Persistent culinary myths

duploelabs

Jawgap wrote: »

Slightly below room temp was the advice I was always given.

Another tip was to put it outside on the kitchen step for an hour before serving......although I know someone who does the opposite and sits it on the radiator!

Also on the same thread, You can taste very little at temperatures of 1 or 2 degrees celsius, hence any beer that claims it should be served ice-cold is masking the taste. But each to their own

Koptain Liverpool

StonyIron wrote: »

Red wine should never be chilled.
You can actually do whatever you like with it!

Not sure about other countries but in Spain red wine is often served slightly chilled.

duploelabs

Koptain Liverpool wrote: »

Not sure about other countries but in Spain red wine is often served slightly chilled.

there's very little better in the world than a slightly chilled young beaujolais and and oozing brie

Dial Hard

SpaceRocket wrote:

Is this not the done thing anymore? I always wash the mud off my mushrooms, I'm afraid of eating some sort of parasite or worm...

Mushrooms absorb water like a mofo, which is why you shouldn't wash them. Wipe with damp kitchen paper instead.

daveville30

Dial Hard wrote: »

Mushrooms absorb water like a mofo, which is why you shouldn't wash them. Wipe with damp kitchen paper instead.

seen a polish lad in aldi eating the large mushrooms raw last week like crisps.

TheChizler

Dial Hard wrote: »

Mushrooms absorb water like a mofo, which is why you shouldn't wash them. Wipe with damp kitchen paper instead.

Nothing wrong with giving them a quick rinse before using them though. A button mushroom will absorb about a sixteenth of a teaspoon if you SOAK if, which comes right out again when you cook it.

http://www.portlandsculinaryworkshop.com/uncategorized/do-mushroom-soak-up-water-when-you-wash-them-culinary-mythbusters-2/

Day Lewin

It is true that mushrooms get soggy if you wash them. They are harder to fry afterwards and sizzle sulkily and soggily in their oozy butter and watery juice.

Day Lewin

The Bitter White Pith myth.

Widespread: the warning that you must peel oranges very thinly to avoid the Bitter White Pith. To carefully pick off the clinging little fibrous strands when you peel the fruit, etc.

Well, pick 'em off if you like. But I've always eaten them and they are just not bitter. I bite the pith away from the inside of orange rinds and it isn't bitter either. A bit dry, maybe, but that's all.

I also read somewhere ages ago that citrus pith is a good source of some obscure B vitamin, but maybe that's a myth too.

Day Lewin

And no, I am not just taking the pith ;-)

Lord Riverside

Koptain Liverpool wrote: »

The whole argument about oil in pasta water has not addressed the most important point!!!!!!!

Adding oil to the water can help avoid pasta sticking together but no more so than using a pan with enough water and stirring it properly.

The main drawback of adding oil to water is that it means the sauce will not bind properly to the pasta afterwards.

That´s why Italians don´t do it......

Actually plenty Italians do it as well, and are as divided on the the opinion as everyone else. It can have a slightly beneficial effect, albeit a marginal one, and only a smallish drop of oil is required, anything else is a waste. It also won't cure using poor quality pasta or a poor cooking technique / preparation. As for olive oil meaning "the sauce won't bind properly with the pasta", that's true for any oil present in the sauce or it's meat, which is about 90 % of pasta sauces.

Spanish Eyes

Markcheese wrote: »

Isn't it ?? I mean yeah you could just boil the veg but I always sweat them down first-

With plenty of seasoning and a good stock I don't think it's necessary to sweat veg for a bog standard veg soup at all.

I'm not saying that sweating the veg doesn't add anything, I'm just saying that I never bother and the soup always tastes great.

Saves on calories and time too ahem!

kylith

daveville30 wrote: »

seen a polish lad in aldi eating the large mushrooms raw last week like crisps.

I do that. Not in Aldi, obviously, but I love raw mushrooms.

daveville30

kylith wrote: »

I do that. Not in Aldi, obviously, but I love raw mushrooms.

why eat them in the shop?maybe a bar or packet of crisps but mushrooms seemed odd to me.

L1011

daveville30 wrote: »

why eat them in the shop?maybe a bar or packet of crisps but mushrooms seemed odd to me.

Not paying for them, I'd suspect is the main reason.

kylith

L1011 wrote: »

Not paying for them, I'd suspect is the main reason.

Probably. I tend to wait until I get home to lash into them.

Lord Riverside

kylith wrote: »

I do that. Not in Aldi, obviously, but I love raw mushrooms.

