There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.

Thanks,

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

Peter Aitken wrote:

> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.

You mentioned my all time fave, "Searing seals in juices". Here's
a few quick ones that come to mind.

------------------------------------------------------
This applies to amoking foods:

"Meat no longer takes up smoke flavor above an internal temp of 140 F"

This is a confusion between smoke flavor and formation of smoke ring.
It's the smoke ring formation that ceases at 140 F. Although
the law of diminishing return applies, meat continues to take
up smoke flavor as long as it's in the presence of smoke.
------------------------------------------------------
Substituting salt types:

"When substituting kosher salt for table salt, use twice as much"

This was covered in a thread yesterday. It's closer to an extra
20%, not an extra 100%.
------------------------------------------------------
Applies to goofy nutritional dogmas, depending food religion:

"Fat is harmful" "Carbs are harmful" "Sugar is poisonous"

No single nutient is evil in and of itself.


Hey this is fun!

--
Reg email: RegForte (at) (that free MS email service) (dot) com

"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
news
> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about
cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
> Thanks,
>
> --
> Peter Aitken

Not a bad idea however one should offer a plausable explination why a
particular action is advisable or a full explanation.

Dimitri

From Americas test Kitchen:

What is the Maillard Reaction?
Browning is very important when cooking meat, but not for the reason that
you might think. For at least a hundred years, cooks have been taught that
searing, or browning, seals in juices. But it doesn't. Harold McGee, the
author of On Food and Cooking, demonstrated conclusively that meat loses
about the same amount of juice during cooking whether it is seared or not.
So why brown meat? Because it creates a tremendous amount of flavor. This
happens through a process called the Maillard reaction, named after the
French chemist who first described it in the early 1900s. The Maillard
reaction occurs when the amino acids (protein components) and sugars in meat
(or almost any other food) are subjected to heat, which causes them to
combine. In the process, literally hundreds of different flavor compounds
are created. These compounds in turn break down to form yet more new flavor
compounds, and so on and so on and so on. It's kind of like rabbits
multiplying.
As it turns out, each type of food has a very distinctive set of flavor
compounds that are formed during the Maillard reaction. In fact, it is these
same compounds that flavor scientists have used over the years to create
artificial flavors.

In article > , "Peter Aitken"
> writes:

>There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
>and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
>For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
>and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
>have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
>information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
>this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.

You're a bit late... there are literally thousands of Websites dedicated to
<Kitchen Myths>.

Matching Sites: Page 1 of 7934

Kitchen Myths That Can Make You Sick! - Kitchen Myths That Can Make You Sick!
By Diane Welland MS, RD. ... Here are a few of the more unhealthy kitchen myths
and why theyre not so hot. ...
http://www.usfoodservice.com/service...ealthnext/spri
ng_2001/article1.html

Amazon.com: Books: What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science ... - ...
There is one downfall I can see for other readers and that is the way in which
in dispells well known and oft used kitchen myths. ...
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...11836?v=glance

Kitchen superstition & myths - ... Kitchen superstition and myths. Here are
some kitchen, cooking and food related superstitions and history or traditional
background: Knives. ...
http://www.angelfire.com/biz6/Psyteric/Kitmyths.html

Discovery - Kitchen Chemistry - ... happens to be one of my pet topics; the
answer of course is that there is no really good reason, except tradition (see
the article on kitchen myths to find out ...
http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/ki...ce_kitchen.htm

Discovery - Kitchen Chemistry - Exploding Kitchen Myths, ...
http://www.discoverychannel.co.uk/ki...chen_myths.htm

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 next >>



---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Peter Aitken > wrote:

> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.

What about the gajillion ways to not tear up when cutting onion? I was
told hold a wooden matchstick in my mouth (not lit). Still hasn't
worked.

--
'Tis Herself

"Reg" > wrote in message
m...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
>
> > There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about
cooking
> > and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their
own.
> > For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be
fun
> > and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> > have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include
some
> > information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> > this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
> You mentioned my all time fave, "Searing seals in juices". Here's
> a few quick ones that come to mind.
>
> ------------------------------------------------------
> This applies to amoking foods:
>
> "Meat no longer takes up smoke flavor above an internal temp of 140 F"
>
> This is a confusion between smoke flavor and formation of smoke ring.
> It's the smoke ring formation that ceases at 140 F. Although
> the law of diminishing return applies, meat continues to take
> up smoke flavor as long as it's in the presence of smoke.
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Substituting salt types:
>
> "When substituting kosher salt for table salt, use twice as much"
>
> This was covered in a thread yesterday. It's closer to an extra
> 20%, not an extra 100%.

