12 minutes, less time if you prefer a jammier yolk. you do not need to waste an hour to make hardboiled eggs buddy

beastsinthebelfry , Upupa4me Report

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Mr Halloumi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You lot are mad. Cold water, eggs in, bring to boil, 3 mins runny, 6 mins hard, cold water after both. End of.

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Fat Harry
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

End of? Rubbish. For a dippy egg stick it straight in boiling water. 4 minutes. Done

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Plenty Pineapples
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know it's probably not the tastiest way, but back in the day you'd have to boil a few extras for your computer mouse, so might as well do them all in one go 😉

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Rebekah
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cold water, bring to boil, then remove from heat and lid. Drench in cold water after 15 minutes. Bright yellow for me.

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ToGo
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, now no-one has the right to mock a student not knowing how to boil an egg because we adults can't even agree on the right way 😂.

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Kyndal T
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

But. The boil happens first. Then the cold water. Weird method of making boiled eggs. I guess people can over complicate anything. Lol

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Meredith Adams
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lmao I had no idea that hard boiled egg techniques were so controversial.

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Leo Domitrix
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Who the heck boils 'em that long? 8-10 min never fails me. Bring to boil. Let sit in hot water ... off heat!

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Anta Babb
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

To those people saying you add baking soda for easier peel, just lightly tap the bottm (more rounded) portion of the egg onto a hard surface until it cracks slightly. There's a little air pocket there between the shell and the membrane of the egg that makes them easier to peel everytime I soft or hard boil eggs

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TeaAndWhimsy
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Flashback nightmares to my childhood - this is how my mother made them. Maybe why i don't like eggs so much!

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Jude Last
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

DASH Rapid Egg Cooker. One of the best Christmas gifts ever. Makes them any way you like them.

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Ladybird
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Eggs in cold water, bring to boil for 4 minutes for soft yolk. Never boiled an egg for hard yolks, so couldn't tell you the time, but 12 minutes seems excessive.

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leefi1
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're all wrong. Eggs in cold water, bring them to a rapid boil, and turn off the heat. Leave them covered to cook perfectly in 15 minutes.

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SobyKay
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel for ya. I was also raised on grey yolked eggs, had no idea this was not normal until I moved out. I gave u an upvote to replace that dumb down vote you got 😆

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Jade Gleeson
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Put water on to boil, put the eggs in, when water has boiled, timer for 5 minutes for hard boiled

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Celesta
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I swear by our electric egg cooker. Hot it at Walmart for like $10 and it makes perfect eggs every time and they are SO EASY TO PEEL.

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Alice Landers
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

LOL whole lot of remarks about nothing ! Boiled egg? Yes I got that

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Thalia Lovering
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Waiting for the water to cool down makes the eggs impossible to peel. You need cold water as soon as you think your eggs are ready.

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Bouthaina Van buuren
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow reading the comments, i didn't know boiling eggs was such a controversial subject

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Not always popular
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

8 minutes in instant pot with 1 inch of water and 1 layer of eggs. Immediately put in cool tap water. Perfect every time with very little effort.

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GoldfishCrackers
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just throw the suckers in a dang instant pot and hit the button. Done!

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Malinda Washburn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I feel like the people who argue about this haven't taken location differences into account. Especially altitude. My sister learned how to make hard boiled eggs when we were living in places like Idaho, a couple thousand miles above sea level. She could safely put the eggs in cold water, leave them to boil for a while without being monitored, and they'd come out delicious. But then she moved to the coast. She tried making eggs like that, and came back to a pot that had completely boiled off, so the eggshells on the bottom were burning. She panicked (emphasis on panicked, lol) and threw the pot under cold water. Yeah, the eggs started to explode. We cleaned up as best we could, but the landlord told us after we moved out that they found pieces of egg in the strangest places during the deep clean. XD

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okpkpkp
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

bring eggs to a boil, cover, and remove from heat. beautiful, clean, yellow yolks in 20 minutes. thank you ms julia child.

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Leesa DeAndrea
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't let the eggs sit in their hot water. Put them into cold water immediately, ice water if you have it. Keeps the yolks from getting discolored.

