Breakin' the Law

[Katie Nell]

What rules do you break in cooking?!? Come on... I know you do! I will go first... I NEVER sift! I know I should, but I just can't bring myself to get that extra tool out! Give me some more ideas of rules I can break!

[Siren]

The cat does all the cooking.

[Ling]

Well, this isn't really a "law", but I never wait until my eggs are at room temp. before beating. Apparently, you're supposed to get more volume out of egg whites when they're at room temp., but I've never noticed a difference.

[Abra]

I don't sift either, and I beat cold eggs. I seed tomatoes but practically never peel them.

I eat all of the salad and leafy greens from my CSA without even rinsing. Those greens are so clean you could operate on them.

I cook omelettes over medium-low heat.

I make stock in a pressure cooker and don't care if it's clear.

Wow, this is really true confessions!

[Terrasanct]

There are rules?!?

[bookluvingbabe]

I don't seed or peel tomatoes!

[jBo]

Measuring? What's that?

[SuzySushi]

Measuring?  What's that? 

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Hahaha!!! When I'm cooking for the family, I'll pour spices into the palm of my hand and think, "That looks like enough for four portions...."

[purplewiz]

The only reason to know the rules is to break them :-).

I whip cream in bowls and beaters that are at room temperature.

I cook my omelets until they're fully set (I can't stand runny scrambled eggs).

If the recipe says to use just the white part of green onions, I use it all anyway.

When roasting meat I throw it in the oven at a set temp and don't worry about low and slow or high then low or low then high....and you know what, it comes out pretty darned good anyway.

And yes, I wash mushrooms. With water. Never noticed a problem.

Marcia.

[Staximo]

I let cakes cool down in the baking pan

[Rachel Perlow]

I don't soak my bamboo skewers before making kebabs. And I don't soak my ears of corn before grilling either.

I eat all of the salad and leafy greens from my CSA without even rinsing.  Those greens are so clean you could operate on them.

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As long as you are sure they're clean... when I get my produce co-op stuff, the lettuce usually still has some earth on it, makes for a gritty salad if you don't thoroughly wash.

[BarbaraY]

I rarely peel ginger unless I'm being particularly fussy or the skin looks bad and I don't rinse fermented black beans.

I don't soak dry beans either. Once did an experiment. I cooked 3 cups of beans, one unsoaked, one soaked, and one boiled one minute, rested and then cooked.

Any difference was miniscule.

[Ann_T]

Oh Oh. I'm guilty of all the above. Looks like I'm in good company.

Ann

[browniebaker]

I let meats marinate at room temperature.

I let foods cool to room tempertaure before refrigerating or freezing them.

I prepare meats on an old-fashioned, bacteria-harboring, wood, cutting board.

I use foods way past their expiration date, after a smell test.

No one has gotten sick yet.

I wash wooden and bamboo tools and chopsticks in the dishwasher, against Martha Stewart's advice.

I boil pasta in less water than I should.

I have even re-used the pasta water to boil another batch of pasta, after refrigerating it for keeping.

There are more law-breaking things I do, but I'll stop now.

[stephenc]

I refrigerate my tomatoes.

[Brad Ballinger]

If something falls on the floor, it goes in the pan anyway.

[sparrowgrass]

I refrigerate my tomatoes.

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No, no, no. Don't do that, unless you really don't like tomatoes very much. I can live with the rest of that rule breaking stuff, but please don't put 'maters in the fridge. It sucks the flavor right out of them.

I put my anodized Calphalon in the dishwasher. And my knives. I don't sterilze my cutting boards. I don't measure very often. I don't wash my eggs before I use them. (My eggs come directly from the chickenhouse in the back yard. I do wash the poopy ones.)

[Misa]

I refrigerate my tomatoes.

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No, no, no. Don't do that, unless you really don't like tomatoes very much. I can live with the rest of that rule breaking stuff, but please don't put 'maters in the fridge. It sucks the flavor right out of them.

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The problem is... when I'm not cooking the tomatoes, I want 'em very cold.

[Megan Blocker]

I refrigerate my tomatoes.

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No, no, no. Don't do that, unless you really don't like tomatoes very much. I can live with the rest of that rule breaking stuff, but please don't put 'maters in the fridge. It sucks the flavor right out of them.

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The problem is... when I'm not cooking the tomatoes, I want 'em very cold.

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I would think one of the rules of this thread should be no judgment!!! If people like their tomatoes cold, they should refrigerate them.

I never sift, either.

Edited August 2, 2005 by Megan Blocker (log)

[saskanuck]

I never seed or peel tomatoes.

I always put my wooden/bamboo spoons and spatulas in the dishwasher.

I never put salt in my pasta water (only because hubby has to watch his sodium intake).

[Terrasanct]

I remember reading the Joy of Cooking as a child and trying to figure out why anyone would peel a perfectly good tomato. Still don't know why.

[rich]

Never peel kiwis, but always peel lentils.

Never sift, measure herbs or spices, but always blanch toast.

Never cold marinate, but always saute chocolate.

Never, ever use eggs in ice cream, but always use eggs in gazpacho.

[kdl1221]

Deleted

Edited July 14, 2019 by kdl1221
Delete (log)

[The Hersch]

please don't put 'maters in the fridge.  It sucks the flavor right out of them.

But at least it also ruins their texture.

[trillium]

I remember reading the Joy of Cooking as a child and trying to figure out why anyone would peel a perfectly good tomato.  Still don't know why.

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Try reading a few good Italian cookbooks and it should become obvious.

regards,

trillium