I looked at yesterday's thread and didn't find this conclusion. But based on
Cook's Illustrated, the factor of 2 is correct. At least for Diamond Crystal
Kosher salt. Morton's is a little less than this. Keepo in mind, the
measurement used for this to apply is volume (cups, tablespoons, etc.) NOT
weight.

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 16:03:33 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

>There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
>and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
>For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
>and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
>have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
>information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
>this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.

"If you put the pit into the bowl, stored guacamole won't turn brown."
The guacamole immediately adjacent to the pit won't turn brown because
the pit prevents air from getting to it. Otherwise, the oxidation
process turns the exposed surfaces brown, just as it does on apples
and other fruits.

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 18:19:04 +0100, Herself wrote:

> Peter Aitken > wrote:
>
>> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
>> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
>> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
>> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
>> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
>> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
>> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
> What about the gajillion ways to not tear up when cutting onion? I was
> told hold a wooden matchstick in my mouth (not lit). Still hasn't
> worked.

Plug your nose. Use a swimmers nose plug or clothes pin.

Tony

"Peter Aitken" > wrote in message
news
> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about
cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them.

I have a favorite, but it's because I came here thinking it was true.

I'm sorry to say I don't remember why, but I no longer believe that cold
water boils faster than hot water.

Cate

Never put bananas in the refrigerator. They'll become inedible.

(The skins will darken, but refrigeration slows ripening on bananas the
same as it does other fruits. The insides will be fine.)

--Lia


Peter Aitken wrote:
> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
> Thanks,
>

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 16:03:33 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:

>There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
>and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
>For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
>and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
>have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
>information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
>this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.

I have the opposite interest; I want to make up a kitchen myth and
have it spread by a lot of people. Just think of the person who came
up with "cold water boils faster than hot water" snickering as the
myth went around. Why should they have all the fun?

OK, here's mine:

For the smoothest, lump-free white sauces and gravies, stir
counterclockwise.

Let's see how that one does :>

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

Curly Sue > wrote:

> OK, here's mine:

> For the smoothest, lump-free white sauces and gravies, stir
> counterclockwise.

Well, of course, but remember to reverse that in the
Southern Hemisphere.

Bill Ranck
Blacksburg, Va.

TonyP > wrote:

> Plug your nose. Use a swimmers nose plug or clothes pin.

Has that worked for you? I'm not going to do it if it hasn't :-).
--
'Tis Herself

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 19:36:17 GMT, (Curly
Sue) wrote:

>I have the opposite interest; I want to make up a kitchen myth and
>have it spread by a lot of people. Just think of the person who came
>up with "cold water boils faster than hot water" snickering as the
>myth went around. Why should they have all the fun?
>
>OK, here's mine:
>
>For the smoothest, lump-free white sauces and gravies, stir
>counterclockwise.
>
While tapping lightly on the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.

modom

"My baby's got no clothes
'Cause she's makin' chicken soup."

-- Chuck E. Weiss

Peter Aitken wrote:

> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
> Thanks,
>
>

Watching a pot makes the water boil faster-particularly if constantly
stirred.

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 20:53:55 +0100, Herself wrote:

> TonyP > wrote:
>
>> Plug your nose. Use a swimmers nose plug or clothes pin.
>
> Has that worked for you? I'm not going to do it if it hasn't :-).

Yes it does work, looks silly though but so does crying for no
reason. Try it.

Tony

Cate wrote:

> I'm sorry to say I don't remember why, but I no longer believe that cold
> water boils faster than hot water.


Ya' ever peeked inside a hot water heater?... That should be more than
enough reason not to cook with hot water...

~john!


--
What was it like to see - the face of your own stability - suddenly look
away...

Peter Aitken wrote:

> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.


A drop of oil in the pasta water keeps the pasta from sticking...

Chili doesn't have beans in it...

~john!



--
What was it like to see - the face of your own stability - suddenly look
away...

"Reg" > wrote in message
m...
> ------------------------------------------------------
> This applies to amoking foods:
>
> "Meat no longer takes up smoke flavor above an internal temp of 140 F"
>
> This is a confusion between smoke flavor and formation of smoke ring.
> It's the smoke ring formation that ceases at 140 F. Although
> the law of diminishing return applies, meat continues to take
> up smoke flavor as long as it's in the presence of smoke.

I agree that the 140º can be mythical, but having done 2 shoulders at the
same time, one finished on the smoker, the other taken in to the kitchen
oven (hadda make room for ribs), I detected no difference in smoke flavor
between the 2. Now, if we're talking cold smoking, that's another matter.
I think it's true that there is only so much smoke flavor a piece of meat
can absorb while hot smoking.

