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Everyone has to eat, so it probably makes sense, at some point, to learn how to actually cook. In the age of the internet, it’s never been easier, there are literally thousands of recipes, often with videos of how to do things. But, in all that noise, it can be good to pick out what actually works.
Someone asked “What cooking advice doesn't make any difference?” and people detailed their tips, tricks and observations. We also got in touch with the person who posted the question in the first place. So get comfortable as you scroll through, upvote your favorites and be sure to share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
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#1
My grandmother insisted and would get angry for people not following her sacred advice...you must always stir clockwise. Tried it counterclockwise and I get the same result Her spirit did reach through the void and smack me though.
Little Bit 1 week ago
I think that's probably due to superstition. If you stir anticlockwise it brings bad luck.
RELATED:
#2
YOU DON'T NEED TO WASH YOUR CHICKEN. I will literally fight anyone who says you do. I've been cooking for 18 years, cook raw chicken weekly and have NEVER gotten sick. If anything washing chicken creates possible contamination.
Gertrude VonSpitzbart 1 week ago
Guessing this is from an American. Elsewhere no one would think of needing to wash their chicken....
#3
I use salted butter even when it calls for unsalted.
Nota Robot 1 week ago
It's fine, provided you add less salt to compensate for the salt in the butter.
Bored Panda got in touch with the netizen who posted this question online and they were kind enough to share some more details. Naturally, we were curious to hear why they asked this to the internet in the first place. “I'm simply an impatient cook. I don't want to marinade for 20+ hours,” they shared.
“I don't want to wash rice or eat cold steak because “I need to rest it 10 minutes." I use the microwave for steaming vegetables — and it's better than a pan and faster than a pan and fewer dishes than a pan. I'm cheap too. Salt is salt (people really buy fancy salt; it's NaCl — only 2 elements).”
#4
Using large amounts of water to cook pasta. You can use a much smaller amount AND it's actually better for having more concentrated starchy water for dishes like cacio e pepe.
LillieMean 1 week ago
When I'm in a hurry and I'm just cooking for myself, I cook pasta in a frying pan. At the end, I add oil and, for example, pesto to the remaining thick starch water. Good, easy and fast, but I'm afraid that the ghost of an Italian nonna will hit me with a wooden spoon and call me easy and fast.
#5
Throwing oil in pasta cooking water. Those two don't mix. All you're doing is wasting the oil. It will achieve absolutely nothing. If you're concerned about them sticking and need to use it, use it *after* they're cooking. Stop it.
Edit:if you're concerned about your pots boiling over you could always try paying attention.
#6
Only adding oil to a hot skillet.
i've added oil to a cold skillet and it was fine.
“How many butters do you need in your refrigerator? I watched a cooking show where they insisted on $300 and $500+ pans and Dutch ovens and... And no. A knife should cut food. I'm not spending $150+ on a single knife; a knife I can't even throw in the dishwasher even,” they added.
#7
It depends a *lot* on specific recipes. But a couple that jump out at me:
Garlic presses are perfectly acceptable alternatives to mincing garlic with a knife in many applications. Jarred garlic is perfectly acceptable in many applications.
Sifting flour doesn't matter in most recipes (but matters a lot in a few).
Kabuki Kitsune 1 week ago
Sifting flour is primarily done to break up lumps, aerate the flour, and ensure an even distribution of dry ingredients, especially in recipes that call for a light and fluffy texture. ifting also helps in the accurate measurement of flour, as sifted flour is less dense than unsifted flour.
#8
Salt before the water is boiling or after. It changes f**k all, do whatever you want.
#9
I’m going to continue breaking my spaghetti noodles into pieces that are more convenient to boil AND eat and nobody can convince me this is not a superior way of going about things!
We also wanted to hear their opinion on why the thread ended up with thousands of comments and examples from across the internet. “It's popular because cooking is filled with old wives tales. It's popular because we're all a little lazy and tired of pretentious cooking.”
#10
Using a screaming hot pan for searing. You can't cook higher than the smoke point of your oil. All you're doing is tripping your home's smoke detectors, creating acrid oxidized fats that's terrible for you and tastes bad.
Maillard reaction only needs around 300-330F. Plenty of room below the smoke point to get a nice sear without breaking down your oil to acrid flavors.