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Riley Quinn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

People, people. The easiest way to make an egg is have someone cook it for you.

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Celtic Pirate Queen
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For hard boiled eggs: I was taught to start them in cold water, bring to a boil, put a lid on the pan and remove from heat. In 15 minutes put in an ice bath, they're perfect and still nice and yellow.

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Helen Johnston
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

do not wait to cool, pour off the hot water and run under cold water to cool and stop cooking

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Jane Pool
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The instant pot is a great way to boil eggs. I do 14 at a time for 4 minutes for hard boiled and you can peel them one -handed ! I am 73 , and this is the only way I boil eggs .

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Pamela Scott
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Leaving the eggs in that hot water once they are boiled is what causes the grey outer layer on the yolks. Starting with cold water just means you have to heat them longer. If you get them out of the hot water after cooking to your desired doneness. Whether it's 12 minutes or 15 either put them in ice water or run cold water over them to cool them down quickly with keep the yolks a pretty yellow with no grey at all and even lowers the sulfurous taste that happens when they go grey.

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BlueFox94
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I truly resent my parents for refusing anything less than the above photo regarding boiled eggs. They don't even bother keeping track of the cooking time.

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Ayasuma
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Lol never did I expect to see so much disagreement on the proper way to boil eggs. These comments made me laugh, thanks to everyone for debating on the proper way to boil an egg :)

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Kathrin
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

get an electric egg cooker. XD but really, those grey yolks look disgusting

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Elvira Kreft
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Boil water add eggs ( from fridge 7 min) (room temp 6 min) take out off the pan and put in cold water and enjoy perfect soft boild eggs

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Trish Smith
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry, I'm kitchen cookware illiterate, here. What's an "instant pot"? Please, no nasty replies for my stupidity. LOL

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Trish Smith
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm not going to give my method for "hard boiled" eggs, to avoid the chaos! LIL

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Trish Smith
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Edit/ Damn! I don't know what's happening to me tonight! Suppose to say "LOL".

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Kar Red Roses
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Quail eggs, anyone? They’re bite-sized! Boil up hard in 3.5 minutes, then into an ice bath for bright yellow yolks and easy peel shells.

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Sam Lin
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Just buy an egg-cooker,and you can make perfectly boiled eggs.🤦🏻‍♂️

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Kimberly Lorton
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes! I prefer my yolks to be a nice yellow color or dark orange! And 10-12 minutes does great!

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Marilynn Berry
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Put eggs in boiling water (with slatted spoon or ladle) boli for 2 minutes, cover pot and remove from heat, leave them in for 10 minutes, put into an ice water bath, perfectly cooked eggs and the shells don't stick

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Kipper
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I steam my eggs for 7 minutes and run under cold water. The shells just slide off easier than if you boil them.

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Analyn Lahr
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Eggs in cold water. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Let sit 7-10 minutes depending on preference. Remove from hot water, dunk in ice water bath. Dry. Store in fridge if not consuming immediately. That's my method. Everyone's different.

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Marie Fleuris
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Room temp eggs into boiling water if you want to be able to peel them without destroying the white

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Tiffi
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I steam my 'boiled' eggs. Steaming them is recommended by the American Egg Council.

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H M
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't really care if yolks get that greyness...taste the same...

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-*Bubbly-Bear*-
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We make it in way: Put water, add egg, boil till bubbles are made, than wait 10 minutes, add to cold water, peel and you can eat

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ί𝔫CίŦᵃт𝐔𝐬
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mum always boiled them for 40 minutes, so I do too. A really hard yolk makes it easier to remove them and throw the nasty things away.

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Ervin Conn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I use Jacques Pepins method https://jp.foundation/video/hard-cooked-eggs

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Mala Qiu
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I only do hard cooked eggs in my Instant Pot now. Five minutes on high pressure, 5 minutes natural release, then 5 minutes in ice water. They come out perfectly every time.

