Learning how to cook is a never-ending journey. You can't perfect it. You just get better at it. If you are willing to put in the hours and burn a few pans, of course. However, eager students of the craft often run into a big problem: inconsistent or even misleading information. What makes matters even worse is that when you're just starting out, you can't distinguish it from practices that are actually helpful and develop bad habits. So in an attempt to straighten things out, Reddit user u/Swimmin_Duck made a post on the platform, inviting everyone to share what they think is overhyped and useless cooking advice.
#1
"cook onions for 3 minutes until translucent" lol ok, I'll comes back to you in 10 minutes when they start getting there
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#2
I always use salted butter, I find that it tastes better, specially in sweet baked goods.I always take away 1/3 of the sugar in cake recipes, i find that gives more of a balanced flavour and the finished cake is less sickly sweet so you can eat more of it
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#3
Most measurements, especially where garlic or salt is concerned.And whatever color the onion needs to be since I plan on using whatever onion I have available.
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#4
Most recipes online targeted at an English audience (e.g. U.K./USA) which originate from elsewhere are extremely stingy with herbs and spices. “Half a teaspoon of oregano”, “a pinch of paprika” etc. bollocks to that. My Italian wife calls it “Italian food for English people”. It takes a lot of experience to know herbs and spices intuitively but start by increasing the amounts they suggest if they’re small and go from there.
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#5
Some people discard the whole brick of cheese when there is mold on a bit of it.I generally chop off the chunk of the mold with some buffer and carry on.
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#6
My cooking changed for the better when I started using the Better than Bullion stock concentrates. Tastes so much better than carton stock and cubes in terms of flavor, takes up no space in the fridge, and lasts pretty much forever. I’m vegan too, so I love that they have vegan versions of their chicken and beef stock. They also have some especially unique flavors like sautéed onion and roasted garlic!
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#7
Salad dressing recipes will tell you to stream in the oil while whisking. Nah, just throw it all in a jar and give it a shake
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#8
I can't be bothered to rinse my rice. I know, I know, I'm going to hell.
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#9
Times for meat on the stovetop. "Cook the chicken for 2 minutes, then turn and cook for 2 minutes more...." What kind of stove do you have, guy? My burners at home certainly aren't going to cook a breast all the way through in 4 minutes.
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#10
I never ever add garlic at the same time as my onions to saute. I only saute garlic for 30 seconds.
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#11
Using pre-shredded cheese isn't always going to ruin whatever you're making.
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#12
My mom used to be the operations manager at a culinary college. They specifically told the students not to use expensive wine. They recommended boxed wine like Franzia because the wine stays sealed from the air and stays good for longer. By the time you're done cooking with it, anything that would make an expensive wine taste better will be destroyed, and your expensive wine will be ruined.
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#13
Despite what Gordon Ramsay says about it*, I add salt to eggs before cooking them because, not only does it no toughen eggs and make them runny, it actually does the opposite, making the finished eggs more tender.*Technically what Ramsay says can be true, but only in a professional setting where a large amount of eggs are prepped and used over an entire service. For a home cook adding salt to eggs a few seconds or minutes before will have zero negative effect.
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#14
Measuring things like chocolate chips, you measure that with your heart, not a spoon
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#15
I rinse my mushrooms with water(Comes from prep in commercial kitchens. If you are using them right away, rinsing with water is fine. If they’re going to sit in a pan for hours or days before being used, they’re going to get slimy and gross.)
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#16
I use cornstarch as a thickener. I’m never too fancy for cornstarch.
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#17
"Sift the flour"Aye right. So I can end up with a kitchen like the Swedish Chef?!
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#18
"Don't cook with a wine you wouldn't drink"... honey I'll drink pruno if that's what you've got, it's not a high bar
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#19
Sugar measurements. I routinely use half or a third of what is called for and NEVER miss it.
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#20
Mise En Place. I'm just going to get the water boiling/pan heating/oven preheating and then prep as I go. Separate little dishes for all of the components? Do people cook on the weekdays? Do people do dishes?
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#21
Rinsing my pasta in cold water once cooked. Idc It's going straight in my mouth, i don't want cold pasta.
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#22
Salt related thingsI have kosher, sea, iodized, fleur de sel, and Himalayan pink salt at my house and I will use whichever one is within arms reach for any application
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#23
I never measure out water when cooking pasta. I also don't measure the ingredients for Kraft Mac and Cheese. I just estimate it.
