Kitchen Myths

There are many kitchen myths. Here are some:

- I am so sick of these cooking show hosts saying that by measuring oil (or spraying non-stick cooking spray) first before measuring honey or corn syrup, the greased surface of the cup or the spoon will make the honey/syrup come out completely non-stick. This is just simply not true, and can be easily experimented by anyone.

-when making blueberry cakes, toss the blueberries with some flour so that their coated surfaces will make them stay suspended in the batter while they bake. NOT TRUE! They will sink if they have a higher density than the batter because the flour coating easily incorporates into the batter anyway.

-A piece of steak nicely seared with a crust will seal in the moisture and become more juicy -- also not true. Honestly, who thought that a crust, which is merely made of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat, can form a water-tight barrier? The key to a juicy steak is to undercook it and let it rest before cutting. A brown crust adds flavor, not water. An experiment has been conducted by the folks at Cook's Illustrated and debunked this myth.

Comments

Anonymous said…
One more-30 Minute Meals almost always take at least an hour to make :)
Albertitto said…
So true. Rachel Ray cuts time by having all of her veggies washed before she stores them in the fridge. Who does that?? Also, she doesn't seem to ever wash the meat she's cooking. Everything is right out of the packages. She really painted herself into a corer with the name "30-minute."

I was appalled yesterday when I was at the MIT Coop bookstore and I saw Rachel Ray's new magazine but couldn't find Martha Stewart Living!