Culinary Heresies

[Shalmanese]

The recent Cooking with wine myth thread demonstrated that the whole "never cook with a wine you wouldn't drink" is a rule that is largely false. I never subscribed to it but it was always something I was mildly reluctant to tell people since it went against the food "rule" they had heard so many times. I thought it would be a good idea for people to talk about other food "rules" that they personally don't believe in.

I'll start with:

Organic food tastes better. For the most part, organic foods don't taste all that different to to conventional foods. Freshness and quality seem to be a much better guide for what I buy. Products vary from batch to batch depending on a whole host of factors and I don't think I've ever had any organic produce that was clearly better than a good batch of conventional produce.

The more natural/less refined the food, the better. I have absolutely no problem tweaking my food with MSG, white sugar or any other "refined" product if it will improve the taste. Sometimes, I want that purity of flavor without distraction.

Microwaves are useless for everything. I love using the microwave for lots of different tasks. Not only is it great for heating leftovers, I use it for steaming veggies, reducing down balsamic vinegar and other liquids, melting butter, melting chocolate and lots of other things. Not only is it convenient because you don't have to use a pot, you also reduce waste for small amounts of food and I think it actually makes a superior product most of the time.

Buy the best ingredients you can afford, treat them simply. I don't completely disagree with this one but I think it's overstated a lot. Oftentimes, the generic supermarket produce work well for me. There's a skill as well in coaxing flavour out of cheap, slightly sub par ingredients and for dishes like braises or stews, there's often so many different flavours, all the subtlety is lost and cheap ingredients work just as well.

You need to follow the recipe and measure everything when baking. Maybe I'm somewhat blessed when it comes to baking but I've been doing everything the wrong way, I measure casually, if at all, throw in impromptu substitutions and tweaks and go by feel rather than by recipe. Even so, my food always comes out great.

A bunch of food safety stuff. I'm a bit more casual about food safety than what all the textbooks say. I'll keep raw meats away from everything else and be a bit more careful around raw chicken but I'll often leave foods out overnight or have meat defrosting a room temperature for an hour or two. Millions of people have done it routinely for thousands of years, nothing bad has happened to me yet. I am much more careful when I'm serving other people though.

[johnsmith45678]

I think I agree with you on all points.

On the last one about food safety, I watch Good Eats and I think Alton goes overboard, boarding on OC. I'm careful with meat -- getting it to temp, keeping it separate, etc. And I generally try to keep things clean, but that's about it. I also don't pay much attention to expiration dates, unless it can go rancid or the flavor is adversely affected -- if it doesn't smell or look funny, it's okay. In all my years of cooking for myself and for others in restaurants, I've never poisoned anybody. I don't think I'd eat food I left out overnight though (what did you leave out?).

[petite tête de chou]

Must I cook noodles al dente?! No I say! I like my noodles silky, soft and otherwise welcoming but certainly not mushy and definitely exhibit no resistance.

Shalmanese, what is this "distraction" you speak of that occurs when using a less refined product? Wonderful thread topic, by the way.

[Tjaart]

I must admit I leave cooked food, lightly covered with cloth, out for at least 36 hours sometimes, and I have not been made sick by any of these foods yet. And I keep cooked foods in the refrigerator (meat, chicken, even fish) for as long as 4-5 days sometimes.

Of course, one should know which dishes can appropriately kept for so long without losing or skewing the flavours.

As for noodles al dente, I think it depends on taste and type of dish: a noodle salad which has been kept in the refrigerator for one day becomes soggy if the noodles have been overcooked in the first place; on the other hand, if the noodles in the salad are distinctly al dente, their absorption of liquids from the dressing can turn a salad into something quite spectacular by the second or third day.

There are other noodle dishes (especially sweet ones) where a moister noodle than al dente is the only thing that gives the dish its required smoothness.

Edited March 26, 2007 by Tjaart (log)

[gariotin]

I pay no attention to the "best before" dates on a lot of food. Especially things like yoghurt - I mean it is a fermented product! If things look, smell, and taste fine, I eat them and I've never made myself sick from anything.

[gfron1]

No dessert for breakfast.

No alcohol before brunch.

Both are bunk in my household!

[rooftop1000]

Baked goods can be left out overnight....pizza is a baked good

tracey

pepperoni can also be left out

[insomniac]

No dessert for breakfast.

No alcohol before brunch.

Both are bunk in my household!

←

oh, are they rules??????? oooops

[The Blissful Glutton]

That you should not wash mushrooms.

[hummingbirdkiss]

I love this topic!

I do cook with alcohol I will drink because I like having a glass while I am cooking! But I have also used what may not be thrilled with in my dishes and have found that maybe I don't care for in a glass can be wonderful when cooked into a dish

food safety ..well guys I am a nurse and I work in place where I have cared for people who are heaving their guts out ..having massive blow outs of diarrhea ..for what actually does turn out to be a food related illness ...although honestly most of the people who think they have food poisoning actually have a virus ...

so I am not obsessive but I do ..wash my hands constantly in the kitchen, keep my counters spotless between preps ...do not leave food out for long at all ..am careful about cross contamination and use my fridg/freezer to store food..

