Common Cooking Myths You Probably Thought Were True

There are many things we think we know about cooking, but a lot of these supposed facts are actually myths. It’s time to set the record straight on some common cooking misconceptions.

Some of them are solidified under the ruse of commonly known facts. Of course, many people will argue for their validity, but science doesn’t lie. Below are some of the most common cooking myths you probably thought were true.

Searing Meat Seals in the Juices

This myth is deeply ingrained in kitchen know-how. It was first perpetrated by Justus von Liebig (a chemist and food scientist from Germany) in 1850. The idea was adopted by the chefs and food authors of the time, thus seeping into popular belief.

The method even found its way into Auguste Escoffier’s ‘Le Guide Culinaire,’ which was revered as a food Bible and, although dated, is still trusted by chefs worldwide today.

Searing meat, in reality, does not seal in the juices- it merely creates a crust on the meat, which contrasts with the softer meat inside, making it seem more tender. In tests done since then, seared meat weighs less after cooking than non-seared meat, so, scientifically, meat loses more juices when you sear it!

Don’t Season Your Steak Until After it Cooks

The myth is that this will dry out your meat and make it less tasty, but in reality, the salt will help form a crust on the steak, which creates a more flavourful finish. Salting the meat also makes a drier surface, which means it will brown much better, improving its flavor and visual appeal.

Don’t Use a Fork to Turn Your Meat

This myth comes about because piercing the meat will release too much of the juices inside, leading to unpalatable dried-out pieces of meat. In theory, yes, some juices will escape when you pierce a piece of meat while it’s cooking.

However, relatively, the amount that escapes is so minuscule in comparison to the juices that will remain that this myth holds no weight against the final quality of your steak or meat. So don’t use this as an excuse to hack away with any number of sharpened piercing utensils. If careful, using a tool that pierces the meat will make no difference to its juiciness once you’re finished.

Don’t Put a Lid on Green Vegetables

There is a myth that putting a lid on green veg will discolor them, and this is not true. Vegetables discolor only when overcooked or cut and left to oxidize, which can be combatted by refreshing them in iced water.

Putting a lid on it may reduce visibility and lead to over-cooking if you are not vigilant. Still, the act itself will not brown your vegetables. Some chefs will argue that placing a lid on some vegetables, e.g., sprouts or cabbage will lead to a sulphuric taste.

But in actuality, this sulphuric taste also comes from overcooking, not from placing a lid on anything. Use a lid, but don’t just put it on and ignore what you’re cooking. You should avoid any unsightly discoloration or sulphuric aftertastes or smells.

Stale Bread Has Gone Dry

The opposite is true. Bread goes dry partly because of the air’s moisture reacting with the bread’s starch, moving it and reverting it to a similar form as when it was uncooked. The retrogradation and recrystallization of starch also play a big part.

Starch will naturally revert to its crystalline form, which is changed by heat (i.e., when you bake it), and begins reverting as soon as the bread cools. (Even if you seal bread in an airtight container, it will eventually go stale).

Cooking Removes all the Alcohol

To remove all the alcohol from something is very difficult. Even something simmered for 3 hours will still leave some traces of alcohol behind. Even the method of flambé will still leave 25% of the alcohol in the food. However, you may reduce the strong alcoholic flavor.

Deep Frying at Higher Temperatures Stops Food From Being Greasy

Temperatures too high can cause holes in the food to form, into which grease can seep directly after being removed from the fryer. When the heat stops, the moisture barrier formed by escaping water and air keeps the oil at bay, so even when patted dry, the food will be overly greasy.

Temperatures too low also cause greasiness by allowing the oil to soak into the food before a barrier can form. Check the right temperature for your food and your oil and stick to it, and you won’t have any problems with grease.

Only Flip Burgers Once

A much-debated topic, especially at summer barbeques, but the science doesn’t lie. Burgers cook much more evenly when flipped often, as this spreads the heat more during cooking.

You’re also less likely to char your burger if you’re often flipping, as you’ll be able to keep an eye on both sides. The timing will also be shorter on a burger flipped every 15-30 seconds; on a burger flipped only once.

The raw side will be barely warm halfway through the cooking process, which means the final burger is more likely to be underdone than a burger often flipped for the same time.

Pasta

There are quite a few myths associated with pasta. The first is that it needs a lot of water; otherwise, it will stick together, which is not strictly true. Fresh pasta will need more water than dried pasta but does not require a massive amount as it will not expand or absorb water like dried pasta.

When using dried pasta, leave enough water space to expand. Too much water will allow the pasta to absorb too much and become starchy and slimy. On the other hand, too little water will cause the released starch to become gluey in close quarters, so add enough water to cover the pasta well.

