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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.
In order to understand how we can find our way around the pots quicker, we also spoke with Kacie Morgan, the creator of an award-winning blog called The Rare Welsh Bit, where she covers, among other things, bespoke recipes, restaurants, local cuisines, and food travel destinations.
So continue scrolling to check out how Reddit users contributed to the discussion and Morgan's thoughts on the subject.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Measuring things like chocolate chips, you measure that with your heart, not a spoon
"I have come across a number of instances of misinformation around cooking in the media in the past," Kacie Morgan told Bored Panda.
"Personally, I believe one of the issues that have caused this to spiral is the increasing prevalence of social media influencers claiming to be 'experts' in food or cooking, despite not having any real experience in the food and drink industry. While this certainly isn't true of all content creators and I don't wish to tarnish all of my peers with the same brush by any means, as an experienced food writer with over 11 years of experience in my field, I often pick up on flaws or inaccuracies in some of the claims made by others within my niche."
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#2
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.
"Furthermore, misinformation around cooking in the media can also be linked to cultural appropriation, in the sense that an authentic dish from a given culture could lose its true essence or authenticity when prepared by a chef or cook from a different culture, who may not be aware of the traditional ingredients and cooking methods required to recreate the original dish," Morgan explained.
If you want to see this phenomenon in action, just open this YouTube video where master Italian chefs react to popular internet personalities and publishers making spaghetti carbonara. You'll immediately realize that buzzwords such as "classic" are often thrown around just to entice clicks. Viral videos produced by charismatic hosts can definitely inspire someone to cook, but they can also, for better or worse, make people form unrealistic opinions about dishes from all over the world.
"It's interesting to hear that Jamie Oliver has recently appointed cultural appropriation specialists to advise him on his new cookbooks," Kacie Morgan continued. "Only four years or so ago (back in 2018), I was completely astounded (as someone who has spent a few months living in Jamaica and exploring the local culinary scene) to hear about the launch of his microwaveable 'jerk rice'. In actual fact, this 'jerk rice' bore very little to no resemblance whatsoever to the concept of jerk. In fact, according to this BBC article, it didn't even contain any of the ingredients found in authentic Jamaican jerk marinade."
By the way, Oliver appears in the aforementioned YouTube video as well. I'm not saying he's a lousy cook. I just want to illustrate that those with multi-million followings are making mistakes too.
#3
"cook onions for 3 minutes until translucent" lol ok, I'll comes back to you in 10 minutes when they start getting there
Lousha 2 years ago
The biggest offender for cooking time in my cookbook is something we eat at Christmas with roasted duck: sauteed red cabbage with onions. Every recipe says saute it for 3-4 minutes. CABBAGE. It takes a LONG time for that to even start getting softer. In 3-4 minutes it doesn't even warm up. When I first encountered it I was sure it was a typo. But no, tons of recipes say the same thing.
"If you want to take your home cooking to your next level — while also ensuring that the medium you're learning from is both trustworthy and authentic — I recommend reading reputable, specialist cookbooks and/or niche blogs focusing on the cuisine you're looking to cook and following trusted, experienced food and drink bloggers, as opposed to the latest trending Instagram or TikTok influencers, who are often not the people who are really 'in the know' when it comes to food preparation," Kacie Morgan said.
"This isn't to say that you can't find trusted information around food or cooking on these platforms, but only too often, the information I come across on these channels is incorrect, poorly researched and published by people who lack any genuine credibility or expertise in what they say they do."
"If you're keen to improve your cooking skills, you could also consider enrolling in cookery classes, whether online or in person, ideally held by an experienced chef or cook within the cuisine you're looking to specialize in," the foodie added.
One of the joys of cooking is the thrill of eating dishes you created. But serving food to others and watching a smile take over their face feels just as (if not more) gratifying. The ability to prepare a tasty meal can take time to master but it's well worth the effort on so many levels. Setbacks are natural, but if you focus on the process, the results will eventually come. And hey, you're going through this post, so you're already on the right track!
#4
When a recipe calls for “two cloves of garlic” I usually add 5-10.
Lousha 2 years ago
That's because garlic these days is s***. I come from a country that used to be famous for its onions and garlic before our agriculture was destroyed. Now if I go to a store I have to look very closely to find garlic that did not come from f*** China. Not that I don't think China can produce some wonderful stuff but garlic sure ain't one of them. It's weak, has barely any flavour. I can't wait for the weather to let up a bit so I can plant my own and enjoy some proper garlic again.
#5
"save the bones for stock"
Nah man, I ain't got room for that in my freezer. I like Ice cream.
#6
I never ever add garlic at the same time as my onions to saute. I only saute garlic for 30 seconds.
#7
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.
#8
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.
#9
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
#10
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?
#11
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?
#12
I can't be bothered to rinse my rice. I know, I know, I'm going to hell.
#13
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.
#14
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.
Caro Caro 2 years ago
Oh yes. My grandmother taught me how to cook Indonesian food. The so called recipes are for "white" people. When she cooked she used original indonesian recipes and the taste was incredible. She herself learned in Indonesia from friends and family. Some of my best memories are in my grandmothers kitchen ...
#15
I use cornstarch as a thickener. I’m never too fancy for cornstarch.
