Cooking myths

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kbreit

Cook
Joined
Nov 29, 2008
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What is the #1 cooking myth that you wish would disappear? For example, mine is that a ton of water is needed to cook pasta.
 
What is their reason for it working? Is there an explanation or just “it works!!!”
 
As the story goes, if you have a soup that's too salty, you cut up a raw potato and cook it in the soup for 15 minutes then take it out. Apparently they think a potato has magical qualities that table it to uncombined salt dissolved in liquid and selectively remove it. If anything, the potato can absorb some of the salty liquid. You can accomplish the same thing by using a ladle to take out the salty liquid and it's much faster.

Your best bet for a too salty soup is to add more unsalted liquid and herbs etc. to dilute the salt.
 
A raw potato will suck the salt out of a pot of soup or stew!
That's one I've been hearing since I was a child!

There are so many myths, I can't pick a favorite! The worst ones are substitutes, that taste absolutely nothing like the real thing.
 
Beer butt chicken will taste like beer. Maybe if you beer brine the chicken first.
 
I was at a cooking demo by a chef who was once popular on the food network, and she insisted that Cold water boils faster than hot water.

I never quite understood the logic or physics in that.
I guess its possible that it may heat at a quicker rate ( initially ) do to the state of the water molecules when cold ( and this is just a guess), but it once it reaches the same temp as its competitor, then would boil at the same rate.
 
I was at a cooking demo by a chef who was once popular on the food network, and she insisted that Cold water boils faster than hot water.

I never quite understood the logic or physics in that.
I guess its possible that it may heat at a quicker rate ( initially ) do to the state of the water molecules when cold ( and this is just a guess), but it once it reaches the same temp as its competitor, then would boil at the same rate.


I heard this one too at some point but never understood how that would work. I fill up with cold water to avoid the wait and wasted water while the water heats up, but that has nothing to do with the speed of how fast it gets hot.
 
Here's one: that pork has to be cooked to well done. That used to be true. But, in countries that have been trichina-free for a number of years, it just isn't necessary anymore.
 
Here's one: that pork has to be cooked to well done. That used to be true. But, in countries that have been trichina-free for a number of years, it just isn't necessary anymore.
This is a good one, too. I made a pork loin roast for my FIL and DH when we were up in Michigan and he insisted it had to be heated to 160F because that's what was on the ancient meat thermometer he had. He did eat it, but I think he was dubious [emoji38]
 

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