Searing Meat Seals in the Juices
One of the most persistent cooking myths has finally been put to rest by food scientists. The myth that searing “seals in the juices” is an antique that just won’t go away, even though it has been debunked many many times. The root of this myth goes all the way back to 1850, when German chemist Justus von Liebig suggested that the hard crust that searing achieves prevents the juices from seeping out.
Multiple experiments have proven this theory completely wrong. The unseared steak lost 13% of its weight, but the seared steak lost 19%! Food scientist Harold McGee explains that “The crust that forms around the surface of the meat is not waterproof, as any cook has experienced: the continuing sizzle of meat in the pan or oven or on the grill is the sound of moisture continually escaping and vaporizing.”
Adding Oil to Pasta Water Prevents Sticking
Despite what countless home cooks believe, adding olive oil to your pasta water won’t keep noodles from sticking together. This is another widespread yet inaccurate piece of advice. Many believe that adding oil to the pasta water prevents noodles from sticking together during cooking. However, this method is not effective. Oil typically floats on the surface of the boiling water and has minimal contact with the pasta.
What’s worse, adding oil can actually harm your final dish. Unfortunately, oil prevents this from happening, so you’re left with a plate of bare, slippery noodles lacking in flavor. Unless you’re planning on serving your pasta simply buttered or dressed in olive oil, steer clear of adding oil during boiling and draining. The real solution is much simpler – just stir your pasta frequently during the first few minutes of cooking.
Salt Makes Water Boil Faster
This kitchen “hack” has been making rounds for generations, but science tells a different story. There is an old wives’ tale that says salted water will make pasta cook faster. While it’s not entirely false, adding salt does not make much of a difference to actually matter. One ounce of salt raises the boiling point of water by only 1 degree Fahrenheit. To raise the boiling point enough to make any significant difference in cooking time, you would have to add so much salt that your pasta, or other food items, would be inedible.
Indeed, adding salt to water does slightly increase its boiling point, but the effect is minimal. Normal water boils at 100°C, and salted water boils only about 1 degree higher. Salt doesn’t prevent sticking, and, contrary to myth, it won’t actually help your water boil faster. The real reason to salt your pasta water? Flavor enhancement, not speed.
Aluminum Cookware Causes Alzheimer’s Disease
This frightening myth has scared many people away from aluminum pots and pans for decades. The connection between aluminum pans and Alzheimer’s disease is a myth. There is no scientific evidence to support the claim that using aluminum pans can increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The myth that aluminum pans cause Alzheimer’s disease originated in the 1960s when researchers found that aluminum was present in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s disease. However, more recent studies have not found a clear link between aluminum exposure and Alzheimer’s disease.
Health Canada provides reassuring data about aluminum exposure. Information from Health Canada indicates that Canadians normally take in about 10 milligrams of aluminum daily, mostly coming from food. Aluminum pots and pans provide only one or two milligrams of this total. This means that in everyday cooking scenarios, the amount of aluminum that might leach into our food from aluminum cookware is relatively minor in the grand scheme of our overall aluminum exposure.
You Should Never Use Soap on Cast Iron
Cast iron enthusiasts have long believed that soap would destroy their carefully seasoned pans. This myth stems from outdated information about soap composition. The rule is from the days when nearly every kitchen had a cast iron pan and soap contained lye which would destroy the hard-earned patina. Modern dish soap doesn’t contain lye, making this concern obsolete.
Today’s cooking experts agree that gentle soap won’t harm your cast iron. After cooking most foods, hot water and a gentle scrub will clean your cast iron. When cooking a steak or bacon, you might need a little bit of soap with your hot water and elbow grease – but never a metal scour pad. The key is using mild detergent and avoiding abrasive scrubbing that could damage the seasoning.
Microwaving Food Destroys Nutrients
Many people avoid microwaves believing they zap nutrients from food, but research shows the opposite might be true. When compared to boiling, far less water-soluble nutrients leach out of vegetables during microwave cooking. Cooking vegetables in the microwave also gives better retention of texture and color.
The microwave’s efficiency actually helps preserve nutritional value. Microwave ovens take considerably less energy to cook food than conventional methods because they work faster with more of the energy focused directly on the food. Additionally, Food is cooked from the outside in. Microwaves penetrate the food about 3/4″, then heat is conducted through the rest of the food. This gentle heating method can be better for nutrients than high-heat cooking methods.
Pasta Should Be Rinsed After Cooking
This practice is particularly common among home cooks who want to stop the cooking process, but it’s actually counterproductive. Never rinse pasta after cooking. Doing so rinses off the starches that give pasta its “special mouthfeel.” Those surface starches are crucial for sauce adhesion.
Professional chefs emphasize the importance of keeping those starches intact. Never rinse pasta after cooking. Doing so rinses off the starches that give pasta its “special mouthfeel.” The rule about cooking pasta until it is al dente (Italian to the tooth or bite) means different things to Italians or to Americans. Instead of rinsing, save some pasta cooking water to help bind your sauce to the noodles – that starchy water is liquid gold for creating silky, restaurant-quality dishes.
Energy Drinks Actually Provide Energy
The marketing promises of energy drinks don’t match the scientific reality. If you’re one of those people who actually believe that as claimed by their companies, energy drinks provide you with energy, we have got bad news for you. Energy drinks are devoid of any nutrition that may be converted into energy by your body. However, they do contain horrendous amounts of sugar and caffeine that increase your blood flow rate and trigger your brain into thinking you are somehow more alert.
The health consequences can be serious. They have been linked to diabetes, obesity and in rare conditions even brain damage. What feels like an energy boost is actually just your body responding to massive doses of caffeine and sugar, not genuine nutritional fuel that sustains energy levels naturally.
Wooden Cutting Boards Harbor More Bacteria Than Plastic
Food safety experts have thoroughly investigated this claim and found it to be unfounded. There is no scientific data backing this claim. The only way to ensure your plastic or wooden cutting boards are safe from bacteria is to wash them thoroughly after use and use separate boards for cutting cooked and uncooked food as raw foods tend to have more bacteria which are eventually killed off during cooking.
The type of cutting board material matters less than proper hygiene practices. Both wooden and plastic boards can harbor bacteria if not properly cleaned, and both can be made safe with thorough washing. Some studies even suggest that wooden boards may have natural antimicrobial properties, but the most important factor remains consistent cleaning and using separate boards for different types of food.
You Must Follow Recipe Salt Amounts Exactly
Many home cooks worry about exceeding recommended salt amounts, especially when cooking pasta. However, research reveals that pasta absorbs surprisingly little salt from cooking water. Experimental trials were conducted to observe the difference in sodium between plain cooked pasta, and pasta cooked in salted water. In one group, one pound of spaghetti was cooked using 4 quarts of boiling water, to which one-quarter cup of salt was added. Only about 3% of the sodium was absorbed into each serving of pasta.
This finding gives cooks more freedom to properly salt their pasta water for flavor without excessive health concerns. If you’re watching your sodium intake, you may be alarmed at the amount of salt that’s recommended (just a pinch won’t cut it, you’ll need 1 tbsp sea salt for every 4 quarts of water). But there’s no need to panic – most of the salt you add will be drained away when you strain the pot. Unlike potatoes that soak up salt like a sponge, pasta only absorbs around 3% of the salt you add to the water…
