Cooking Myths?
The other day while making a Béchamel sauce I started thinking about how I used to be terrified of making Béchamel because cooking shows had led me to believe that they're both easy to burn and that they "break easily." Both of which have never happened to me.
It got me thinking about other things you hear on just about every cooking show in existance. For example, your phyllo dough will dry out if you don't cover it with a moist towel. That's never happened to me either, you just have to work quickly enough. There's also that thing about cutting puff pastry a certain way or else it won't puff up. I treat puff pastry like crap and it always puffs up and is golden brown and delicious. Also, there's that whole thing about "cleaning" the chicken- and by that they mean "washing" it. All they do is run it under water, how is that cleaning it? As far as I can see, all it's doing is making the chicken wet- which is why I never do it.
I'm sure this type of advice is given with the best of intentions, but a lot of the techniques or advice I encounter on cooking shows seems unnecessary and not doing the advice has never affected my food negatively.
Can anyone else think of any other cooking advice that doesn't fit in with their personal experiences?
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21 Comments:
Alton always makes me feel stupid that I do things the way I do...But in a good way :D
Beanalicious1 at 11:08PM on 07/27/09
um, this may be sacrilige, but Im such a messy and casual person anyway, and I hardly ever adhere to 'conventional wisdom' where 'iffy' practice/must-dos/etc are concerned. and i dont die from ignoring some hard andfast 'rules'. as i love to often point out--clearly im no French trained cheffie.
emilytaylor at 11:38PM on 07/27/09
I don't see your examples as "myths" or improper advice. They are tips and techniques. You only see them as unnecessary because you manage to incorporate them or be able to work around them. Your bechamel doesn't burn or break because you've mastered the recipe. Your phyllo doesn't dry because you work quickly. You don't wash your chicken, well, because ...you don't want to dry it? However, I think that beginning or aspiring cooks (even home cooks) need to understand these (and other) basics in order to do things properly in the kitchen.
derosa at 6:34AM on 07/28/09
One I encounter a lot is that cuts of meat have to be 'browned' before being roasted, because it 'seals in the juice'. It does nothing of the sort. 'Browned' meat tastes better because we like the taste. Roasting drives the juice to the centre of the cut, which is why it is essential to let the cut rest before serving.
NotAmerican at 8:46AM on 07/28/09
With some tips it is not that 'if you don't do x, there is no frigging chance things will go well' but that 'if you DO do x, you are ensured greater consistency of results.' For example, take the adage 'buy tomatoes in season.' Yes, you might get the odd winter tomato that is decent. You may luck out and cook meringues that are perfect on a humid day, but in general if you want to make sure the recipe comes out well, buy tomatoes in the summer, don't make meringues when it is raining, and so forth.
Also with food safety--many people handle things in an unsanitary way and by chance don't get sick. It is not that you will automatically get sick if you leave the chicken out for a long period of time on the counter then cook it, but your likelihood of doing so is much greater.
I haven't made puff pastry, don't eat meat so I don't know about washing it, and don't like white sauce. Good for you for being so ambitious, but you could try the suggested techniques and see how they work for you. Being brave is great, and the fact you found Bechemel easy is great too.
HeartofGlass at 9:11AM on 07/28/09
I don't sift. Then again, I don't bake. So I don't really have the need to sift.
smallkitchen at 9:13AM on 07/28/09
I don't melt chocolate in a double boiler, just in a pan over the stovetop, and I have never had it seize or burn. However, I've witnessed enough seizing (even when it's done in the appropriate manner) to believe I simply have some sort of blessed chocolate luck!
I always have phyllo-drying issues, though, but that's because I don't bother using it unless I'm making something for dozens upon dozens of people...it's too much hassle just for a few...so the time spent folding up 100+ little triangles or whatever does tend to cause the other sheets to dry out if I don't cover them.
producestories at 9:47AM on 07/28/09
i have an aunt and uncle who give, with completely straight-faces, what seems like the most wildly superstitious advice on how to prepare a whole octopus.
"bring water to a boil in a pot, then, for each pound the octopus ways, dunk the octopus head-first into the boiling water..."
wait for it...
"if it weighs 3.5 lbs., dunk it three and a half times - then cook it 20 minutes per pound without peeking."
ps - this did not deter me from actually doing it...and I have to say, the octopus was tender!
z911empire at 12:45PM on 07/28/09
Wow-I'll bet there aren't many readers here who have ever tried to cook a whole octopus, or ever intend to...