> ------------------------------------------------------
> Substituting salt types:
>
> "When substituting kosher salt for table salt, use twice as much"
>
> This was covered in a thread yesterday. It's closer to an extra
> 20%, not an extra 100%.

Right, and that can easily be proven by actually adding that much more salt.
ouch.

Jack Fable

> If you
>>have any favorites I'd love to hear them.


How about that whole plastic/glass cutting boards vs. wooden ones thing?

Air drying vs. dishtowels.




Dawn

Beans cooked with salt will be hard. That one cracks me up.

>A drop of oil in the pasta water keeps the pasta from sticking...

That's a good one. Oil on top of water, pasta under water...hmm...why doesn't
that work?

Like it's a big chore to stir it twice while it's cooking.

Yukon Cornelius wrote:

> Beans cooked with salt will be hard. That one cracks me up.


Was the pun intended?...

~john!

--
What was it like to see - the face of your own stability - suddenly look
away...

Herself > wrote:
>What about the gajillion ways to not tear up when cutting onion? I was
>told hold a wooden matchstick in my mouth (not lit). Still hasn't
>worked.

Do what I do: buy a house with a central-air register
behind your head. The fumes blow away from you and
you wonder what all these fools are doing whining about
slicing onions.

--Blair
"Weaklings."

It may be a myth or not, but it SEEMS to work for me . . .

If you happen to shake up a glass bottle of beer or soda
and are afraid it'll come shooting out if you open it,
rap on it with something made out of a hard metal
(tools, keys, etc.) for a little while. Then, that won't
happen when you open it.

Now, this COULD work just because the extra time
you take rapping on the bottle gives the gas time to
become stable in the liquid again.

However, I have noticed that the tone of the sound
made by the rapping changes as you do so. It starts
out dull, then becomes more ringing as you keep
doing it. When it rings like a bell, you can open
the bottle. Simultaneously, with the change on tone,
the foam on the inside of the bottle collapses.

So, MAYBE, the sound is somehow modifying the
liquid-gas characteristics.

Microwave ovens cook from the inside out.

Microwaves destroy all the nutritional content of the food.

--Lia


Peter Aitken wrote:
> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
> Thanks,
>

levelwave wrote:

> Cate wrote:
>
>> I'm sorry to say I don't remember why, but I no longer believe that cold
>> water boils faster than hot water.
>
>
>
> Ya' ever peeked inside a hot water heater?... That should be more than
> enough reason not to cook with hot water...
>
> ~john!
>
>

You mean all that nasty gunk that settles in the bottom of the water
heater? It's all still dissolved and/or suspended in your cold water. The
hot water is cleaner!

Best regards,
Bob

Julia Altshuler > writes:

>Microwave ovens cook from the inside out.

Actually they don't, they simply discriminate between foods, cooking some types
at a greater rate than others... if the jelly were on the outside of the donut
the interior would remain cold while the outside became boiling hot.

>Microwaves destroy all the nutritional content of the food.

No more so than conventional cooking, but more often less so simply because
microwave cooking is most generally waterless cooking, and almost always
quicker.

If microwaves destroyed ALL the nutritional value of foods then everyone could
eat all they wanted and never gain weight.



---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Curly Sue wrote:

> On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 16:03:33 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> > wrote:
>
>
>>There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
>>and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
>>For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
>>and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
>>have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
>>information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
>>this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
>
> I have the opposite interest; I want to make up a kitchen myth and
> have it spread by a lot of people. Just think of the person who came
> up with "cold water boils faster than hot water" snickering as the
> myth went around. Why should they have all the fun?
>
> OK, here's mine:
>
> For the smoothest, lump-free white sauces and gravies, stir
> counterclockwise.
>
> Let's see how that one does :>
>
> Sue(tm)
> Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

But what of those down under? Should they stir clockwise????
--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

levelwave wrote:

> Peter Aitken wrote:
>
>> There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about
>> cooking
>> and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
>> For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be
>> fun
>> and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
>> have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include
>> some
>> information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
>> this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
>
>
> A drop of oil in the pasta water keeps the pasta from sticking...
>
> Chili doesn't have beans in it...
>
Why are you trying to start a new myth!!!

--
Alan

"If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion, and
avoid the people, you might better stay home."
--James Michener

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 02:45:21 GMT, alzelt
> wrote:

>
>
>Curly Sue wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 16:03:33 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
>> > wrote:
>>
>>
>>>There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
>>>and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
>>>For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
>>>and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
>>>have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
>>>information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
>>>this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>>
>>
>> I have the opposite interest; I want to make up a kitchen myth and
>> have it spread by a lot of people. Just think of the person who came
>> up with "cold water boils faster than hot water" snickering as the
>> myth went around. Why should they have all the fun?
>>
>> OK, here's mine:
>>
>> For the smoothest, lump-free white sauces and gravies, stir
>> counterclockwise.
>>
>> Let's see how that one does :>
>>
>> Sue(tm)
>> Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!
>
>But what of those down under? Should they stir clockwise????
>--
>Alan

Of course. But with their left hand. (Unless they're left-handed,
then it has to be with the right hand).