#11
Boiling eggs in water with a splash of vinegar does *not* make it easier to peel them when they're cooked.
#12
I grew up hearing that you're not supposed to wash mushrooms but I always do and it turns out fine.
No Man 1 week ago
I spent years using a damp paper towel to wipe the dirt off of mushrooms. Never again! I got enlightened via an Insta Reel that explained that 'shrooms are mostly water anyway. Toss'em in a colander, rinse briskly with cold water. Shake'em dry and tumble them out of the colander into a pile of paper towels and pat dry. Works a treat!
They left us with some parting thoughts. “I'm not a very good cook. I can't seem to get the hang of a meat thermometer for example and to see if a steak is done, I'll cut a small slice into it to check if it hit medium. Then I'll eat my hot steak 3 minutes after I pull it off the grill. And I love my steaks (hence why my brother challenged me to a "who can make the best steak" contest. I'm still bitter that we "tied").”
#13
I don't heat milk up before adding it to roux.
Jrog 1 week ago
Exaclty. In fact the classic recipe for bechamel adds COLD milk specifically to prevent lumps in the roux. Pierre de La Varenne, who first wrote in a cookbook the recipe for the century-old Tuscan Balsamella sauce that he learned from the Italian cooks following Caterina De Medici, specifically calls for cold or lukewarm milk.
#14
You don't need a ricer to make amazing mashed potatoes.
If you're a broke college student, you can make them with a g*****n *fork*. I wouldn't recommend it, but it can be done.
Shelli Aderman 1 week ago
This baby, that jams every drawer known to mankind, is all you need! (And I even leave the skins on. SOOO yum!) 71YwrJPqCu..._QL80_.jpg 
#15
Active dry versus instant yeast.
Most bakers and recipe writers say to just chuck the yeast in with the dries. The whole step of putting active dry yeast and warm water to bloom it is just checking the yeast is alive.
If you know you bought it relatively recently don’t bother with that step.
Jrog 1 week ago (edited)
pre-mixing the yeast with water (and a bit of sugar) is required for any mix where there is salt in the dries. Bread, pizza, focaccia etc, all need to have the salt mixed into the flour first, to avoid spots of excessive concentration that will k**l the yeast; then the yeast that was added to water to start "reviving" it is put in the dries in liquid form to help with even distribution.
“But I do stand by a quote from Anthony Bourdain, "Garlic is Devine. Anyone too lazy to peel and chop it fresh doesn't deserve to eat it." But I'll agree the garlic press people are probably right in that it doesn't make a difference.”
#16
The whole “always use fresh garlic” thing. Sometimes the jarred stuff hits just fine.
#17
It’s okay if your mushrooms are steaming at first (due to pan overcrowding). Just let them cook down and they’ll get that nice brown color.
#18
I made mascarpone and cream cheese from scratch the other day. All the recipes on line say to avoid using ultrapasteurized cream but it's very hard to find cream that has not been UP these days. They say it could have the proteins already broken down. Considering that UT brings the cream to 185F for TWO SECONDS and when you make mascarpone or cream cheese you bring the cream to 185 for several minutes i reasoned that someone must have said this once for no good reason and now it's in every recipe. It's wrong! Made great mascarpone and cream cheese.
#19
My husband's British mother used to- get this- PRESSURE COOK the steak first- like, on a steam rack in the pot. Then she'd take it out and sear it. He swears, up down and sideways, that method makes scrumptious steak. I'm nearly 60, and I'm still too scared to try it 😂😂😂.
Ace 1 week ago (edited)
That's great for braised steak, but not for steak that you might want to eat medium or rare. In the old days in Brutish cookery all meat was expected to be cooked right through so this method made it quicker and easier to make it tender (depending on the cut of meat). Edit: just noticed my typo, decided to leave it, quite apt.
#20
My eggs are never room temperature when I bake. I’ve done it. Don’t notice any difference.
#21
You don’t have to thaw veggies before cooking them (I also dont thaw seafood).
#22
You don't need to cook pork till it is as tough as shoe leather. Mom always believed that unless you cook pork till its was truly dead, you would die a horrible death within 24 hours.
