Common Cooking Myths Busted

Have you ever wondered why you’re supposed to seed tomatoes when making gazpacho? Or bake with eggs at room-temperature?

A recent article from NPR’s The Salt blog talks about America’s Test Kitchen host Chris Kimball’s new book, The Science of Good Cooking, and discusses some of the most popular cooking myths – busted.

Myth: Using a marinade helps tenderize meat. In truth, marinades really don’t help to tenderize meats. According to Kimball, marinades usually contain acids, which do break down meat, but only to about a quarter of an inch thickness. When they break it down, they turn it into mush, he says. Kimball suggests salting meats instead, which allows protein molecules to absorb water. This loosens up protein fibers so it retains water and the meat is easier to chew. Brining meats in a mixture of salt, water and sometimes sugar usually produces a juicer product.

Myth: Always seed tomatoes for a smooth soup or gazpacho. Although this process does hold true for making a smoother soup, you may be diminishing the flavor of your soup. Kimball explains that the seeds in tomatoes have three times more flavor compounds than the flesh, so when you throw away the seeds, you’re throwing away flavor. (Related: Study Finds Tomatoes’ Red Color May Diminish Flavor)

Myth: Bake with room-temperature eggs only. Kimball says it’s perfectly fine to bake with cold eggs straight from the fridge most of the time. The only time there is a big difference is when making a cake recipe that is heavily dependent on egg whites, such as angel food cakes. This is because cold eggs don’t whip as well as room-temperature, so your cake can come out dense.

Take a look at the original article here. Do you have any kitchen myths you’ve put to rest? Tell us about them in the comments.