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#24
My spices get poured from the jar. Sometimes it ends up as an "oops, guess this one's gonna be extra paprikaey"
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#25
Follow the recipe. My opinion: it only really matters in beginners baking. Once you get the feel for the food and how you want it to taste, the rest is up to you.#26
No use of soap on cast iron !!That one is a classic, “no soap” thing is an old rule from way back when soap contained lye and other harsh stuff
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#27
Less "advice" and more of a "direction". One of the cooking channels I'm subscribed to never uses sugar to activate yeast when making bread. He says there's enough sugar in milk to do the job. I thought it was mental until I tried it. Now I know it is mental. So I tend to ignore recipes from him that use yeast.#28
For any spices in my dishes, a teaspoon is some in my palm, a tablespoon is more in my palm, a pinch is whatever I pinch, and anything less than a teaspoon either doesn't exist or gets rounded up to whatever I pour out into my hand.People rave about "how well seasoned" my cooking is, so who the hell even cares. The only thing I'm careful about is salt because oversalting is a thing and will ruin a dish. MSG though...I've never heard anyone call my dishes too umami!
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#29
I never make simple syrup on the stovetop. Just microwave some water then swish in the sugar until dissolved. Bonus points if your microwave vessel is also your storage container-- I hate extra dirty dishes.
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#30
I refuse to omit salt, ever.I know every baby boomer mom and cardiologist is probably frowning at this comment too.
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#31
I rarely bother making my own stock. It's just not practical for me; I don't have the space to freeze big batches of it and I don't have the time to regularly make smaller batches of it.Most of the time, I find stock cubes work fine. They taste fine in most applications. The only thing I tend to miss in stock cubes is the gelatin, but in cases where I want that I just sprinkle some powdered gelatin into the stock.
Image credits: ConsiderablyMediocre
#32
I never crack my eggs on a flat surface to prevent bacteria. I am about to cook this puppy, not worried about the 5 seconds of bacteria growth I'm inviting by using the edge of my bowl.#33
Bread recipes that tell you to “bloom” the yeast. You might have needed to do that in the early 1900’s, but not now.#34
Flouring the meat cubes before browning it for a stew is just asking for a pot full of stuck burnt crud, especially once you get done searing five batches of it. I add flour after you've added the onions to loosen the fond and just before adding the wine.#35
Drain off the grease and return meat to pan. Umm, no thank you. I keep my delicious drippings.#36
Cooking instructions on frozen food.I defrost it in minutes in the microwave and then cook it on a hot griddle.
#37
The number of servings. As I usually cook one main dish, if the recipe says it serves 4 people, it usually serves 2, if it serves 6 and we're 3 there might be a chance of "some" leftovers... sometimes.#38
I avoid it if I can but I’ll admit it… I be letting my cast iron soak#39
I’ve heard to never wash your mushrooms in water and instead wipe off the dirt. I also know that mushrooms are grown with animal feces… I always wash my mushrooms.#40
I preheat my cast iron until it starts to smoke somewhat heavily. I haven't noticed any ill effects and hotter pan = better sear#41
I never sear the meat before roasting it or putting it into stew. Ive tried it, supposedly it "locks in flavor" but it didnt make a big enough difference in the taste for me to dirty another pan over it.#42
Don't put the pasta in till the water is boiled.I do not have the attention span or time for that Mr kraft.
#43
Using a meat thermometer. I use the Gordon Ramsey method and the eyeball method. If it isn’t pink (Chicken/turkey/ground beef) it’s good to eat. I’m almost always spot on and I’ve never gotten sick once. Plus my meats are usually cooked perfectly!#44
Anything an Italian says."You can't use that pasta with that sauce!"
"You can't put that on a pizza, the base is also too thick!"
"That's not the right cheese for that dish!"
"You can't use bacon, you must use pancetta!"
#45
Microwave on HIGH for.....Water is the only thing I'll microwave on high. If it takes 3 minutes instead of 1 and it doesn't have a cold spot in the middle, it was totally worth it. It's not like you have to stand there watching it anyway.
#46
When they say mix dry ingredients in one bowl and mix wet ingredients in another bowl and slowly combine, it's a nope. I mix dry ingredients and then plop in everything else. I'm not dirtying an extra bowl.#47
Adding oil to your pasta water will not prevent the noodles from sticking. The oil will remain separated from the water instead.#48
When cutting onions, I do not make the horizontal cross-cuts on the “face” of each onion half. I only make the vertical cuts and then the final, perpendicular chopping cuts. I figure those face cuts are redundant because the onion is layered already. Right?#49
Always use more vanilla extract that what a recipe calls for. People writing recipes normally have higher quality ingredients than the average person. A teaspoon of one dollar vanilla flavoring isn't going to do much compared to a teaspoon of high quality vanilla#50
Pepper - Salting your food i mandatory, but black pepper is just a spice. Not all people like it, and I don't find necessary in most dishes.
