Food & Cooking Myths

Hey you! Think you know everything when it comes to food and drink? See yourself as something of a Gordon Ramsay, or a Nigella Lawson? Well, perhaps there are a few things you don’t know – like some of these top food and cooking myths. Be prepared to be surprised…

Onions Will Always Make You Cry

Not true! There’s a way to avoid tears when chopping one of the most-used ingredients in your kitchen. And guess what? It doesn’t involve wearing sunglasses, or putting a spoon in your mouth.

My Appliances’ writer Lauren was lucky enough to attend a meat cooking masterclass last weekend – at Malton’s acclaimed cookery school and the tutor of said class, Gilly Robinson (who’s worked alongside TV cook Rosemary Shrager for many years), shared a pretty handy fact.

Apparently, if you keep the root on the onion while chopping, you’ll have completely dry eyes. Lauren tried the same tip with a shallot and she can report that it actually works! Give it a go next time you chop an onion – just make sure you discard the root after!

Gilly was full of good tips, says Lauren, and she was all about championing her local butcher, too. If you want better value for money, you should definitely buy the meat for your usual weekly meals from there over a supermarket. “Make friends with your butcher,” says Gilly, “Don’t be daunted and tell them what you want.”

Consuming Food and Drink Past Its ‘Best Before’ Date will Make You Ill

Don’t be put off by ‘best before’ labels – they’re just a guide. A general rule of thumb is that if it smells okay it’s generally okay. Perhaps don’t take any chances with meat, but if you’re wanting to add a little milk to your morning coffee, you should be okay.

 

Alcohol Will Burn Off in a Dish

Added a hefty amount of brandy or red wine to a dish and worried you’ve overdone it? Don’t be fooled into thinking the alcohol will burn off during the cooking process. It won’t. The best thing to do is use a little and add it every so often, tasting as you go. Once you’ve gone overboard with the alcohol there’s no going back and you might instead be ordering in a takeaway for that dinner party.

 

 

 

You Lose the Nutrients When Cooking Veg

On a health kick and want to ensure you’re getting the most from your ingredients? Don’t worry about veg losing its nutrients when you cook it, as it’s simply not true. Most vitamins and nutrients are unaffected by heat and raw foods aren’t healthier per se.

 

Lobsters Scream When You Boil Them

Don’t be frightened about cooking lobsters – they’re not really screaming when you boil them! They don’t have vocal chords, you know. Instead, the sound you’re hearing is actually the steam escaping from its shell. Who knew, eh?

 

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Until next time…