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Shane S
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As an adult, I really started to enjoy soft and medium boiled eggs- unheard of in my family

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Cindy M
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It is wild how many methods are in here! For me, eggs straight into boiling water, boil 6 minutes for jammy eggs, 8 for soft, 10 for hard. Rinse/let sit in cold water for 4ish minutes. Yellow yolks, easy to peel. I'm about 465' altitude.

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Nandina
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Learned this at 65 years old. Gently place eggs in boiling water using a large slotted spoon. Boil for 12-15 minutes. Immediately submerge into ice water. Shell slides off every time. No grey yolks. Been doing it wrong all my life and have tried every method in the round world.

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Featherytoad
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This topic could go on and on and on. Every one has a different way and swears by theirs.

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Esco
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

8 minutes for me. They come out perfect every time. Hard yolk falls right out and easy to peel.

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Linda HS
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For runny eggs I usually boil the water, add eggs, two minutes exactly on the clock. Voila…perfect runny eggs!

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PeachPossum
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I don't boil eggs anymore. I steam them and they come out perfect every time. Vinegar while cooking seals cracks. Cold-water bath prevents dimples, week-old eggs peel perfectly, and no sulfur on the yolks.

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Gwyn
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Get an egg cooker. You don't have to watch them and they turn out perfect every time and peel perfectly.

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Whodathunkit
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Okay, so my question is how to make them easily peelable? Never get it right.

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Firearms Sanctuary
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

now you can just crack eggs into a pressure pot safe dish pop into an instapot and set for how you want them done and no pealing needed ;).

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1Zs Girl
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This really must depend on where you live and the altitude. I have to boil eggs for 12 minutes to get a perfect hard boiled egg, with yellow yolk.

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Eb
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cold water, eggs in, bring to boil, boil lid on for 1 min, turn off heat / leave lid on for another 6 mins (8-9 if you like the yolks hard and dry), fast-cool by standing in cold water until cool to touch. Perfect, and no grey rings.

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Makayla VerMulm
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Soft boiled eggs are the best!! I put the eggs in boiling water for five minutes and then the yolk is slightly runny.

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Kristin Malliet
Community Member
1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Toss the hard boiled eggs, and make scrambled eggs like a decent person.

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Sabrina Bowen
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mother would forget they were on until the water boiled away and the shells started to burn. 🤮

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Nigel Rodgers
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For the crazy ones. Boil water in kettle. Pour into cup with egg. Wait 5 min boil more water and replace first cup full. Wait 5 more min and serve in shell.

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fogharty
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Eggs in cold water in microwave-safe saucepan, add 1 tablespoon salt per egg, cook on high approximately 2.5 minutes per egg, let set same amount as cook time, remove and place in ice water. I usually do 8 minutes cook time, 8 minutes rest, for four eggs. Times may vary. Don’t forget the salt, otherwise you get an eggsplosion.

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Not A Panda
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You're all nuts. Eggs in cold water, bring to boil, turn off, leave eggs in for 7 minutes for hard, 4 for soft.

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Tom Lippert
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sous vide them works perfectly especially if you are making a large quantity

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Winter Eleven
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cold water, max option on the stove, turn off after boiling, forget I'm making food and boom yummy grey yolks (i really do like them greyish yellow)

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Lisa Hewes
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Agreed. 13 minutes in boiling water, then drench them in ice water. Perfectly bright yellow yolks every time.

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wihowo4474
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I've made $64,000 so far this year working online and I'm a full time student. Im using an online business opportunity I heard about and I've made such great money. It's really user friendly and I'm just so happy that I found out about it. Heres what I do. :) AND GOOD LUCK.:) HERE====)> 𝐰𝐰𝐰.𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬𝐟𝐮𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦

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Shelli Aderman
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Put eggs in muffin tins with just a bit of water, cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Rinse in cold, Peel, and enjoy! 👍🏽🥚

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Pie artist and baking grandmaster Jessica told Bored Panda that if people haven’t tried the ‘correct’ versions of the dishes or ingredients, then they’ve got nothing to compare the versions they’ve always been served with.

“And even then, due to warm fuzzy nostalgic feelings the foods of our youth often invoke, some people may prefer the ‘incorrect’ version. Overcooked pasta just like mother used to make!” she noted that people’s nostalgia goggles might make an appearance.