Do you clean them first or just eat them ala shoplifter ?

kylith

Lord Riverside wrote: »

Do you clean them first or just eat them ala shoplifter ?

I knock off any dirt but I don't bother washing them.

Lovely Bloke

yeah, mini-Baldy loves him some raw mushrooms too.

rubadub

Another myth is that the seeds in chilli peppers contain loads of the heat. It is meant to be the white pith holding the seeds which is really loaded with heat. When people say "remove the seeds" they typically get rid of this white stuff too, but I expect some people are carefully just picking out the seeds.

The seeds are meant to be a bit hot, but its like the heat has absorbed into them from the pith.

Old Perry

rubadub wrote: »

Another myth is that the seeds in chilli peppers contain loads of the heat. It is meant to be the white pith holding the seeds which is really loaded with heat. When people say "remove the seeds" they typically get rid of this white stuff too, but I expect some people are carefully just picking out the seeds.

The seeds are meant to be a bit hot, but its like the heat has absorbed into them from the pith.

im guilty of thinkin this one althouh i just chop the tops of chillis and tap or roll out seeds so i guess ive not been losing any heat

Day Lewin

@rubadub - I believed that one!

I must put it to the test! (buys two chillies)

Photo-Sniper

Some of the stuff in this thread is very wrong.

However one that is truly correct is the oil in pasta water myth.

Cook pasta in salted water. Drain the drizzle oil over it and mix. No stick whatsoever

hdowney

Photo-Sniper wrote:

Some of the stuff in this thread is very wrong.

Such as?

Neyite

If I'm making pasta and a portion needs to be reserved for someone, the rest gets plated up, their portion gets submerged in cold water. When its time to dish up, I drain it again, add the sauce and nuke it.

I used to use oil. Now I find that I don't need to, provided I bring the water to the boil before adding the pasta in, and stirring until its all submerged. An Italian once told me this was the correct way, I don't know how true that is, but it's what works for me.

One thing that I think is a sad side effect of best-before dates is that people are losing their ability to judge when food is still good or not. I wont get into safety advice here, but there have been plenty of times I've picked up chicken breasts or pork chops that WERE within date, stored them in the fridge immediately after purchase and opened them and got a foul (fowl?) odour. So while dates are good, personal judgement and a bit of food safety knowledge is far better imo.

I rarely watch TV chefs. Their lack of food hygiene practices piss me off, and I think that should be built into tv shows. I'm not a sterile freak but even if its just for them to say "and now for the salad; change chopping board and knife to a different one than the one you used for the raw chicken..."

Vojera

Neyite wrote: »

I rarely watch TV chefs. Their lack of food hygiene practices piss me off, and I think that should be built into tv shows. I'm not a sterile freak but even if its just for them to say "and now for the salad; change chopping board and knife to a different one than the one you used for the raw chicken..."

Not taking off their rings when mixing things is what gets me. Bleugh. Always reminds me of an Overheard in Dublin where an old woman on the bus says to her friend "Oh, I love making pastry. Great for getting the dirt out from under your nails".

:(:(:(

dibkins

Don't ever watch Two Fat Ladies then Vojera:P

hidinginthebush

the beer revolu wrote: »

Cornflour is a suitable thickener for a stew. Nope.

Guinness is great in a beef stew. Almost any other beer is better.

As we are nearing stew season, just wondering if you could recommend other beers? I would usually go with guinness, I like the colour it adds, and tend to like the taste of it anyway. It's never occurred to me to try other beers (I've tried red wine for things like beef bourgogne, but find it a bit too rich tbh).

Never actually seen cornflour added to stews, I like to cook it down to the required texture.

Loire

the beer revolu wrote: »

Stews should be thickened with flour at the beginning or a roux later on or just by reducing to the required consistency.

Did this for the first time yesterday and had a gloriously rich stew - thanks!

BaZmO*

hidinginthebush wrote: »

As we are nearing stew season, just wondering if you could recommend other beers? I would usually go with guinness, I like the colour it adds, and tend to like the taste of it anyway. It's never occurred to me to try other beers (I've tried red wine for things like beef bourgogne, but find it a bit too rich tbh).

Never actually seen cornflour added to stews, I like to cook it down to the required texture.

I always use an Ale like London Pride, but it's limitless the amount of different beers you could use.

duploelabs

Neyite wrote: »

I rarely watch TV chefs. Their lack of food hygiene practices piss me off, and I think that should be built into tv shows. I'm not a sterile freak but even if its just for them to say "and now for the salad; change chopping board and knife to a different one than the one you used for the raw chicken..."

The amount of tv chefs without any skills whatsoever, just a good PR person behind them.