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Whether we like it or not, cooking is something most of us have to do almost every day of our lives. Unless we really love this process, it can sometimes get quite tedious, and thus, all the little hacks that make it faster or more rewarding are always welcomed.

However, not all of this advice is actually helpful and has any proof of working, despite what many people might believe just because they heard it countless times. While it’s usually not really harmful, getting rid of it is still a positive thing, and this Reddit post asking about these terrible cooking tips is absolutely on the right track. Scroll down to read what people wrote!

More info: Reddit

#1

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Anyone complaining that "air fryers are just glorified convection ovens" is just missing the point that a small convention oven is, in fact, f*****g glorious.

SkyKnight34 , Charlotte May Report

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Jeevesssssss
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

As an inveterate pedant who loves her 'air fryer' I f*****g salute you.

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#2

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are "Saute onions for 5-7 minutes until caramelized." No way they are caramelized that fast.

GingerrGina , cottonbro studio Report

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kaycee14
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Even worse is when the recipe says "saute onions AND GARLIC for 5-7 minutes..." The onions won't be cooked and the garlic will burn.

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#3

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Not washing mushrooms because they will "absorb" water...mushrooms are something like 90% water...wash the mushrooms, they are dirty!!

ashley21093 , Thanh Soledas Report

When you really stop to think about it, it’s not only in cooking that there are many tips and tricks that many of us know, but, at some point, we learn they don’t actually work. This makes us wonder why it is such a common occurrence and why we keep falling for it.

Well, it turns out what we’re dealing with is known as the illusory truth effect or the illusion of truth. It describes how when we keep hearing the same false information over and over again, we tend to start believing it as if it were true.

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#4

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are That you should open a restaurant because you "love to cook." Sure fire way to both crash and burn financially, and end up hating to cook.

QuiGonnJilm , Elle Hughes Report

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Mrs.C
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yup. Used to like cooking. After 12 years in a commercial kitchen i HATE it.

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#5

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are “Add 2 cloves of garlic.”




lol, just no.


*Adds 6 Cloves and later regrets not adding more.*

Educational_Ad_2619 , Karolina Grabowska Report

#6

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are "Add 1/2 an onion" If i am cooking something its either a full onion or nothing. I am not about to store a half an onion.

ColonClenseByFire , Pixabay Report

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Nikki Sevven
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Add half an onion" isn't remotely helpful. Onion size varies wildly from tiny cipollini onions to gigantic Spanish onions. They vary wildly in flavor too. Yellow onions are strongly sulfuric, while Vidalia onions are mild and sweet.

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Becoming affected by this bias does not indicate that an individual is uneducated, as we might initially be aware of the correct information and still end up believing something false because of constant exposure to it. At times, even concrete evidence proving that the advice is empty might not stop a person from following it in the case that it still might do at least something of what it promised. 

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And in this day and age, information can spread faster than ever before, thanks to the internet and social media. And since we make thousands of decisions every day, no one really goes to check every single fact they hear, thus enabling the cycle to continue.

#7

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Every recipe takes longer than it says it will. Especially the first time.

Far-Sink-2204 , Ron Lach Report

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TheGoodBoi
Community Member
8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Quick great meal!" Time: 2 hours. Ingredients: Everything you cannot get, located on a remote island in the middle of the Pacific.

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#8

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Only use good wine for cooking. I challenge you to tell the difference between a $20 bottle of wine and 3 Buck Chuck when you add 1/2 cup to your pasta sauce.

Soobobaloula , Ksenia Chernaya Report

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#9

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Adding the garlic to a hot pan first instead of last. Burnt garlic is NOT good eats.

ordinaryhorse , Isabella Mendes Report

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SonicAlchemy
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

There's already the same damn garlic post, just worded differently, in this article, so I really hope everyone gets the "tip" by now. Don't burn your garlic..

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In addition to that, we don’t really like to be wrong, do we? Well, that’s where confirmation bias comes in, an occurrence when we look for information supporting our existing beliefs, ignoring or outright rejecting any data that might contradict it. 