“Of course, there is a line between ‘sub-optimal’ and ‘inedible’ when it comes to food. But if no one is puking up a lung or dying of obvious malnutrition, most busy parents don’t see much of an impetus to change,” she explained why most food mistakes don’t end up being fixed.

#2

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread My dad always told me that mushrooms should be added to the dish at the very last minute and barely cooked. I always thought I didn’t really like mushrooms. When I finally ate mushrooms which had been sautéed golden brown I was blown away. Turns out they are way better fully cooked!

Sydney313 , Allrecipes Québec Report

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#3

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread When I lived with my parents, I didn't get the hype around steak. This was all around the context we lived in - My mum was feeding eight of us and brought cheap tenderized cuts that she could afford, would cook it to the consistency of cardboard, and tell us how lucky we were having steak for dinner. I was totally indifferent to it as a meal, but you eat what's in front of you and you don't complain.

It wasn't till I moved out on my own and had a really good steak at a restaurant that I realized I had misunderstood beef for 18 years. Now I love to cook and eat steak.

Glittering-Pomelo-19 , Chad Montano Report

Jessica explained to us that society tends to go through fads and phases when it comes to its relationship with food. Some ingredients can end up being lauded or demonized, only for the tables to turn years later.

“When I was a kid, butter was the enemy, and muffins were the epitome of healthy diet food for the weight-conscious. A 1,000-calorie bran muffin slathered in margarine with a black coffee. That was where it was at,” the cooking expert explained how something that was taken very seriously in the past might sound silly from a more modern perspective.

According to Jessica, people tend to have very strong feelings about their favorite foods. It’s only later that we might learn that the ‘healthy’ items we were eating might not have been all that great for us.

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#4

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Vegetables must be boiled. Particularly broccoli.

Maybe if we had roasted a few, I would have eaten more.

BriSnyScienceGuy , Sam Hojati Report

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broken_guy
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

same with brussel sprouts. people hate them because they are never cooked well

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#5

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Putting oil in your pasta water keeps the pasta from sticking to itself.
This does nothing but waste oil. If you want to keep your pasta from sticking together stir it periodically and when it’s done drain it and put it right into your sauce.

Reaver731 , Klaus Nielsen Report

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Matheus Oliveira
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Besides wasting oil, the only other thing it does is to keep sauce from sticking to the noodles and pooling in the bottom of the plate after they slid off the sad uncoated pasta

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#6

Love my mom, but she was an awful cook. As a teen I started to cook for my family once or twice a week. My father grilled on the weekend nights. The other 3 nights of the week were hers. She tried, she really did, but she was just not good. She would see a recipe she was interested in, but instead of trying it out as is, she would make adjustments to it the first time out. And her adjustments were not necessarily sensible. For example, she would see a recipe that calls for 2 cups of shredded cheese which she saw as too much cheese, so she would replace one cup of cheese with a cup of shredded carrot because it looked like shredded cheese. Stuff like that.

When I grew older and was at Girlfriend's house for dinner one night, she decided to make enchiladas, which I absolutely detested growing up. Of course, there are times in life when you just swallow what's offered to you and smile. They ended up being the best enchiladas I had ever tasted. Amazing. And of course I huge kuddos from her, A for eating them, B for asking for seconds, and C for the smile on my face.

Turns out, most enchiladas don't have 2 cans of diced olives mixed in. Yet another adjustment my mother made without thinking it through. You know diced olives bare a resemblance to ground meat when you cook it. And so, at the age of 22 I learned that I don't hate enchiladas. Lesson learned.

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“There are certainly some historical food misconceptions that have done a lot of harm. The vilification of fat by the sugar lobby in the 1960s is a big one that springs to mind, as well as the whole ‘eating a giant bowl of glorified marshmallows is a-ok for breakfast’ phase,” she told us.

“Outside of broad societal attitudes towards certain foods and diets, there are a number of common everyday cooking mistakes that people make in the preparation of their food—our handling of rice and pasta are high on the list here—but outside of food safety violations, I tend to be pretty sanguine about these things,” the expert noted that not cooking something ideally isn’t always the same as making the food item dangerous for consumption.

