Need some help in the kitchen? There’s no shortage of cooking tips, hacks and tricks on the Internet and your well-meaning loved ones are happy to share theirs as well, but how do you know which tips you can trust? Professional chefs say this is the common cooking advice we should never try at home.
- Don’t wash your chicken before cooking - Some people swear by washing poultry before cooking, but not only does it not kill bacteria, it can have the opposite effect and actually spread bacteria around the kitchen.
- Don’t heat up the grill too quickly - Grilling is done on high heat, but you need to give it time to get to the right temperature. If your grill grates are so hot they’ve turned white, you’ll incinerate anything you put on them.
- Don’t cook meat right out of the fridge - You should always let meat temper for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. Giving it time to rest on a cutting board or plate first allows for more even cooking.
- Don’t press your burger on the grill - Lots of folks use this technique, but pressing the patty when it’s over a heat source lets the juices that keep the burger nice and moist out of the meat. If you want to cut down on cooking time, form a thinner patty before putting it on the grill.
- Don’t use fresh cut potatoes for fries - If you drop freshly cut potatoes into a fryer, all the water will be soaked up into them and they’ll scorch. Instead, cut and brine them for at least four hours, then drain them before they go into the deep fryer and they’ll be perfectly crunchy.
- Don’t smash your garlic - Some chefs believe they have to smack the garlic before chopping to ‘release its oil,” but it just makes the process take longer. Instead, take it easy on the garlic - just toss it into the food processor and be done with it.
- Don’t add oil to pasta water - It doesn’t actually help keep the noodles from sticking and is just a waste of oil.
- Don’t add salt to your marinade - Lots of cooks do this, but salt can suck up the moisture when marinating your proteins, leading to dry meat or seafood.
Source: Eat This, Not That