#16
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
#17
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.
#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
#19
My spices get poured from the jar. Sometimes it ends up as an "oops, guess this one's gonna be extra paprikaey"
#20
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!
#21
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.
#22
Adding oil to your pasta water will not prevent the noodles from sticking. The oil will remain separated from the water instead.
Jaguarundi 2 years ago
I found that adding oil kept the sauce from clinging to the pasta properly.
#23
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
#24
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.)
Lousha 2 years ago
I'm with the op on this one. Wash them in running water quickly, wash off any dirt, job done, into the pan they go. No water sucked up unless you let them sit in water for a long time. When I was a kid I was also taught that you're supposed to peel them. As in break off the stem, then with the back of a knife hold a piece of the their outer layer to your thumb, and peel it off. Repeat until all the "skin" is off. My mom hated doing it because it takes forever so I was the "lucky" one to always get this task. When I started cooking myself I got brave one day and said fudge the peeling! Nobody noticed the difference. So I never peeled again and later started thinking my mom actually got this wrong, misunderstood something when she started learning to cook or something. But no, I recently asked a bunch of people who are my mom's age and they all peel to this day. Some of them were quite socked when I told them it's totally unnecessary.
#25
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.
Mistralok 2 years ago
Contrary to popular belief mushrooms are not grown in manure. ... Mushrooms are in fact grown in a pasteurized substrate, which yes does contain manure, but once the whole process is finished it is not even close. But yes, always wash them and all fruits and vegetables before use.
#26
Using pre-shredded cheese isn't always going to ruin whatever you're making.
#27
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.
#28
Sugar measurements. I routinely use half or a third of what is called for and NEVER miss it.
Mishte Tine 2 years ago
Baking is chemistry though, no? I don’t bake because ima clutz and favor savory over sweet, but sugar is n a ton of non-baked foods. I love food.
#29
I refuse to omit salt, ever.
I know every baby boomer mom and cardiologist is probably frowning at this comment too.
#30
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.
What do you think ?
Jo Choto 2 years ago
Admittedly, I've been cooking for a very long time, but it doesn't matter whether I'm baking or stewing or roasting or any other kind of cooking, I really don't bother with recipes or amounts. I've been doing it long enough to know when it looks/feels/smells/tastes right. And nobody ever complains about my cooking, so I guess I'm doing something right.
Nikole Landelius 2 years ago
I rarely follow the rules. I don’t follow recipes, I don’t measure, I follow my tried and true methods, I know how things should taste, I know what flavors work well together. I don’t need other people to tell me those things. Cooking is an art, art shouldn’t have rules.
Tård Øksnes 2 years ago
I agree with you with a small, personal caveat. I needed to learn the basics first, needed to understand the rules so I knew how and when to break them.
Load More Replies...
Sapna Sarfare 2 years ago
One of the things that my mom suggested was buy what the locals buy. As in, in India, many make rotis daily. Most people who probably have shifted to the city or are too busy or something choose to go to big brands selling the flour.... My mom told me to speak to the cook who made my food. What can she recommend? She told me of a local brand that is good, priced well and does not make the rotis chewy. If you want to make say Indian food, ask the Indian friend where he or she gets his local stuff. You get the good stuff at good price.
Tård Øksnes 2 years ago
I was taught that if you live in a country where markets are the norm, don't shop for fresh produce in grocery stores. (I did it once and got food poisoning for my troubles. I know correlation is not causation, but the experience made me not want to chance it.) The reason I was given was that food gets brought in fresh to the markets daily, but you never knew how long the stuff in the stores had spent on the shelf.
Load More Replies... Jo Choto 2 years ago
Admittedly, I've been cooking for a very long time, but it doesn't matter whether I'm baking or stewing or roasting or any other kind of cooking, I really don't bother with recipes or amounts. I've been doing it long enough to know when it looks/feels/smells/tastes right. And nobody ever complains about my cooking, so I guess I'm doing something right.
Nikole Landelius 2 years ago
I rarely follow the rules. I don’t follow recipes, I don’t measure, I follow my tried and true methods, I know how things should taste, I know what flavors work well together. I don’t need other people to tell me those things. Cooking is an art, art shouldn’t have rules.
Tård Øksnes 2 years ago
I agree with you with a small, personal caveat. I needed to learn the basics first, needed to understand the rules so I knew how and when to break them.
Load More Replies... Sapna Sarfare 2 years ago
One of the things that my mom suggested was buy what the locals buy. As in, in India, many make rotis daily. Most people who probably have shifted to the city or are too busy or something choose to go to big brands selling the flour.... My mom told me to speak to the cook who made my food. What can she recommend? She told me of a local brand that is good, priced well and does not make the rotis chewy. If you want to make say Indian food, ask the Indian friend where he or she gets his local stuff. You get the good stuff at good price.
Tård Øksnes 2 years ago
I was taught that if you live in a country where markets are the norm, don't shop for fresh produce in grocery stores. (I did it once and got food poisoning for my troubles. I know correlation is not causation, but the experience made me not want to chance it.) The reason I was given was that food gets brought in fresh to the markets daily, but you never knew how long the stuff in the stores had spent on the shelf.
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