“No one ever died from over-cooked pasta, or vegetables boiled within an inch of their life. Sure, they’re missing out on a heightened culinary experience, but do you really want to be ‘that guy?’ I know I’m not going to tell my grandma how to perfect her pasta boiling technique (and if you knew my grandma, you wouldn’t either!),” Jessica said that, at times, it’s best to be diplomatic and dig into the meal without comment.

#7

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread That meat has to be cooked to a point of total shoe-leather dryness in order to be "safe" to eat. Neither of my parents would touch a piece of chicken that wasn't dessicated through and through nor a piece of beef with a touch of pink.

DerHoggenCatten , Paul Hermann Report

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#8

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread My entire childhood we had margarine. I thought restraunts had some special technique to make their butter taste good. Turns out it was just regular salted butter.

HungryJacque , Sorin Gheorghita Report

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Hannah Hudson-Lee
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

After the Chernobyl disaster in the 80s we had to eat margarine for a couple of years because the milk from our dairy herds was contaminated by the fall out. That first bit of butter when it was safe to eat again was like heaven melting on toast. (Incidentally, we lived a very, very long way from Chernobyl. Fallout can travel scary distances on the weather.)

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#9

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread My parents boil any meat that they’re going to “cook” on the grill because it won’t cook all the way through on a grill. And this is why I thought I hated BBQed chicken. Few years ago I threw a BBQ for them, my Dad insisted I was going to kill them by just grilling the chicken and pork. Then they said, best grilled chicken and pork they ever had. I also grilled the corn on the cob which they thought was some kind of miracle.

SeaOtterHummingbird , Daniel Hooper Report

A lot of these misconceptions probably come from a place of love. For instance, some parents might not cook with salt because they know that an excess of it might be harmful to health. Others might overcook food because they’re overly worried about killing off any germs.

Sure, that might kill the flavor, but these aren’t misconceptions that harm you much apart from leaving your taste buds unsatisfied. It’s the mistakes related to hygiene in the kitchen that you should be worried about.

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Some kitchen mistakes are worse than others. Food expert, pie artist, and author Jessica recently told Bored Panda all about food hygiene.

#10

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread No more than three eggs per week, or you'd die of heat failure from the cholesterol.

rc1024 , Tom Chance Report

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Matheus Oliveira
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

If you want an omelette one day, you’re out of luck for the rest of the week, then

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#11

It took me an entire summer of owning my own barbecue to learn that barbecued does not mean charred past recognition.

DevelishCurves Report

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Nancy Jeckells
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That reminds me that at a friend's barbecue years ago, I said to my husband, honey, can you make sure I get a well done sausage? He said, no problem, they're ALL burnt !!

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#12

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread In this vein - spinach! Boxed fish sticks, rice, and canned spinach was in the regular rotation when I was a kid. I didn't realize spinach was tasty until I had a tasty fresh spinach salad at my in-laws' place.

Reading the Harry Potter books, I always just straight imagined gillyweed as canned spinach. Slimy and revolting.

Snap__Dragon , Eva Elijas Report

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Freelove
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Amazing what happens when you eat food prepared the way it's supposed to be! My husband is an amazing cook and I've been realizing as an adult that I'm not really a picky eater... my mom was just not a great cook!

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"The worst thing that can be done in the kitchen in terms of hygiene is treating the 'dangerous' ingredients in the same fashion as all the other ingredients in your food prep. Pathogens (the little things in food that can make us sick like bacteria, viruses, fungi, and microorganisms) thrive in certain foods more than others," Jessica explained to us in an exclusive interview.

"Raw chicken, raw egg, unpasteurized milk, seafood, and raw flour (people often forget that one!) in particular are fertile breeding ground for nasties and need to be treated differently than other foods,” the food expert warned.

According to Jessica, everyone should keep in mind the food safety acronym ‘FATTOM’ to remember which foods spoil quicker than others. The acronym stands for “Food supply (protein), low acidity, time, temperature, oxygen, and moisture."

#13

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread If you don’t have a potato then it is not an actual meal. It wasn’t exactly true then but that was what they knew.