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

In article >,
(PENMART01) wrote:

> Julia Altshuler > writes:
>
> >Microwave ovens cook from the inside out.
>
> Actually they don't, they simply discriminate between foods...

You know, you'd do yourself (and the group) a tremendous favor
if you ever learned to read...

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 23:16:06 GMT, "Jack Schidt®"
> wrote:

>I agree that the 140º can be mythical, but having done 2 shoulders at the
>same time, one finished on the smoker, the other taken in to the kitchen
>oven (hadda make room for ribs), I detected no difference in smoke flavor
>between the 2.

May you burn in hell with such blasphemy! Did you wrap it in foil,
too?

-sw

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 22:31:53 GMT, TonyP > wrote:

>On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 20:53:55 +0100, Herself wrote:
>
>> TonyP > wrote:
>>
>>> Plug your nose. Use a swimmers nose plug or clothes pin.
>>
>> Has that worked for you? I'm not going to do it if it hasn't :-).
>
>Yes it does work, looks silly though but so does crying for no
>reason. Try it.

Why not just breathe through your mouth?

-sw

On 20 Oct 2003 23:49:26 GMT, ode (Yukon
Cornelius) wrote:

>>A drop of oil in the pasta water keeps the pasta from sticking...
>
>That's a good one. Oil on top of water, pasta under water...hmm...why doesn't
>that work?

The main reson not to add oil to boiling pasta water is that the sauce
won't stick to the pasta as well.

-sw

On Mon, 20 Oct 2003 16:03:33 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
> wrote:


>There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
>and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.

No one has entioned one of the most widely distibuted myth's:

Don't salt meat before cooking.

-sw

levelwave > wrote in message >...
> Cate wrote:
>
> > I'm sorry to say I don't remember why, but I no longer believe that cold
> > water boils faster than hot water.
>
>
> Ya' ever peeked inside a hot water heater?... That should be more than
> enough reason not to cook with hot water...
>
> ~john!

My Grandma always told me to start out with cold water but never
explained why. John I believe you have offered me an epiphany.
Thanks.

levelwave > wrote in message >...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
>
> > There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> > and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> > For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> > and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> > have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> > information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> > this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
>
> A drop of oil in the pasta water keeps the pasta from sticking...
>
> Chili doesn't have beans in it...
>
> ~john!

Not so much cooking but cooking related. Add egg shells to you
garbage disposal to sharpen the blades. Any understanding of what
happens down there would debunk this myth. Cook pork till it is well
done to kill of the virus that causes some type of worm (sorry can't
remember what the name is and I am not about to go search the internet
and come back to give you all the name just so that I may have a
facade of intellegence, you all know who you are). All I have to
support this is what Alton Brown said.

levelwave > wrote in message >...
> Peter Aitken wrote:
>
> > There are many "kitchen myths" that you hear regularly - ideas about cooking
> > and food that are known to be false but seem to have a life of their own.
> > For example, "searing meat seals in the juices." I thought it would be fun
> > and perhaps useful to create a web page that debunks these myths. If you
> > have any favorites I'd love to hear them. If possible, please include some
> > information or references to back up your "myth-busting" opinion. I want
> > this web page to be objective with research and citations backing it up.
>
>
> A drop of oil in the pasta water keeps the pasta from sticking...
>

I never heard that, but heard that it keeps it from boiling over,
which in most cases it does, IME, anyway.

-L.

In article > ,
(Vince Poroke) wrote:

> Not so much cooking but cooking related. Add egg shells to you
> garbage disposal to sharpen the blades. Any understanding of what
> happens down there would debunk this myth. Cook pork till it is well
> done to kill of the virus that causes some type of worm (sorry can't
> remember what the name is and I am not about to go search the internet
> and come back to give you all the name just so that I may have a
> facade of intellegence, you all know who you are). All I have to
> support this is what Alton Brown said.

The one about pork _used_ to be true, but I can't remember the name of
the parasite (trichinosis? something like that). It would form cysts in
the muscle tissue, and if not cooked properly could infect humans who
ate the meat.

It's not an issue now.

Miche

--
If you want to end war and stuff you got to sing loud.
-- Arlo Guthrie, "Alice's Restaurant"