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This can come in a few different forms, such as biased memory, recalling things in a way that would support our beliefs, biased information searches online (where we type in the thing we want to confirm in a way that the results we get align with our beliefs), and biased interpretation (where we interpret evidence in a way that supports our beliefs, quickly accepting what fits and very critically analyzing what doesn’t).

And, of course, in the end, we once again come to the internet and social media, where the information spreads quickly and is tailored to show us what we want to see, all thanks to the almighty algorithms.

#10

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are MSG causes migraines.

This is an absolute myth dating back from a single letter published in the *New England Journal of Medicine* back in the sixties (likely as a prank) that became so prevalent that convincing someone who believes it otherwise is a waste of time.

MSG does one thing only: Makes. S**t. Good.

doctor_x , Alpha Report

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#11

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are I see a lot of sauteing with EVOO. I learned that if I'm cooking with olive oil, use regular olive oil. Save the extra-virgin stuff for dressings, drizzles, and other things not cooked. I don't know, that just how I was taught.

missionbeach , Mareefe Report

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Mrs.C
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You can Sauté with EVOO but you have to use a lower temp because it has a lower smoke point.

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It seems that completely avoiding this is not really possible. After all, these biases existed long before modern technologies, which only gives them a boost. Ultimately, it is a very human thing to believe something that most do and look for ways to confirm it rather than deny it. But keeping an open mind and spending a little extra effort checking your facts won’t hurt and, at the very least, might make your cooking attempts quite a bit more successful. So why not give it a shot?

How much of this cooking advice did you follow without knowing it wasn't helpful? Do you have any tips you'd like to add? Share your thoughts below!

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#13

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are "Fresh ingredients are always better."

Not necessarily. For example, frozen ingredients are better for deep frying or blending than fresh ingredients are.

stinky_cheese33 , Mark Stebnicki Report

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arthbach
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It totally depends on the ingredients. Frozen peas keep more of their nutrients than fresh as they are frozen within hours of harvest.

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#14

Measuring flour and dry ingredients by volume is a terrible idea. Get a scale like a pro!

UnsurprisingPun Report

#15

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Cooking chicken in general. Most people overcook their chicken and it gets dry and tastes bad. Use a thermometer and take it off just as it gets to temp.

IlIlIlIlIllIlIll , Claudio Schwarz Report

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Libstak
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, I like the meat falling off the bone, I cannot stand pink chicken breast, it's rubbery and sends me into salmonella anxiety. Just baste often and cover in foil for juicy chicken.

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#16

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Every stew recipe that starts with "flour the beef cubes" -- you'll get a better sear if you only salt and pepper the beef cubes and sear those in properly-spaced batches to build up fond in the pot. If you flour the beef the flour will stick to the pot and you're going to burn the fond long before you're done searing everything.

I add flour only after I've sauteed a whole bunch of chopped onions to loosen the fond, and then once the flour is slightly toasted, the red wine goes in to make an alarming-looking purple roux that turns nicely into a glorious brown stew after a few hours of simmer time.

withbellson , Sanket Shah Report

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Lyoness
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Am I the only one who's just found a fancy term for "the brown bits at the bottom of the pan"?

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#17

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Rinsing chicken

nashbar , JK Sloan Report

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Mrs.C
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

GROSS!!! Chicken does NOT need to be rinsed and you're probably spraying salmonella mist all over your sink area.

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#18

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Just personal preference, but adding sugar to marinara to decrease the acidity. I like the acidity. I don’t like candied spaghetti.

Sopranohh , Nadin Sh Report

#19

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Adding oil to the water, prevents pasta from sticking.

Pretend_Hearing4253 , Klaus Nielsen Report

#20

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Cold water boils faster. That drives me insane.

beachmasterbogeynut , Ariel Gez Report

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Nikki Sevven
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You should use cold tap water. Hot tap water brings with it more minerals from inside your pipes and can change the taste of your dish.