I just figure that from what I have seen come flying out of peoples bodies and how painful it is physically and emotionally ...I will be safe thanks ..

Don't refreeze myth..I refreeze most things if I change my mind about dinner and it is not completely thawed I will chuck it right back in the freezer...with squid this works well because it seems that freezer abuse makes it much more tender!

[alanamoana]

growing up, my mom would leave a pot of soup on the stove (room temp) for several days in a row. she'd just bring it up to a boil before she ate any of it. with her hot sour soup, by the third day it was at its most delicious...reduced and tangy (from vinegar, not bacteria) a little thicker and just great.

think about what people did before they had refrigerators! the pantry was where they put any leftovers and stored what food they could at a cool room temp.

i might disagree with the organic vs. conventional, but i think it ends up being psychological. with conventional berries (particularly driscoll raspberries) they always taste like pesticides or chemicals or anything BUT raspberries. go to an organic berry farm and eat a berry right off the bush and it tastes so much more berry-like. with other conventional foods, it is a tossup. if you're shopping at a farmers' market and there are organic and conventional purveyors but they are both selling freshly picked ingredients...then i'll bet one would be hard pressed to taste the difference.

[divalasvegas]

1. Soak dried beans before cooking - I never do, neither did my mom. They turn out great every time.

2. You should never/cannot safely cook stuffing inside a turkey - Sorry, but I always cook my stuffing inside the bird, only extras are baked separately. I love Alton Brown, but he's taken this so-called taboo to extremes. On one show in particular he went through multiple steps to avoid doing this and ended up placing the stuffing in a drawstring bag, then stuffing the turkey. At some point he removes the stuffing which given its shape, color and dangling string looked like, well, a giant used tampon. Ewwwwwww.

[Kerry Beal]

That you should not wash mushrooms.

←

That you should wash mushrooms.

[phatj]

Who says you shouldn't wash mushrooms? I've heard they shouldn't be soaked, because they'll readily absorb water, but I'll certainly rinse and scrub them as needed if they have clumps of dirt clinging to them.

[rconnelly]

Who says you shouldn't wash mushrooms? I've heard they shouldn't be soaked, because they'll readily absorb water, but I'll certainly rinse and scrub them as needed if they have clumps of dirt clinging to them.

←

I don't believe the word "organic" unless I grow it myself. It is used way too often; such as at a local sushi joint where they claimed to have "organic sushi"! Turns out only the greens and veggies were organic.

Rules:

If you break a cookie or chocolate bar into pieces there are no calories.

And as far as mushrooms go. It is better to brush them clean.

[Lori in PA]

i might disagree with the organic vs. conventional, but i think it ends up being psychological.  with conventional berries (particularly driscoll raspberries) they always taste like pesticides or chemicals or anything BUT raspberries.  go to an organic berry farm and eat a berry right off the bush and it tastes so much more berry-like.  with other conventional foods, it is a tossup.  if you're shopping at a farmers' market and there are organic and conventional purveyors but they are both selling freshly picked ingredients...then i'll bet one would be hard pressed to taste the difference.

←

The difference is not organic vs. conventional in this case, it is just-picked vs. trying to ship highly perishable fruit vast distances. Friends of ours grow raspberries and blackberries for a u-pick operation and use spray. My dad grows berries without spray. I go to both places to pick and eat. They taste exactly the same -- DELICIOUS -- but a package of Driscoll's is a whole 'nother thing...

[Briarhill]

All fermented salumeria (like pepperoni, mentioned upstream) can be left out indefinitely, in my rulebook. After all, they were already, um, crawling with bacteria. They do dry up a bit, but that's the only "risk"--an esthetic one.

I routinely leave (covered) casseroles, soups, roasted meats, and baked goods out for well over a day and have never had a problem.

Regarding the comment about foodborne outbreaks, they are frequently caused by viruses (e.g., rotavirus, Norwalk-like virus). Still, like bacteria-related outbreaks, the culture medium (i.e., food) has to be inoculated with the pathogen before an outbreak can occur. Handwashing and restriction of ill food handlers pretty much take care of this problem.

Jams, jellies, ketchup, and commercial mayo* don't get refrigerated in my house, either. If they develop a bit of mold, I just scrape it off and have at it.

Your mileage may vary!

*The skeptical may wish to consult the Mayo Clinic on this concern at http://www.wvagriculture.org/images/Litera...%20brochure.pdf

[LindsayAnn]

RAW MILK CHEESE ARE BAD BAD BAD AND PASTERIZED IS HEALTHEIR?

Yeah right....healthier? more prosessed? Refined? Fake?

