Recipe Station

Here are a few cooking myths that many of us still believe, but that it's time to debunk. Don't worry if you still follow a lot of this advice…plenty of us do!

1. Alcohol evaporates in a dish

This isn't even close to being true, in fact as much as 85% of the alcohol in a dish can remain in the food after it's been cooked. In most cases, it would take 3 hours of cooking to boil out all of the liquor, so you will get a little buzz from eating beer-battered cheese curds.

2. Storing bread in your fridge keeps it fresh

Let's remember why bread goes stale in the first place: over time moisture in the air is absorbed into the bread, filling the starch until it becomes dense and hard. Since your fridge is full of moisture it should be obvious that bread does not belong there. Keep it wrapped up at room temperature instead.

3. Plastic cutting boards are safer for chopping meat

Wooden boards have a reputation for soaking up bacteria from your meat, but they're just as safe as plastic boards. The key is to rinse whatever board you use and sanitize it with a few tablespoons of bleach every so often. Plus, use a separate board for meat.

4. Salting watermelon makes the fruit sweeter

This is a classic summer treat, but there's a little bit of misdirection going on here. Salt isn't sweet, but adding it to your watermelon brings out the water, so each bite tastes sharper. Salt also makes you drool, so you taste more of the juicy watermelon flavor.

5. To lose weight cut fat out of your diet

Your body needs fat just as much as any nutrient. If you replace fatty foods with meals full of carbohydrates, you're not really eating any healthier. Some researchers actually think we should be adding more healthy fats to our diet. Just try to have a bit of everything in moderation.

6. You should never rinse mushrooms

This common piece of advice says that mushrooms absorb water (which is true) so you should never wash them. In reality, you would have to soak mushrooms for hours to make them lose their shape or flavor, so feel free to wash them before cooking.
7. You should rinse pasta after cooking it

This is one way people try to keep their pasta from sticking together (more on that later) but it can easily wreck your dinner. Washing cooked pasta rinses off the starch, which makes the sauce stick on your noodles, so follow Mario Batali's advice and leave the pasta alone.

8. Adding salt to water makes it boil faster

People must be in a rush because there are lots of old wives' tales about how to boil water faster. Aside from adding flavor, salt won't do anything special to your water. It could actually slightly raise the boiling point instead.

Were you surprised by any of these myths and that they're not true? What are some other cooking myths you think should be dispelled? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

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