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#21

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are my gran damn near *insists* on rinsing pasta like no, you don’t do that, stop that. then again, if there isn’t any sauce made she’ll eat said pasta with *Italian dressing* and call it a day.

insomniacakess Report

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Like It Is
Community Member
8 months ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Rinsing (or not) depends on what you are going to do with it. If you are serving it immediately with a warm sauce - no rinse. If it is going to sit (think potluck with separate sauce) toss in oil to keep from sticking (rinse or shake off). Macaroni salad? Rinse. As far as Italian dressing My 100% Italian grand mother would make AGLIO E OLIO which is basically olive oil and garlic and pasta, she would mix it with left over garlic bread chunks. I always thought she made that up, because it sounded like 'oily oily' to my younger ears... Nope it's a real thing ;)

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#22

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are It seems like I’ve read and have seen too many that leave garlic in the skillet too long. Like if your adding it, good. Cook it for a minute but not 5, especially if it’s minced and the skillet is really hot. You’ll burn it otherwise.

Big_Tomatillo_4958 , ji jiali Report

#23

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Never washing your cast iron. Just scrape everything off.

Gross and unsanitary.

ThotianaAli , Nathan Dumlao Report

#24

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Starting boiled eggs in cold water.

If you bring the water to a boil first, then put the eggs in, the timing is more precise, and they're easier to peel. The only hard thing is lowering them in carefully so they don't crack.

JackarooDeva , Krisztina Papp Report

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Miliukov Oleksandr
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The fresher an egg, the harder it peels. Regardless of boiling method. Put eggs immediately in ice water after boiling also helps peeling and prevents overcooking

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#25

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are If pasta sticks when you throw it at a wall, it will most likely be over cooked by the time you mix it with the sauce and serve it. Mix it into the sauce when it is still slightly undercooked and finish it in the sauce. I switched to using tongs or a straining ladle and transferring it directly into the sauce so that some of the pasta water is transferred as well, thickens the sauce and makes it silky.

Readonkulous , cottonbro studio Report

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Tucker Cahooter
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Now I have that scene from the movie "The Odd Couple" in my head when Oscar hurls the lasagne at the wall (I'm pretty sure he wasn't checking to see if it was cooked or not)

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#27

If you put the temperature up higher, you can skip a lot of the cooking time.

Nebulaud Report

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A girl
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I can confirm that raising the temp is a bad idea. Ruined a batch of broccoli cheese soup over high heat. Basically turned into curds and whey

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#28

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Not EVERYTHING tastes “better” in an air fryer. Not saying it’s “terrible” advice to cook pretty much anything and everything in one, because a lot of the time the food tastes good, but not everything.

Loves_me_tacos125 , Kawê Rodrigues Report

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TheGoodBoi
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Air frying some soft tacos and adding guacamole? OM NOM NOM NOM

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#29

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Sear meat to “seal in juices.” Kenji Lopez-Alt has empirically debunked that.

FieldUpbeat2174 , cottonbro studio Report

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arthbach
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The Maillard reaction what happens when meat is seared. It is an interaction between amino acids and reducing sugars. The result is the food browns, and becomes very tasty. If you are cutting into meat, and there are juices running from it, then you haven't allowed the meat to rest. Leave it alone for a wee while. This will keep the juices in.

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#30

30 Cooks Share Horrendous Cooking Tips That Have No Reason Being As Widely Spread As They Are Adding milk/liquid slowly to your roux to make bechamel or whatever sauce. Unsure how common it is but so many places I seen they recommended adding slowly. 


Started following some fine dinning channels, a double Michelin star chef did his own recipe and talked about how it's a common misconceptions. My bechamel improved overnight with it. 

mazamundi , Charlotte May Report

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Nikki Sevven
Community Member
8 months ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, you can add it all at once if the milk is hot, but ice cold milk from the fridge into a hot roux equals lumpy wallpaper paste.

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Note: this post originally had 33 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.

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