Unfortunely for me I live in the Uniter States...which is biased to raw milk cheeses...BOO - the rest of the world enjoys the complex flavors of raw milk's cheeses and we suffer from the pasterization....although SOME cheeses I find are raw milks there are rules like "not aged more than blah blah blah" - and the french and other lovely countries get the good, real aged, magnificant, cheeses...more for THEM at OUR expense....

You wouldnt really understand why I am complaining unless you've sampled the REAL stuff...then you'd turn to my side...at least if your a cheese fan like me.

Oh well....we deal (while complaining all the way)

[weinoo]

I'll keep raw meats away from everything else and be a bit more careful around raw chicken but I'll often leave foods out overnight or have meat defrosting a room temperature for an hour or two. Millions of people have done it routinely for thousands of years, nothing bad has happened to me yet. I am much more careful when I'm serving other people though.

←

It's nice that you care that much about your guests !

[MarketStEl]

RAW MILK CHEESE ARE BAD BAD BAD AND PASTERIZED IS HEALTHEIR?

Yeah right....healthier? more prosessed? Refined? Fake?

Unfortunely for me I live in the Uniter States...which is biased to raw milk cheeses...BOO - the rest of the world enjoys the complex flavors of raw milk's cheeses and we suffer from the pasterization....although SOME cheeses I find are raw milks there are rules like "not aged more than blah blah blah" - and the french and other lovely countries get the good, real aged, magnificant, cheeses...more for THEM at OUR expense....

You wouldnt really understand why I am complaining unless you've sampled the REAL stuff...then you'd turn to my side...at least if your a cheese fan like me.

Oh well....we deal (while complaining all the way)

←

Move to Pennsylvania, Lindsay.

This is one of a handful of states that have almost no restrictions on the sale of raw milk and raw milk cheese. (Other raw milk products may not be sold because the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture has no established standards of identity for them.) The Agriculture Department requires raw milk producers to test their herds and their product regularly for a bunch of common bacteria. There have been no reported outbreaks of foodborne disease attributable to raw milk or raw milk products in the state that I'm aware of -- over several decades.

The best Cheddar-style cheese I've ever eaten is a cave-aged, raw-milk cheese from grass fed cows produced in Lancaster County. Wanna read about it?

Sales of raw milk and raw milk products are regulated by the states, not the Federal government. If you get enough like-minded people together, along with supportive farmers, you could try lobbying Springfield to change the laws.

As for the minimum 60-day aging rule for soft-ripened cheeses, that is a Federal rule and thus one you can't get around, sad to say...but I did attend a talk at Penn a few years ago by a respected cheesemonger from New York who described ways people smuggle the good stuff into the country. I'm not aware of any rules that set UPPER limits on the amount of time a cheese can be aged. Recall the argument over the "10-year aged Gouda" over on the Cheese thread?

Edited March 27, 2007 by MarketStEl (log)

[astartenyny]

i keep butter and eggs out of the fridge. but i only started doing that when i moved to scotland.

washing rice before cooking it. i do do that with american long grain rice. i don't do it with basmati rice.

here's one i'd love to debunk: when i cook potatoes or pasta i always boil it with the lid off the pan. my partner insists on putting the lid on. other than watching that the pot doesn't overboil, is there really any reason NOT to cover the pot? i just do it that way because i always have.

[The Blissful Glutton]

Who says you shouldn't wash mushrooms? I've heard they shouldn't be soaked, because they'll readily absorb water, but I'll certainly rinse and scrub them as needed if they have clumps of dirt clinging to them.

←

I was always told that you should not wash or soak them, only give it a dry brush with a mushroom brush.

[beccaboo]

here's one i'd love to debunk:  when i cook potatoes or pasta i always boil it with the lid off the pan. my partner insists on putting the lid on. other than watching that the pot doesn't overboil, is there really any reason NOT to cover the pot?  i just do it that way because i always have.

←

I always boil them with the lid on because I don't have to turn the heat so high that way, but I can't imagine that it would hurt anything to have the lid off.

[Simon_S]

other than watching that the pot doesn't overboil, is there really any reason NOT to cover the pot?  i just do it that way because i always have.

←

Guessing here, but with the lid on I always imagine the pressure will be somewhat raised in the pot, causing the water to boil at a higher temperature thus cooking quicker. I stress, however, that this may be totally false!

Si

[Toliver]

here's one i'd love to debunk:  when i cook potatoes or pasta i always boil it with the lid off the pan. my partner insists on putting the lid on. other than watching that the pot doesn't overboil, is there really any reason NOT to cover the pot?  i just do it that way because i always have.

←

I don't think it's about higher pressure. I think it's more about preventing heat loss.

When boiling pasta, usually the water drops below the boil when you dump the pasta in. Putting the lid back on the pot should bring the water back to a boil faster than leaving the lid off. Once it's back to a boil, you don't really need to have the lid on anymore.