Separating Fact from Fiction in the Kitchen
It's time to render some truth out of these popular culinary myths with a little game I call, Kitchen Fact or Fiction!
The world of cooking is loaded with suggestions, shortcuts, and above all else myths. As a chef, I have probably heard more of these culinary do’s and don’ts than the average person. Some of these cooking “rules” are rooted in reality but a good percentage of these old wives' tales are complete nonsense.
Now I don’t normally “debunk” anything, but as a chef dedicated to the pursuit of culinary excellence, I feel it is my duty to debunk some of these common culinary myths and shed light on the truth.
Here we go, let’s play some kitchen fact or fiction!
Myth #1: Searing Meat Locks in the Juices
Does searing meat “lock” in all of the juices? I guess the short answer to that would be No! You may be asking yourself, “Okay, if searing meat doesn’t lock in the juices, then what does it do?”
When you sear a piece of meat before cooking it goes through what is called the Maillard reaction. This is a chemical reaction that happens when heat is applied to food. In the culinary world, we know it as caramelization.
Does food have to go through the Maillard reaction to become edible?
No, but the classic flavors of some of your favorite foods depend on it. Roasted coffee, caramelized onions, crusty bread, and steak depend on the Maillard reaction to achieve their signature flavors and aromas. The best thing you can do to retain moisture in a steak is, to let it rest.
Myth #2: You Shouldn’t ever wash Mushrooms
This one can be a bit tricky because it’s both right and wrong. My rule for this one is as follows if I am going to be cooking the mushroom, I will run it under cold water just to get all the crap off it. Mushrooms are 90% water anyway, so it’s really not going to absorb much more water from just getting wet for a few seconds.
If I use the mushroom raw, I will wipe it off the best I can with a bar towel or a small brush. Even though I don’t believe that the mushroom absorbs a significant amount of water, mushrooms that are going to be consumed raw can become a bit slimy when washed, in my opinion.
Myth #3: You Have to Rinse Your Pasta
My first instinct is to call bullshit on this, mainly for one big reason, but there are some applications where I would rinse my pasta. In cold water only!
Most of the time when I am making pasta it’s for an entree that’s served hot and either topped with or tossed in some kind of sauce. This is when you don’t want to rinse that pasta. Why?
Rinsing pasta can wash off some of the starch that has accumulated during the cooking process. Retaining this starch is important to the overall dish as it allows the sauce to adhere better to the pasta. Cold dishes such as pasta salads can be rinsed because you want separation or definition of each piece of pasta in that application. Now that we’ve assassinated this myth let’s move on to the next one!
Myth #4: You Must use Ice Cold Butter for Baking
I have heard this time and time again, “always use cold butter for baking”. Recipes most always say to cut ice-cold butter into the flour until it becomes fully incorporated, especially for biscuits. Ice cold or those biscuits won’t turn out.
I used to spend a considerable amount of time getting ice-cold butter and flour to come together into a harmonious dough. Until one day I was running short on time and I needed biscuits for brunch. It was then that I said fuck it, I melted the butter and proceeded on with making biscuits.
Even though I didn’t follow the rules of proper baking, I still had an amazing biscuit that was as good as any other biscuit I had made previously but in about half the time. Ever since then, I have melted the butter for almost 100% of my baked goods.
There is however one exception, pie crust. I will say that cold butter is necessary for a great pie crust. So is cold butter the exception or the rule? For me, it’s absolutely the exception.
Myth #5: Only Flip your Meat once, That’s it
When I was younger I was a staunch once-only meat flipper. Sometimes when I flip my meat more than once to this day, I feel like my younger self would 86 me right out of the kitchen. Then I tell my younger self to fuck off and so on and now we are getting into my head a little too much. Ok back to meat flipping, here we go!
In reality, flipping meat multiple times can yield more evenly cooked and flavorful results. Frequent flipping can help to ensure that both sides of the meat are exposed to consistent heat, leading to a better crust and juicier interior.
If you want to flip that steak or burger more than once, go ahead, cook your meat however you like it, whatever works for you keep doing it.
That’s the thing I love about cooking, really, there are no rules or should I say, the rules are very minimal. There are a myriad of different methods and techniques that yield very similar results. Do what you want when you cook, and have fun with it after all it’s an art, and art is supposed to be fun, right?
These are fun. I think it could (maybe) become a series where you collect these over time. I'm sure you'll continue to come across frustrating myths!
Brian, I now know that I will no longer be rinsing pasta when I make spaghetti. Thanks for that. Also, I know that I have gone against the wisdom and flipped meat more than once after I get it caramelized. Seems to work well so far. Good article.