Bluemonogi , Monika Grabkowska Report

#14

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Not exactly my parents, but my grandmother had some... Unique views on food. For example:

Enjoying foreign food makes you almost traitor of your country

Never washed her vegetables because dirt toughens you up

Only she knows the correct recipes and experimenting in kitchen in unforgivable (direct insult to my mom)

If something had gone bad, she didn't throw it out, but boiled till it literally dissolved and then got upset that noone ate it

Hentai-hercogs , Ian Sommerville Report

#15

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread My mom just told me to completely omit salt when cooking.

a_frayn , Thomas Brueckner Report

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I’m A Black Cat
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1 year ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There is a fairytale from Middle East, goes smth like this: A padishah had three daughters. When they grew to full age he asked them to tell him how much they loved him and the one who loved him most would get his kingdom. So the first daughter told him she loved her father like a caravan of gold. He gave her a caravan of gold but not his crown. The second one compared her love to a caravan of damonds. He gave her a caravan of diamonds but not his throne. The third one, his favourite daughter, came and said: I love you like salt. He was furious and sent her away without giving her anything, forbidding to ever return. The shah was broken since he felt betrayed by his favourite daughter. Then a wise wizard came to him and said: you have done injustice. Try and eat your food wothout salt for three weeks and you will see how much your daughter loves you. He did. By the end of the first week he had lost all appetite. By the end of the second week he was ready to lose his riches for one meal salted bite. By the end of the third week he was so exhausted by the tasteless food that he was ready to give up his kingdom for a pinch of salt. This is when he understood. He asked his daughter to return, gave her his kingdom and knew she would be a worthy queen. The end

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The expert said that you can use ‘FATTOM’ as a quick rule of thumb to determine how dangerous the ingredients you’re working with actually are.

“For example, if you are working with something with a very high acid content like lemons, jam, or pickles, or something with a very low moisture content like crackers or rice cakes, you really don’t have to worry about them sitting out on the counter for hours or touching other food. They just don’t have enough of what the pathogens need to grow,” she said.

"On the other hand, something like raw shrimp which has a high moisture content and lots of protein for pathogens to eat really needs to be carefully monitored for how long it is left out in the open air in 'danger zone' temperatures and kept far away from other food and utensils,” she told Bored Panda that temperatures between 40 and 140 degrees F (4 to 60 degrees C) are the danger zone for pathogen growth.

#16

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread My dad, whose mother is from Sicily, he was really offended when my future SIL sweetened her Bolognese sauce with carrots. I did a little research on a standard Italian sofrito, and it includes carrots. I've since modified my recipe, swapping sugar for carrots, and I think it improves the flavor.

Scapular_Fin , Gary Barnes Report

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Fenel F.
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Soffritto is the base for every tomato-based italian sauce. It's a mixture of onions, carrots and celery (the green stalk with leaves), chopped very fine. In french they call it mirepoix.

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#17

Most of these differences are simply preferences, rather than strictly advantageous, incorrect or correct. Two cooks can use vastly different techniques for the same dish and make an end result that is equally delicious. That is why it is best to regard all recipes as advice and suggestion, not gospel.

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Lisa Hewes
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This needs to be higher. Even with the science of baking, you can still turn it into art, like adding a bit of cinnamon and sugar on top of chocolate chip cookies straight out of the oven. Maybe those same cookies have a touch of nutmeg baked in?

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#18

For my entire childhood I thought mashed potatoes came in a box.

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#19

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Everyone loves their Moms cooking but don't they all have this one dish that you learned later does not taste like it is supposed to? Mine for example will leave pasta in the water until it's time to serve it, even if it's practically starting to dissolve by that time. Then she will drown it in butter so it won't stick.

thegoldensnitch9 , Kyle T. Report

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Mozzarella
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Mine was eggplant. Wouldn’t touch it. Then I went to a resturant, ordered it without knowing, and ate the whole thing. You should’ve seen my face when I was told it was eggplant!

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#20

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Salmon. My mom was a decent cook but I thought I detested that nasty dry stuff until I had salmon at a restaurant once and was like holy sh*t, THIS is salmon??