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#51
Don't thaw in water.Sorry, it's my salmon and I want it now.
#52
I put as many spices as I feel like regardless of recipe. I know what works for me#53
Once I was cooking a steak shirtless and when I went to flip it in the pan I accidentally slammed it and I got searing hot oil all over my chest/stomach. Had the dumbest looking burn scars for a summer. Wife says I can never cook shirtless again....I cook shirtless all the time when she's not around
#54
When a recipe calls for “two cloves of garlic” I usually add 5-10.#55
As a Korean American- I add more than 3x the amount of garlic and spices. Then top with sesame oil lol#56
I generally ignore washing basmati rice - I know the brand I buy is fine if I don’t wash/soak it so I cut out that step#57
Removing the sprouted core out of garlic - apparently, it gives indigestion but I’ve never had a problem with it!#58
Sorry. I’m not going to put baking soda on my onions to caramelize them faster.#59
When you render fat from ground beef or something and use the same pan to cook something else, they always say "drain the fat". f**k that! fat is flavor! when I make chili I always cook my celery and onions in beef fat.#60
I bought ground white pepper for a recipe once and have yet to use it all up because I'd much rather just grind pepper fresh when I want to use it. So what if there are visible pepper flecks in white sauces?#61
That you have to cook pork well done. YOU DON'T#62
I don't drain beef for tacos. I put in enough water to end up with decent thickness by the end with seasoning. About half pound, and use entire one pound package seasoning. But I try to get 85 or 90% lean. The fat tastes good and seasoning seems to still shine through.#63
American cheese belongs in more things than people care to admit.#64
"save the bones for stock"Nah man, I ain't got room for that in my freezer. I like Ice cream.
#65
I do not need a bigger pan to make a five egg omelet. Y'all internet cooking instructors just need to learn some subtlety.#66
I don’t think I’ve ever rested meat as long as directed. I like my food hot#67
I'm not convinced adding pasta water to the sauce actually does anything besides make the sauce more watery#68
Any measurement that is given to me in 'spoons' (table, tea) I assume isnt important and just eyeball that s**t or add to taste.Except maybe baking powder or soda, but its exceedingly rare that I use either of those.
#69
Salt your pasta water until it tastes like the ocean. It's way too salty for me.#70
I salt straight into whatever I'm cooking not into the hand#71
“a pinch of salt” is always like 3-4 pinches#72
Claire saffitz calls for warming a few tablespoons of milk in a saucepan in order to proof the yeast for her bread recipes. I am not willing to wash a saucepan for 2 tablespoons of lukewarm milk when the microwave is faster and easier.#73
I ignore recipe say use a whole chicken to make a stock.I will debone chicken drumsticks and thighs and keep the bones. Then I buy 1 whole stewing chicken (Basically an old chicken where the skin is more fibrous and the meat is more dry) and 1 whole yellow chicken. Put them in water and cook until both chicken are just cooked.
I take the chicken out and debone them and keep the carcass, feet and neck and use the chicken drumstick and thigh bones to make the stock, while the meat are either used for Cantonese white cut chicken or shredded to make salads or cubed and frozen for when I make chicken noodle soup.
Instead of making one dish with all the meat more or less wasted - I made a stock and two to three other dishes.
#74
"Don't salt your eggs before scrambling". People say it makes them watery but I've never noticed a difference.#75
"Let stand in microwave for one minute" f**k that, I'm hungry!#76
don't use salt!I grew up in a salt-free household due to my grandma's health issues.
#77
In cakes and desserts I usually go down 1/3 of the sugar. It's not about calories, it's about tasting better. Most people I know are not used to extremely sweet food, so they enjoy tastier, less sweet desserts.#78
use-by dates#79
FDA recommended meat temperatures, with the exception of poultry.#80
I don't use double boiler, or the bowl and pot method. I do use a lighter pot so I can more easily control the heat however.#81
I've never rinsed my rice and almost never soak my beans, and both turn out just fine#82
I overcook my pasta. Whether it is pasta I make fresh at home, or dried pasta bought at the shops, I tend to cook it 2x or 3x longer than suggested. I much prefer it that way. The pasta goes really soft and tender - almost melt in the mouth. Any texture in my pasta dishes comes from additions to the sauces itself (al dente veggies, small chunks of parmesan, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.). And when making a carbonara, the starchy water I get from overcooking and concentrating the cooking water down makes such a lovely creamy sauce.#83
I don’t de-seed my hot peppers.from Bored Panda https://bit.ly/3FWf5L7
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