Regarding rinsing chicken to sanitize it, that one has been disproven. It's more likely to spread any bacteria around your sink and kitchen, while just cooking it properly is sufficient to kill any germs.
One I never bother with is to pre-cook fruit pie fillings, whether it is to activate the pectin or whatever. I just sift the dry ingredients over the raw fruit, and it always bakes up just fine.
salpico at 12:54PM on 07/28/09
Serving food "piping hot." With the exception of things like soups or coffee, by the time you get the food out of the serving dish, onto your plate, onto the fork, and into your mouth, it's not going to be piping hot. That's true even more where I live, at high, dry altitude, than when I lived at sea level. But even at sea level, piping hot is a bit of a stretch.
For a long time, I had that "piping hot" idea in my brain, and I struggled to get every last dish plated at the last second and hot as hell when it hit the table. And before I learned the value of letting meat rest after cooking, I was cutting up meat before I should have in an effort to get it to the table while it was still hot, as opposed to pleasantly warm.
While I still want foods warm when they're on the table as opposed to stone cold, it's no longer my goal to have everything steaming and bubbling and searing hot when it's served.
And realistically, when the soup IS that hot, you need to cool it off a bit before you eat it, or risk burning yourself.
dbcurrie at 1:43PM on 07/28/09
I agree dbcurrie, although I do get peeved when people are late to the table when I'm making something that doesn't hold up well just sitting here (like most types of cream sauces; they can get sort of gummy, or with risotto)
italiagirl84 at 3:48PM on 07/28/09
Mushrooms don't absorb water if you wash them. Alton Brown disproved that in a neat episode, and besides, why would something that lives outdoors absorb water?
I usually rinse and pat dry chicken parts such as leg quarters that are inexpensive and have been crudely cut, because there are often small bone pieces.
lemonfair at 5:09PM on 07/28/09
when in college 40 years ago i spent a summer working in a chicken processing plant, things may have changed but have some advice for you..WASH THE DAMN CHICKEN.
olddad at 8:39PM on 07/28/09
A few weeks ago I saw an episode of Boy Meets Grill in which Bobby Flay told his viewers that cold water boils faster than hot water. I've heard that and I've always thought it was stupid. I admit that when I cook with tap water, I use cold water but that's because I don't want the gunk from the hot water tank in my food.
RegrettableFoodie at 9:44PM on 07/28/09
@RF- I've heard that , and I have also heard the exact opposite. Logic would say that 70degree water would boil faster than 40 degree water, because it has a 30 degree head start.
dmcavanagh at 12:43AM on 07/29/09
@RegrettableFoodie - I actually saw Ted Allen dispel that "myth" on Food Detectives. Hot water comes to a boil faster than cold water, so in this case common logic prevails.
I'm sure that after reading dozens upon dozens of Cook's Illustrated recipes there are many culinary myths that ATK has put to rest, but I can't think of any now.
The only one I can think of is one I always heard as a kid (likely to scare me) - that if you swallowed any sort of fruit seed that it would begin growing inside of you. Needless to say I've since discovered it false.
sarar at 6:33PM on 07/29/09
what about salting eggplant? I never do it and cook delicious eggplant all the time.
PeanutButter at 9:03PM on 07/29/09
I seriously want to throw something at the TV anytime I hear some "chef" spewing a food myth. Browning will not seal a piece of meat, a mushroom is not a sponge, you dont need copious amounts of water to make pasta, and salting eggplant won't be necessary if you have good eggplant, and won't help if it is old/bitter.
I am sure there are more, I just can't think of them at the moment!
erunuevo at 5:00AM on 07/30/09
Thanks for mentioning the pasta water thing. I routinely cook pasta in relatively small amounts of water and I honestly can't tell the difference. It takes forever for my big pasta pot to come to a boil (maybe I should use colder water ;-) ) so I usually use either a saucepan or a small dutch oven.
RegrettableFoodie at 12:18PM on 07/30/09
Risotto and adding liquid 1 cup at a time. I have had the same results using all the liquid at once versus adding cup by cup. The key is stirring constantly.
sweethunibabi at 2:52PM on 08/02/09
I timed water boiling from room temp and from cold temp of 18C. After 3 attempts, I can safely conclude that room temp water boils at an earlier time than cold water. Obviously it is because the temperature range to cover is much less. As for cooking pasta, adding salt does not decrease the time to bring to boil. It just imparts the flavor to pasta. And with careful stirring, you really do not need oil in the water to prevent sticking.
imaminta at 3:14PM on 09/16/09