Kabuki Kitsune 1 week ago
Pork chops, roasts, or ribs MUST reach a minimum internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) for two to three minutes, while ground pork MUST reach a minimum internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) to render it safe to eat. The issue here is, Trichinosis. Basically, Trichinosis is a parasitic worm which is found primarily in pork. The worm is near microscopic, so you can't see it with the naked eye. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/trichinosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20378583
#23
Frozen prawns (for Americans shrimp) will be soft and squishy when cooked.
No they won't, prawns and most fish are snap frozen at sea when they are straight out of the water, this process does not result in mushy prawns.
Dave Van Beurden 1 week ago
And most 'fresh' supermarket prawns have been defrosted, so in a way the frozen ones are fresher.
#24
Fancy salt vs cheap salt.
LillieMean 1 week ago
I only use those fancy oh la laa salt flakes etc. as a finishing touch on top of focaccia or saltine crackers, for example.
#25
If you didn’t save any pasta water, it’s like totally fine. The hot pasta will give off tons more starch when you add it to sauce.
Melissa Harris 1 week ago
That is if you don't rise it like a crazy person. Pasta should go from water to sauce ASAP.
#26
"Add hot liquid to roux and you don't get lumps"
I have never heated the liquid I'm adding to a roux beyond maybe room temperature and have never had a lumpy or grainy end product.
#27
Most advice about how to care for cast iron.
Jon Steensen 1 week ago
Please don't soak them. It will make the bottom rust, and will create holes in the surface where food will get stuck and will burn. I have seen pans ruined by being left overnight under water. And don't use concentrated soap directly on the surface.
#28
Skimming the bean foam off.
#29
Adding all stock to risotto in one go vs in small ladlefuls.
Lee Gilliland 1 week ago
That just makes a soggy mess, Rice can only handle all the water, you have to put it in a bit at a time.
#30
Personally, bay leaves in most stews that feature a lot of other herbs and spices. It definitely has a flavor, but if you've got a ton of basil and oregano in your Bolognese, I cannot taste the difference that a few bay leaves make.
Note: this post originally had 58 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
What do you think ?
Carney 1 week ago
I've cooked professionally off and on for years. I also teach basic cookery. My advice: follow the recipe the first time BEFORE changing it to fit your taste. Don't critique the recipe if you change everything. Beyond that...stop making cooking your supper (etc.) such a big deal. You don't have to follow every rule. If the dish you are cooking works for you, then that is what works for you. Stop telling people they MUST cook the way you cook. Sure. there are some firm rules you need to follow to get the results you want, but an awful lot of cooking advice is pure BS.
Jrog 1 week ago
There are some "rules" that are there for a reason. You -as a teacher above all- should understand that not everyone can get a grasp of the advanced chemistry involved in cooking, and some of it must be dumbed down to some easy to understand tenets. Your average Nana doesn't need to know how 16g NaHCO3 reacts with 16g KHC4H4O6 to produce 1,9 liters of CO2 ; she is fine with knowing that adding 1 bag of cream of tartar to a spoon of baking powder will rise 500 grams of dough. That doesn't mean that Nana can improve the results by twisting the "rule", like adding twice the soda or replacing baking soda with sugar.
Load More Replies... Carney 1 week ago
I've cooked professionally off and on for years. I also teach basic cookery. My advice: follow the recipe the first time BEFORE changing it to fit your taste. Don't critique the recipe if you change everything. Beyond that...stop making cooking your supper (etc.) such a big deal. You don't have to follow every rule. If the dish you are cooking works for you, then that is what works for you. Stop telling people they MUST cook the way you cook. Sure. there are some firm rules you need to follow to get the results you want, but an awful lot of cooking advice is pure BS.
Jrog 1 week ago
There are some "rules" that are there for a reason. You -as a teacher above all- should understand that not everyone can get a grasp of the advanced chemistry involved in cooking, and some of it must be dumbed down to some easy to understand tenets. Your average Nana doesn't need to know how 16g NaHCO3 reacts with 16g KHC4H4O6 to produce 1,9 liters of CO2 ; she is fine with knowing that adding 1 bag of cream of tartar to a spoon of baking powder will rise 500 grams of dough. That doesn't mean that Nana can improve the results by twisting the "rule", like adding twice the soda or replacing baking soda with sugar.
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