The water does not necessarily need to be salted. This is more for flavor than anything else. Salting (in large quantities) can increase the water’s temperature, but this makes little difference to the pasta.

It will cook almost the same time whether you boil throughout or bring the water to a boil, cover it, then turn off the heat. (Pasta is cooked initially by the heat and absorbing the heated water).

Another common myth is that pasta water needs an oil, which is also false. You don’t need to put oil into your pasta water to stop the pasta from sticking, either. In fact, this has an adverse effect on the pasta by preventing the sauce from sticking to it later, like an oily barrier.

To stop the pasta from sticking, stir it well for the first few minutes, and keep an eye on it. After that, however, further stirring is not generally necessary.

You also don’t need to rinse the pasta after cooking it. Doing so makes the sauce less likely to cover it well, as the starch helps this along.

Salting Beans Makes Them Tough

Completely untrue. In fact, the opposite is true! Salting beans makes them softer and creamier, and this has to do with the magnesium and calcium in the bean skin, which help keep the skin intact.

Sodium ions in the salt break apart the magnesium and calcium barrier, weakening the skin and allowing water to penetrate further into the bean.

This cooks it much better than if it was in unsalted water. Soaking the beans first will also help to soften them and give them a smoother texture.

Don’t Soak Mushrooms

This myth has to do with ending up with soggy mushrooms. It is often believed that wetting mushrooms will adversely affect how they cook. In actuality, soaking mushrooms means they won’t absorb so much oil or butter when cooked, making for a less greasy and, thus, less soggy finish.

Only Cook With Wine You’re Willing to Drink

The wine you use in cooking doesn’t make a considerable difference to the taste, as long as you’re not using corked wine or wine that has gone bad. Alcohol content and age won’t make a significant difference- the wine’s acidity factor will make the largest difference once cooked and reduced. Boxed wine offers the most economical wine to use as it remains sealed and useable for a long time.

You Have to Whip Eggs or Cream Constantly

That is not strictly true. If your muscles are aching, it won’t make much difference to egg whites or cream if you take a little break to shake them out. Don’t wait too long, though, especially with egg whites! Make sure you leave the whisk in the bowl. If you take a break and restart at medium speed, build up to a higher pace.

Salt Kills Yeast

Only fresh baker’s yeast is badly affected by salt, but in large amounts, it can retard the dough’s rise or even kill the yeast’s effect.

Salt and sugar are hygroscopic, meaning they soak up water that can stress the yeast, preventing fast growth. Some baking methods rely on this, such as delayed action sourdough, so check at which point it is best to add the yeast to your recipe.

Salt kills yeast- only fresh baker’s yeast is badly affected. Dried yeast or double rise yeast isn’t too bothered by it.

Lard is Really Bad for You

By weight, lard has less saturated fat, more unsaturated fat, and less cholesterol than butter. It also contains no trans-fats, which both margarine and shortening do. The bad press lard received and still has due partly to a marketing strategy by margarine companies fighting to enter the market around 50 years ago.

Chili Heat is in the Seeds

Actually, it’s mainly in the white flesh. The heat held by the seeds is from contact with the placental tissue of the chili.

Cooking Kills a lot of Nutrients

Water soluble vitamins like vitamins C and B degrade the most during the cooking process. However, the body’s access to some vitamins is improved by cooking, so this myth is both true and false.

In addition, while some nutrients are lost in the cooking process, many antioxidants are added. However, typically we only hear about the former occurrence. 

Marinades get Deep and Tenderizes

They don’t get in very far. Salt in the marinade will reach the furthest. You can test how far the marinade will go by marinating it in food dye or beetroot juice and seeing how deep it gets.

Put Ice or Cold Water on a Burn

This can cause freezer burn on your already damaged skin. Use only cool water to stop your skin from cooking, then leave it be. Generally, once cooled, the pain will become less noticeable within 15 minutes, so long as you keep it away from naked heat. If the burn is large, seek medical help, especially if a large blister forms.

You Must Throw Away Baking Powder After Six Months

While it’s true that baking powder does lose its power as time progresses, check whether it needs to be thrown away before just chucking it after a specific time limit. Test it by dropping a spoonful into a cup of hot water. If it causes the water to fizz well, the powder is still effective and can be used.

Moist Cooking Gives Moist Meat

The temperature you cook at determines how moist your meat will be overcooked meat will be dry whether you fry, boil or stew it. So keeping an eye on your temperatures will ensure that your meat stays at a level that won’t dry out.

This is especially important for slow cooking- the meat will release and soak up all the great flavors and remain nice and juicy at lower temperatures.

