Common Nonsense...

[ExtraMSG]

There seem to be a lot of common knowledge cooking techniques that I really question whether they work. I tried one recently. I roasted a chicken with an orange cut in quarters and stuffed inside the cavity of the bird. There was no flavor or aroma in the meat whatsoever that I could tell or my wife could tell, even on the pieces that were closest to the cavity. I'd really like to get a panel of experts together and roast two chickens one with and one without and put people's palates to the test in a blind experiement.

Another myth that Cook's Illustrated has tested a couple times, I've tested myself, is whether real vanilla matters in baking. It doesn't. You're using such a small amount in most instances and diluting it, plus cooking it, that I doubt even the most seasoned taster can tell the difference.

A common myth is the "searing in juices". I've seen several more scientific approaches to food that have tested this and shown that it doesn't do a darned thing. In fact, it may dry meat out more, but that that is often made up for by a nice tasty Maillard effect on the meat and a piece of meat left medium-rare. A related myth is that cooking faster or on higher heat will keep something juicier. The optimum temperature for juiciness.

Any others you can think of, whether you know they're true or not? I'd like to test some of these some time.

[jackal10]

Start cooking potatoes and root vegetables in cold water, green vegetables in hot.

[balex]

Sometimes these tips do work but not for the declared reason. E.g. an Italian frying tip is when frying stuff, to first fry a bit of bread in the oil until it is brown -- this allegedly takes away the greasy taste from the oil. Now this does work -- because by frying the bread until brown you ensure that the oil is really hot, so the food doesn't taste greasy, not because the bread soaks up some element of the oil.

[Jon Tseng]

whether what kind of salt matters if it gets dissolved in the eventual dish - (although crystal shape/size does affect taste if it isn't dissolved)

J

[tommy]

whether what kind of salt matters if it gets dissolved in the eventual dish - (although crystal shape/size does affect taste if it isn't dissolved)

J

again, this might fall under "works, but not for the reason suggested". i don't think it's general knowledge that a tablespoon of sea salt is vastly different from a tablespoon of morton's. as soon as everyone knows that, then yeah, that "rule" will be useless.

[GSBravo]

Sometimes these tips do work but not for the declared reason. E.g. an Italian frying tip is when frying stuff, to first fry a bit of bread in the oil until it is brown -- this allegedly takes away the greasy taste from the oil. Now this does work -- because by frying the bread until brown you ensure that the oil is really hot, so the food doesn't taste greasy, not because the bread soaks up some element of the oil.

Really? So when would does the bread go in? When you start the oil or after it heats up a little. Can you tell me more about this?

I've eaten so much fried food thus far in life that I probably wouldn't know greasy taste if it came up and bit me on the @$$. However I'm always up for improving the flavors and/or taste of what I eat.

[Marlene]

Adding oil to the water before cooking pasta to ensure it doesn't stick.

[SethG]

Sometimes these tips do work but not for the declared reason. E.g. an Italian frying tip is when frying stuff, to first fry a bit of bread in the oil until it is brown -- this allegedly takes away the greasy taste from the oil.  Now this does work -- because by frying the bread until brown you ensure that the oil is really hot, so the food doesn't taste greasy, not because the bread soaks up some element of the oil.

Really? So when would does the bread go in? When you start the oil or after it heats up a little. Can you tell me more about this?

I've eaten so much fried food thus far in life that I probably wouldn't know greasy taste if it came up and bit me on the @$$. However I'm always up for improving the flavors and/or taste of what I eat.

This pre-frying of bread may also help make the oil more effective, particularly if the oil hasn't been used before. A Russ Parsons points out the title essay of his book How to Read a French Fry, brand new oil is less effective at frying than oil that's a little impure. This is one of the reasons the second batch of fried stuff often gets a much nicer, easier brown coating than the first batch.

Don't ask me why, however. Russ?

[KateW]

Start cooking potatoes and root vegetables in cold water, green vegetables in hot.

Wait a minute. This is a myth? Why?

[curlywurlyfi]

Putting a cross in the base of Brussels sprouts.

Believing best-before dates for yoghurt + cheese.

Eating parsley takes away garlic on your breath.

And (my mother's favourite), serving cream with dessert 'cuts the richness'!!

[Jinmyo]

Adding oil to the water before cooking pasta to ensure it doesn't stick.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

[ExtraMSG]

Start cooking potatoes and root vegetables in cold water, green vegetables in hot.

Wait a minute. This is a myth? Why?

