Cooking is often surrounded by many myths that can make it seem more complicated than it is. It’s essential to question and reconsider many of these cooking beliefs.
A user asked the forum, “What cooking/food myths or urban legends do you still see accepted as truth?” Here are the common responses.
GENETICALLY MODIFIED ORGANISM CROP
“Anything involving a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) crop is bad for you. It isn’t.”
MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE
“Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is something to be avoided. Possibly true if you have certain medical conditions, and it can certainly be overused (just like regular salt), but there’s nothing intrinsically bad about the stuff.”
MUSHROOM
“Never wash mushrooms. You can wash them; just don’t let them sit in a water bath for hours.”
DRIED BEANS
“Soaking dried beans reduces flatulence. Nope, you’ll need Beano no matter what or spend the night alone.”
AVOCADO
“Placing an avocado pit in your bowl of guacamole will keep it from browning, but only at the spot covered by the pit. Just place cling film across the top and press down so no air hits it until you’re ready to serve.”
PLASTIC CUTTING BOARD
“Plastic cutting boards are more sanitary than wood.”
CAST IRON
“No soap on cast iron. This one will not die. You can use soap on cast iron.”
VEGETARIAN AND SOURCE OF PROTEIN
“That vegetarians/ vegans need to be careful to ‘balance’ multiple protein sources in every meal to get a ‘complete’ protein. Even the author that originally suggested it has admitted her mistake, but the myth persists.”
ALCOHOL
“Alcohol cooks out of food. While technically true, it takes a long time to burn off all of the alcohol.”
OIL AND BUTTER
“Adding oil to butter somehow boosts its smoke point.”
WHITE EGGS AND BROWN EGGS
“That white eggs and brown eggs are somehow different.”
INVERSION METHOD
“The inversion method is a safe alternative for sealing home-canned goods. It’s not. Jars must be processed in boiling water.”
STEAK
“Letting steak sit at room temperature for a half hour before cooking. It doesn’t do anything except delay cooking by 30 minutes. I blame Alton Brown.”
CORN MEAL
“Mix the corn meal into the hot liquid to make Grits or Polenta. But in reality, mixing grain and liquid while they have cooled down and heating while stirring is much better. Never a lump!”
MUSSELS
“Those mussels which remain closed after cooking should be avoided. Not necessarily. Do the smell test like you implicitly do on the open ones (and most of them are okay).”
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This article was originally published on Mrs Daaku Studio.