PolarsteeleMGB2 , Oxana Kolodina Report

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Lisa Hewes
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I LOVE searing tuna and salmon on a cast iron skillet. For the longest time, I thought I hated seafood, turns out I just never had it prepared properly until a few years ago.. Now I'm pescatarian, go figure.

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#21

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread I was allowed to eat eggs, sunny side up, omelette, whatever, only once or twice a week.

Supposedly unhealthy.

G00bre , snickclunk Report

#22

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread My mom used to overcook pork chops all the time because she didn't believe it was safe to have any pinkness inside. I thought I didn't like pork chops very much because I thought it wasn't juicy enough until I finally had one that was cooked to medium doneness.

Darwin343 , stu_spivack Report

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Robin Roper
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

In the not too distant past, there was a real danger in eating undercooked pork - Trichinosis, the food-borne disease caused by a microscopic parasite Trichinella. Most pork was raised in conditions where the parasite thrived and was common in fresh pork. To kill it, the meat had to be cooked to 145°F/63°C. Now, pork sold in grocery stores is not raised in these conditions and because there is no parasite, the meat so doesn't have to be cooked to death.

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#23

Bacon. I assumed it was the solid food equivalent of coffee when I was a kid - smells amazing, tastes like bitter, burnt ashes. My parents err on the side of burnt, and sometimes they err hard. When I was 12 my buddy made us some for breakfast after a sleepover and pulled it off the heat almost still pink and my mind was blown.

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#24

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread You can't drink milk while eating anything with lemon or it will *curdle in your stomach* and make you *severely* sick!

FourCatsAndCounting , ~Pawsitive~Candie_N Report

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Ray Ceeya (RayCeeYa)
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's a really nasty prank you can play on a friend. Order a drink called a Cement Mixer. It's a shot with Bailey's Irish Cream with lemon or lime juice floated on top. It curdles instantly in your mouth and makes the shot almost impossible to swallow.

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#25

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread My mom is a great cook. People offer to buy her stuff all the time. And when my friends come over, they leave at least 5lbs heavier. HOWEVER, there is one thing that she does that hella bothers me- she leaves soups and stews on the stove top for a couple days. She boils it every day and claims it removes the bacteria. Luckily, no one has gotten food poisoning yet. It still freaks me out. And I’ll only eat it when it’s freshly made or from the fridge.

curryp4n , Uwe Conrad Report

#26

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread When baking, stir everything clock wise or it will be bad.

pumpkabooooo , Klaus Nielsen Report

#27

My parents always had their big meal in the evening. Only as an adult living in Germany did I learn that a big lunch and a light supper are much healthier (for me at least). Much better sleep for one thing.

Tom__mm Report

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Mosheh Wolf
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Sorry people, but there is no specific tame of day for the big meal. Having a big meal soon before going to sleep can cause heartburn in some people, but having dinner at 7 and going to sleep at 11 is fine. Also, the whole "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" was invented by breakfast food companies.

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#28

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Eggs are bad for you.... That was before we heard about cholesterol. Then butter, here use this congealed artery spackle instead

Later they got into the whole low fat thing

blkhatwhtdog , Ben Kolde Report

#29

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread Spinach is desgusting. Its NOT. I eat it every day as an adult. But they ALWAYS bought Canned Spinach which is... not good. Really bad. Green, slightly grass tasting slime. Fresh Spinach? Crunchy! No Slime! Good. They came up poor and lived on an island so I don't think they quite understood that, one we had moved west, they now lived with 500 km of 1000 farms and didn't need to buy it in a can anymore...

bobo76565657 , miguel Report

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Brenda
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Cooked right with some bacon grease, top with just a little vinegar on plate. Delicious

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#30

30 Of The Worst Beliefs About Cooking People Have Been Taught By Their Parents, As Shared On This Online Thread A pinch of salt = only a few grains

Breakfastchocolate , Bank Phrom Report

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Fenel F.
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1 year ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That's depends, being a matter of taste. The goal is for you to enjoy your own dish, not to win Hell's Kitchen.

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