Salt is Salt, and any Salt will do

Table salt is very fine and denser than kosher, coarse or sea salt. So, using one teaspoon of table salt in the place of another salt will cause whatever you’re making to be at least twice as salty. If you must use table salt, use a little at a time and taste to avoid over-salting your dish. Ideally, ensure you have some sea or coarse grain salt for use.

Basting Chicken Frequently Will Create a Crispy Skin

Although basting can increase the flavors of your roast, over-basting will cause the skin to become too damp to become crispy. Finding the right balance between flavor and crispiness is essential and avoiding making the skin too wet to become crisp.

Use Good Olive Oil for Sautéing or Pan Roasting

Much of the taste of olive oil is reduced by heat, so using it for high-heat cooking adds nothing to your dish and is an expensive myth to put into practice. In Mediterranean cuisine, where olive oil use is high, the oil is often added after cooking to flavor the dish.

For pan frying or roasting, any good quality oil will work just as well, at a much lower cost than olive oil.

Using a Garlic Press is the Best Way to Increase Flavor 

While it’s true that a garlic press will increase flavor over using whole garlic cloves, the taste is improved through the greater surface area. The best way to achieve this is to slice or dice each clove thinly. Using a garlic press also creates an uneven surface area, meaning that the garlic pieces will cook unevenly, and some parts may burn and become bitter. In contrast, other parts remain somewhat raw and intense. The most flavourful and accurate way to enhance a dish with garlic is to slice the cloves evenly and to a similar size for the best release of the oil and essence.

Storing Avocado With the Pit Stops it From Browning

This is false- only keeping avocado flesh unexposed to air will work to avoid browning. 

A cut avocado browns because of the polyphenol oxidase in the flesh. An enzyme that aids the phenolic compounds to transform into another class of compounds, quinones. Which is followed by a polymerization process that turns the skin brown.

This process can be significantly reduced by rubbing the flesh with an acid such as lemon juice, which retards the action of the enzymes that cause the browning. The pit works as a barrier to the oxygen, leaving the flesh behind it untouched.

At the same time, any exposed part of the avocado will brown, which is probably why this myth exists.

You Can’t Deep Fry in Olive Oil

Olive oil is relatively heat stable and does not deteriorate as fast as many people seem to think. High-quality olive oil with a low FFA (free fatty acid) of 0.2% or less will only begin to smoke at a temperature higher than many alternatives.

In addition, olive oils are high in antioxidants, which protect the oil from oxidative stress (i.e., smoking) and therefore are resistant to high heat cooking. Depending on its fat content, the smoking point for extra virgin olive oil lies between 365F-400F 185C and 204C (185C – 204C).

It increases to 420F (215C) for virgin olive oil, and for pomace oil, it will reach 460F (237C)! Therefore, you can happily deep fry in olive oil, but it may be expensive!

When Gnocchi Rises, it’s Done

Gnocchi is comprised mainly of starch, which is much denser than water and technically should never rise above it. The science behind gnocchi rising is that tiny air bubbles have trapped under or inside the gnocchi.

The water molecules inside the gnocchi evaporate when exposed to heat. Thus the air within the gnocchi expands- as it cannot escape. This causes the gnocchi to aerate, which causes them to rise to the surface of the water and gives it that distinct fluffy texture.

This does not necessarily signal that the gnocchi is fully cooked, however. So the only way to indeed be sure is to check them. Always taste as you go!

Always Tear Basil

The flavor of basil is released when the leaf cells are broken. When torn, typically, the leaf will tear along the wall of the cells and will not release the maximum amount of oil. You should thinly slice basil leaves to get the full flavor.

Cutting or tearing the leaf will cause discoloration, as the parts exposed to oxygen will go brown. Still, if you are using the herb immediately, this shouldn’t make a difference to the visual impact of the dish.

Pork Must be Cooked Well Done

Undercooked pork has the risk of containing bacteria and roundworms, which cause unsavory afflictions. However, if the piece of the meat reaches 145F (63C) for at least 3 minutes, you will completely nullify these risks.

Furthermore, to a lesser degree, cooking pork stops the meat from drying out and significantly increases the flavor, whereas a ‘well-done or overcooked piece of pork will be of an inferior taste.

Therefore, as long as you use a heat probe to check that the center of the meat has reached a temperature of 145F (63C) and remains there for 3 minutes, you can eat the pork confidently.

Conclusion

While some cooking myths may hold a grain of truth, most are false and can be easily debunked with a little scientific knowledge. So the next time you’re in the kitchen, don’t be afraid to experiment and think for yourself!