This "myth" makes sense to me, although I haven't tested it. I think the idea would be that root vegetables need slower cooking so that the outside doesn't get mushy while the inside remains uncooked. Whereas with green vegetables you don't want to have them sitting in water (a solvent) where their green can leech out. You would want to cook them quickly.

Along with this is the idea that you need to use salted water for green vegetables. I've tested this one and it indeed matters. Shocking the vegetables in an ice bath also does indeed help.

[KateW]

Adding oil to the water before cooking pasta to ensure it doesn't stick.

And then pouring all that nice oil down the sink.

The pasta doesn't stick until you dump it out, so that would be the appropriate time to add oil.

[fresco]

I've found that if you use a large enough pot in proportion to the pasta it never sticks.

[marinade]

Marinades tenderize or penetrate.

[Marlene]

Adding oil to the water before cooking pasta to ensure it doesn't stick.

And then pouring all that nice oil down the sink.

The pasta doesn't stick until you dump it out, so that would be the appropriate time to add oil.

Yes, but if you add the oil at any time, the sauce just kinda slides right off the pasta

[Jinmyo]

Adding oil to the water before cooking pasta to ensure it doesn't stick.

And then pouring all that nice oil down the sink.

The pasta doesn't stick until you dump it out, so that would be the appropriate time to add oil.

Yes, but if you add the oil at any time, the sauce just kinda slides right off the pasta

Exactly. A bit of oil just before plating depending upon the sauce.

And fresco is of course correct about the size of the pot (and volume of water).

[Mabelline]

Adding oil to the water before cooking pasta to ensure it doesn't stick.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

It sure doesn't- oh, you didn't mean the sauce?

[tommy]

Yes, but if you add the oil at any time, the sauce just kinda slides right off the pasta

yeah, those olive oil sauces are practically tasteless.

[fresco]

Another one I've learned to be skeptical about is "never lift the lid when you're cooking..." especially rice.

I almost always do, and it doesn't seem to make a damn bit of difference.

Conversely, I have noticed that an unwatched pot can boil dry.

[guajolote]

Start cooking potatoes and root vegetables in cold water, green vegetables in hot.

Wait a minute. This is a myth? Why?

This "myth" makes sense to me, although I haven't tested it. I think the idea would be that root vegetables need slower cooking so that the outside doesn't get mushy while the inside remains uncooked. Whereas with green vegetables you don't want to have them sitting in water (a solvent) where their green can leech out. You would want to cook them quickly.

Along with this is the idea that you need to use salted water for green vegetables. I've tested this one and it indeed matters. Shocking the vegetables in an ice bath also does indeed help.

i believe heston blumenthal (was it on the Q&A here?) did an actual study and found that the vegetables don't absorb any salt, so adding salt isn't neccessary.

i always put my peeled potatoes in a pan with cold water so they don't turn brown, and it seems easier just to use the same pan while cooking them.

[badthings]

Adding oil to the water before cooking pasta to ensure it doesn't stick.

And then pouring all that nice oil down the sink.

The pasta doesn't stick until you dump it out, so that would be the appropriate time to add oil.

Yes, but if you add the oil at any time, the sauce just kinda slides right off the pasta

Is this a myth or just a profound misunderstanding of pasta? E.g., the French like to boil pasta in milk, along with other unspeakable things (check out the Larousse gastronomique for some frightening ideas). That's not a myth, it's just a bad idea.

A common myth is the "searing in juices".  I've seen several more scientific approaches to food that have tested this and shown that it doesn't do a darned thing.  In fact, it may dry meat out more, but that that is often made up for by a nice tasty Maillard effect on the meat and a piece of meat left medium-rare.

Isn't this then an example of something that works for the wrong reason? Anyone who's eaten a roast that's been insufficiently maillarded understands why searing is a good idea.

I nominate beans as the source of the greatest number of untested cooking pieties. Russ is of course the expert on this, but salt, soaking and baking soda are three that come to mind. The superiority of earthenware is also often cited, but I would again put this in the works-for-the-wrong-reason category, since it forces you to cook them slowly.

[AzRaeL]

it's a myth that lots of red meat is unhealthy...

hahah i WISH

[Marlene]

Yes, but if you add the oil at any time, the sauce just kinda slides right off the pasta

[SethG]

Marinades tenderize or penetrate.

I guess you're the expert, "marinade," but is this really a myth? Don't milk, yogurt or buttermilk marinades tenderize chicken, at least a little bit?